Choosing Between Live and Animated Videos – Weighing the Pros and Cons
From tutorials to funny animal videos, most likely, you have watched at least one online video today.
And it is easy to understand why. Videos are not only entertaining, they’re easier to digest. It can only take a few minutes to watch a video compared to reading the same content as a blog post.
Quite simply, every business must take advantage of videos when promoting themselves online. The question is, which should you choose: live or animated videos?
The Pros and Cons
There is no clear answer to this question. More often than not, you will have to factor in a few critical considerations like your target audience, your campaign goals, your production timeline, and your budget.
In order to make an informed choice, it is worthwhile to know the pros and cons of each available option.
Animated Videos
PROS
Animated explainer videos are effective in breaking down even the most complex of subjects into easily understood ideas. Simply put, if you are trying to explain a complicated or groundbreaking idea, animated videos should be your number one option.
Animated videos can be customized. This makes it easier to use these videos for your branding efforts. Whatever animated style you choose to use, your chosen animated studio can seamlessly blend your brand’s identity.
Animated videos can easily overcome live production challenges. Those concerns include budget, location, or in some cases, the safety and well-being of actors. You do not have to worry about those with animated videos.
Animated videos are easier to revise. Whether you want to add something to your video or update the information it contains, it takes fewer resources to make changes with an animated video.
CONS
Animated videos can lack a personal touch that consumers sometimes look for when interacting with an unfamiliar brand. Humans are hardwired to look at a person’s face and evaluate the emotions it expresses.
Animated videos can spoil you with the sheer number of options they offer. While, more often than not, that is a good problem to have, that can be overwhelming in some cases and may lead you to analysis paralysis.
Live Videos
PROS
Live videos are more personal. If one of the drawbacks of animated videos is that it cannot show human faces and emotions, live videos easily overcome that challenge. This makes live videos more suited for products or services that potential customers like to see.
Live videos are great for showing steps. While animated videos are great for making concepts easy to understand, live videos are best suited for showing how processes are done in a step by step manner.
Almost anyone can do live videos. Most phones are capable of taking videos. Additionally, there are several platforms that enable users to upload or even shoot live videos. In short, live videos are more accessible to creators who may have limited skills.
CONS
Generally speaking, live videos are more expensive to make. Apart from the actors’ fees, you also have to factor in the costs for the location, equipment rental, and off-screen talent fees.
Budget can also be a key concern in terms of limiting creativity. Unlike animated videos which can expand your ideas to practically anything you desire, it can be difficult to include some visual elements into a live video without blowing up your budget.
Making the Choice
When it comes to choosing which type of videos to use in promoting your videos, there are no hard and fast rules. Often, your choice will be dictated by your goals and your budget.
Apart from that, it shouldn’t boil down to choosing one over the other. You can try using both types of videos for different purposes and platforms. For example, you can use animated explainer videos when explaining the concept behind your product or service, and a live video when you want to give consumers step-by-step instructions on how to use it. Or you can use live videos to give customers a behind-the-scenes snapshot of your production process and animated videos for social media and email marketing.
Whatever choice you make, at the end of the day, it’s your story that matters. Make sure that your story remains the focal point above everything else. Also, when the production is finished, you have to ensure your videos are optimized in order to coax more searchers, garner more views, increase engagements, and hopefully, increase sales.
Online videos are a powerful and versatile tool that businesses should add to their marketing toolbox. Ignoring the value of this content platform can translate to a significant loss of opportunities for your business.