Four years ago this week, Cartoon Media was formed! At the time we only produced simple whiteboard animation videos with no backing music.

For the first year, I managed all projects and wrote most of the scripts and storyboards, leaving the production of the video to our talented cartoonists and voice artists.

A lot has changed since then, both in our improved project management process, the expansion of our core team, and through changes in the market and the needs of our customers.

Here are four major trends we’ve noticed:

1. Increased Appetite for 2D Explainer Videos

We started producing 2D Explainer videos just over 2 years ago, with great success. Although our customer base is increasing steadily overall, enquiries for 2D videos are increasing, especially for general branding purposes, when companies want to highlight their brands in the best light possible.

The interesting dynamic now is that 2D Explainer videos are becoming ‘the norm’ for companies in the public eye instead of Whiteboard Animation videos, so some customers now say that they prefer to have a Whiteboard video because they are not as ubiquitous as Explainer videos.

1. Staff Training Whiteboard Animation Videos Becoming More Popular

We’ve noticed an increase in the number of companies who are requesting Whiteboard videos to train their staff. This is where Whiteboard Videos come into their own, because they help to simplify complex concepts, and also improve memory recall of important facts days, even weeks, after the video has been watched.

1. More Multi-Video Campaigns

More people seem to be cottoning onto the power of marketing funnels, with the potential customer moving along multiple steps before buying a high-cost product or service.

A typical funnel might start with a 60-90 second teaser video, encouraging people to enter their email address to download a free report or gain access to further videos. Once signed up, they are then fed another 2-5 videos, usually one per day, teaching them more about the benefits of the high-value product or service, and ending with a video that gives them the opportunity to purchase it at a discount.

1. Social Media Versions of Existing Videos

With more social media platforms embracing embedded video, such as Instagram and Facebook, we are increasingly being asked to create slimmed-down versions of the videos that appear on customers’ websites.

If a customer has ordered a 2-minute video, for example, they might request a 30-45 second version which can be shared on social media. We re-record the script but utilise some of images from the main video to reduce costs for the customer.

A common length for one of these videos used to be 15 seconds before Instagram increased their allowable video length to 60 seconds earlier this year.

So if you’re looking for a Whiteboard Animation or Explainer video for your business, please contact us – we’d love to discuss how we could help you grow your business fast!