Content marketing is evolving at a breakneck rate. Content marketing has moved from text to video content. Though written content still has its place in the scheme of things, video content has become the mainstay.
Video content is also undergoing evolution. With the advent of animation technology, businesses can create more interactive videos with fewer resources, hence, saving overhead costs, getting better results, and increasing ROI on content marketing efforts.
The market size for Animation has risen from $259 billion in 2018 to $270 billion in 2020. This figure is increasing with more people preferring animated video content to other forms of content.
You may be wondering why video animations are fast displacing other forms of content. Here’s why:
- Video animation stimulates interest. It’s an excellent way to reach potential customers these days when attention span has hit rock bottom. With video animation, the viewer doesn’t have to be bored from reading long text content.
- The best way to tell a good story is through a video. The fact is, 72% of the populace wants to learn about stuff through video rather than text. If you’re going to tell your brand’s story effectively, make it into a video. Better still, use an animated video.
- People retain and remember more of what they watched than what they see. People only remember about 10% of what they read versus 95% of what they watched. Your message will make a better and lasting impression through video than written content.
- Video animation is all-encompassing. When it comes to video content, you can integrate other forms of content into it to enhance your viewers’ experience.
The potentials that abound with integrating Animation in your content marketing strategy is enormous. However, there are different types of Animation for various purposes. In this post, you’ll see five types of Animation you can implement as you plan your next content marketing campaign.
1. 2D Animation
This is the most common type of video animation content used in content marketing today. It’s a low-budget and straightforward type of Animation, but it still delivers tremendous results.
It can come in various forms. The most common ones are 2D character animation, Whiteboard animation, Infographic animation, Motion-graphic Animation, and Kinetic typography.
It’s important to state that there are specific purposes a 2D animated video can serve. If you’re looking to explain an idea, product, or process, then 2D Animation gives you the best results. It’s the reason most companies use whiteboard animation for explainer videos.
However, it is a bad idea to use a 2D animated video for a demo. You need something more sophisticated to be able to capture intricate details.
At best, 2D Animation engages your audience on an emotional level and not a practical level. Therefore, you may want to add some elements of humor to your script. It creates a relaxed mood for your audience to capture your explanations.
Mastercard’s “By the Numbers” 2D animated video ad is an excellent example of simple, yet rich content. They did well to send a strong message about their global impact in a simple and relatable way.
2. 3D Animation
While 2D Animation speaks of simplicity, 3D Animation is all shades of sophistication. 3D Animation empowers businesses to create highly interactive, dynamic, and engaging videos with realistic characters and settings.
The critical thing about a 3D animation video content is the attention to detail from video creators. You need to envisage every possibility and incorporate it into the video. Here, reality and practicality take precedence over emotions.
3D Animation has recorded massive success in mainstream entertainment. It also has great potential to boost marketing results considering its attention-grabbing tendency. It’s beneficial when you want to share your brand’s story.
One key benefit is that it takes less time to put together when compared to traditional videos. One would think that with all the sophistication, it consumes a lot of time. All you need is to have your idea handy, and there is available software to turn it to animated visuals.
Quick examples of 3D Animation in content marketing are McVitie’s “Sweet Together,” Nespresso’s “On Ice,” and MoneySupermarket’s “Epic Action Man.”
3. Stop Motion Animation
Stop motion animation is an innovative way of making a traditional short video. It’s a cinematographic way of giving static objects in a video an impression of movement. For instance, a video where someone drops a teacup, and it moves from the center of the table to the edge, and it eventually falls off.
It’s seen as Animation since actual human beings are interacting with inanimate objects like they were animate.
So many people are getting imaginative and creative with stop motion animation. It is used in almost any kind of content – infomercials, explainer videos, or product descriptions.
A good example is Xbox’s Stop Motion Commercial.
4. A Mix of Animation and Live-Action
Why would you have to choose between a Cadillac Escalade and a Ford Ranger when you can afford to have both?
That might sound a little weird, but it’s doable. You can have a fusion of Animation and live-action in one content. If that’s possible, who says you can’t incorporate it into your content marketing plan?
Now, you have to be careful about the kind of content you create using this type of Animation. It’s innovative, but can also be distracting if not correctly and creatively done. Hence, you could waste your time and effort in creating content that would not get you results.
A perfect example of this fusion is Ribena’s “You Can’t Get Any More Ribenary.”
5. Motion Graphics
For the folks who can’t do without text, this is a lifesaver for you. You can make animated videos with lots of text floating by and minimal graphics.
While other forms of animated videos focus on the characters, motion graphics focus on texts and shapes.
A good example is 29 Ways to be Creative by E-Cell.
Finally
If you forget anything, it shouldn’t be that Animation is now the mainstay in content marketing. A lot of businesses and companies are deploying it and getting a high ROI from it. You shouldn’t be left out. Creatively implement the different types of animations in this post and enjoy the great rewards that follow.
