5 Easy Tips to Make Pro-level Whiteboard Animation Videos

If you’re reading this, you probably are already aware of the immense potential of video content as a marketing tool — especially when you need to turn dull or difficult marketing messages into captivating pieces your audience will love.

And yes, from all the many styles at your disposal, whiteboard videos stand out as great additions to most marketing strategies due to how they simplify complex topics and make your message memorable.

But making an impactful and effective whiteboard animation is no easy feat. It takes a keen eye for detail, an engaging script, and a dash of creativity to make a piece that truly resonates with your target audience.

So in this article, I’ll be sharing five tips to help you create whiteboard animations like a pro. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or still dangling in the learning curves, these tips will help you take your whiteboard animations to the next level.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Use Dynamic Angles and Transitions

When creating an engaging and impactful whiteboard animation, paying attention to important details can make all the difference. One such detail is the use of dynamic angles for your shots and interesting transitions to give your video that oh-so-pro touch.

Here are some ways to achieve that style:

• Get creative with angles: Experiment with different angles to showcase various aspects and elements of your animation. Try using a bird’s eye view or worm’s eye view to add a unique perspective to your animated shots.
• Use transitions to guide attention: Transitions such as zooms, pans, and tilts can effectively guide the audience’s attention and highlight the most important parts of your content. Use these transitions to lead your audience through your story.
• Avoid overloading the viewer: While transitions and rich graphics can add a lot, using too many of them can be distracting and take away from the overall vibe of your video. Make sure to use transitions and similar graphic elements sparingly and only when it adds to the flow of the animation.
• Ensure smoothness: Rough visual assets or forced/choppy transitions can take away from the overall feel of your animation and detract from the message you’re trying to convey. Take some time in post-production to create smooth and fluid transitions and animations to give your piece a high-quality, professional look.

Build Around Data, But Turn it Into Insights

Using statistics and similar data points can be a powerful way to make your marketing content more legitimate and credible. But let’s face it; raw statistics aren’t always the most memorable or engaging.

That’s why it’s crucial to turn that data into insights.

One great resource to help you turn data into insights is the book “Made to Stick” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. The authors argue that the key to making information memorable is to make it, well, “sticky.”

In other words, you want your data to be memorable, easily understood, and easily remembered by your audience.

Here are some tips to help you do just that with your whiteboard videos:

• Use juxtaposition: Using graphics and transitions to compare and contrast two or more things can be an effective way to help your audience understand the significance of the data you’re presenting.
• Use anecdotes: Animating a personal story or example can also be powerful to help illustrate your point and make the data you’re presenting more relatable to your audience.
• Use examples your audience can relate to: If you want to make your data more meaningful to your audience, you need to find examples that they can understand and relate to.
• Use visualization: Charts, graphs, and other visual aids help your audience see the data in an interesting way. For example, you could use a bar graph to compare the growth of different companies over the past few years.
• Show the ‘wow’ factor: Creating a ‘wow’ factor can help make your data more memorable. Use contrasting statistics, unexpected comparisons, or surprising examples to make your audience sit up and take notice. This piece from Overclock Labs perfectly illustrates that approach.

Use the Right Music and Sound Design to Evoke Emotion

Music and sound effects are often underestimated, but they play a crucial role in how your audience perceives and remembers your video.

In fact, the right music and sound effects can help you optimize your whiteboard animation for more conversions and viewer engagement by establishing an emotional connection with them.

Here are some tips to help you accomplish this:

• Watch out for copyright issues: As a business, you want to avoid copyright hassle. So, it’s best to choose royalty-free music for your animation. Luckily, plenty of websites offer a wide variety of high-quality, royalty-free music you can use in your video.
• Consider the tone and mood you want to convey: The music and sound effects you choose should reflect your animation’s overall tone and mood. For example, if your video is meant to be upbeat and energetic, choose a music track that reflects that. Or, if it’s meant to be serious and thought-provoking, choose a more somber track.
• Match the pace of your animation: The music’s tempo should match your animation’s pace. For a fast-paced animation (like in a short video), choose a music track with an up-tempo beat. Choose a music track with a slower, less intrusive beat for a slower-paced piece that deals with more serious or complicated topics.
• Use sound effects sparingly: Sound effects can effectively highlight some visual elements and drive your viewer’s attention, but too many can be distracting. Choose sound effects that enhance your animation and add value rather than take away from it.

Use General Marketing Principles to Bring Your Piece Together

Marketing has evolved a lot over the past two decades, and we’ve had some luminaries contribute some great insights and philosophies you can use to enhance the overall quality of whatever whiteboard video you work on.

Here are some of them:

• Steve Jobs: Steve Jobs was known for his ability to simplify complex ideas and present them in a memorable and persuasive way. When creating your whiteboard animation, strive to simplify your message as much as possible and deliver it in a way that’s easy for your audience to follow and remember.
• Mary Kay Ash: Mary Kay Ash believed in the power of positive reinforcement and encouraged her salespeople to focus on the positives rather than the negatives. When creating your whiteboard animation, focus on the benefits of your product or service and how it will improve your audience’s life.
• Helen Lansdowne: Helen Lansdowne was a pioneer of emotional advertising and believed that the most effective advertisements tap into the target audience’s emotions. When creating your whiteboard animation, strive to evoke emotions in your audience and connect with them on a deeper level.
• David Ogilvy: David Ogilvy believed in the importance of headlines and that the headline is the most crucial part of any advertisement. When publishing your whiteboard animation, make sure its title is clear, concise, and attention-grabbing.
• Seth Godin: Seth Godin is a modern marketing legend, and he emphasizes the importance of creating a remarkable narrative that’s worth spreading. When creating your whiteboard animation, strive to create a narrative that’s so compelling that your audience will want to share it with others.

Always Tell a Great Story

You might have heard that one before — and you’re hearing it again. A great story is one of the fundamental aspects of creating a captivating marketing video, and whiteboard animations are no exception.

A great story can convey a message that can pique curiosity and turn viewers into customers.

Here are some tips to improve the storytelling side of your whiteboard videos:

• Start with a clear goal in mind: This point connects us back to some of what we talked about earlier. Answer this question: What do you want your audience to take away from your animation? Knowing the answer to this question will help you craft a story that is focused and aligned with your objective.
• Create a strong narrative structure: A good story has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Consider using the hero’s journey or the three-act structure to give your story a clear framework.
• Make it relatable: The best stories are those that connect with the audience on an emotional level. Find ways to make your story relatable by using personal anecdotes, humor, or relatable characters.
• Use supportive visuals: A whiteboard animation is a visual medium, so make the most of it! Use images, illustrations, and animations to bring your story to life.
• Keep it simple: A complicated story can be confusing and detract from your message. Keep your story simple, focused, and easy to follow. Take this video as an example; it tells you all you need about the company, using a strong narrative, relatable discussion, and supportive visuals — all while keeping it simple:

In Short:

Creating a successful whiteboard animation requires careful consideration of various elements, including animation style, music and sound effects, marketing principles, storytelling, and data visualization.

By selecting the right animation style that matches your message and brand, incorporating dynamic angles and transitions, using marketing principles from legends, telling a compelling story, and turning data into insights with the help of anecdotes, examples, and visualization, you can create a powerful whiteboard animation that will capture your audience’s attention and effectively convey your message.

Good luck!