It’s no secret that video is the future of online marketing. However if you would like some stats to convince you that this video fad is for real, consider that videos currently drive approximately 57% of consumer traffic; by 2018 this percentage is expected to increase to 79%. Want more evidence? It is worth noting than approximately 75% of business executives watch at least one work-related video each week, and 54% of senior executives share at least one work-related video with colleagues every week.

Impressive, huh?

So, what do you do now that you are on the video bandwagon? Well, you need to create videos. There are a variety of different stylistic approaches you can take to video production, however motion design is one of my favorite styles. Motion videos, an animated style of graphic design is a creative and appealing form of video that works great for marketing campaigns.

If you’re managing a marketing campaign, you are most likely hiring a design firm (like us!) to help you with your video production, instead of tackling the production yourself. However, you still need to know some basic motion design principles to properly project manage the creation of your video to ensure you get a video that delivers the results you need.

To help you get the best return on your investment in motion graphic design videos, here are two tips to keep in mind:

1. Timing

The saying timing is everything should be one of your guiding mantras when overseeing the production of motion design videos.

In motion design, you need to set a rhythm that is a perfect fit for your audience as well as the material you are presenting. You need to leave information on the screen long enough for viewers to process your message, but not so long that viewers lose interest.

Here are a few rules of thumb to keep in mind:

–  Titles should stay up long enough for the viewer to read it aloud 3x.

–  A person’s name may remain on the screen for as little as 2-3 seconds.

–  Sentences should stay on the screen for 15-30 seconds, depending on the complexity of the concept being explained.

There are always exceptions to every rule, though, so here are a few additional notes to keep in mind:

–  Is there a voiceover?

If a narrator is reading aloud the text as it is shown on the screen, you can decrease the amount of time the text is shown. Typically, once the narrator has read the words, you can transition to the next concept.

–  Is your material complex?

If your material is conceptually challenging, give your viewers extra time to process the information. If your material is relatively light, like in the video below, the text can be on the screen for less time.

–  How much information are you communicating?

If you’re communicating a lot of information, even if it is relatively simple, you don’t want to overwhelm your audience by speeding through a lot of information too quickly. Pace the presentation of information so viewers don’t reach the end of the video and feel burned out.

–  Who is your audience?

When creating your motion design video, it is critical to know who your audience is and when/where they will be viewing your video. If you’re presenting to an elderly audience, you should probably present information more slowly. However, if you’re presenting to a younger, professional audience with a tight schedule, speed up your material to match their preference for fast-paced presentations. This seems obvious, but it is a detail that can be easily overlooked when production is fast-paced due to a tight timeline.

Additional Resources:

The Complete Guide to Knowing Your Audience

The Science of Memorable Presentations

Minimize The Extraneous Load of Your Presentations

2. Tension

When you create motion design videos you should utilize storytelling techniques (when possible) to captivate your audience and hold their attention throughout the entire video. More specifically, you should try to create an element of suspense in your video.

Suspense is especially important in video because unlike online presentations that allow viewers to click through at their own pace, viewers have three choices with video: 1) they can watch the video at the pacing you establish, 2) they can fast forward and risk missing critical elements, 3) they can stop watching.

Since you don’t want people to fast forward through your hard work, and you definitely don’t want people to abandon your video completely, you need to compel viewers to watch your entire video. Using the storytelling technique of tension and discovery is a great method for hooking and keeping viewers.

Establishing tension can be as simple as crafting a catchy title that will hook viewers’ curiosity . As you can see in the video below, only part of title needs to be catchy to achieve this effect. By adding the and Mad Scientists line to the title, we put a mysterious spin on an otherwise straightforward title.

Another way to add an element of tension is to set a grand vision, but wait to reveal it completely. For example, you can say something like, I want to tell you the answer to problem X, and then pull back to present problem X before sharing the solution. Or, you can create tension by starting your video with a question that you answer at a later point in the video. There are many ways to create tension, so make sure to add this element to your videos when possible.

By setting up some sense of mystery, you will be more successful at holding your viewers’ attention.

Additional Resources:

How-To Conquer Short Attention Spans

Why Great Presentations Require Tension and Discovery

Conclusion

Now that you’re aware of the power of videos for online marketing, as well as empowered to project manage the production of motion graphic design videos, I want to conclude by inspiring you with some motion design videos created by Ethos3 designers.

Whether you decide to hire Ethos3 for your motion design videos or you choose another route for production, these videos can inspire you to create stunning videos for your content marketing campaigns. Enjoy!