How to save money when purchasing an explainer video?
Have you ever wondered why one explainer video costs a fortune? Or maybe you have always wanted to have one for your business but never wanted to spend a lot of money on it? And even the cheapest video seems extremely unreasonable for you? The process of creating an explainer video involves not only 1 but at least 6 people. They are an account and project manager; creative director; writer; voiceover artist, and, of course, animators and illustrators. All of them are doing their best to create your dream project.
In this article we will try to show you in details what your options are in terms of saving money when purchasing an explainer video for your brand.
What can possibly be done to minimize your expenses when purchasing a 2D animated explainer video or how-to video for your business? We have done our research, and this is what we have so far:
1. Using cheap animation software.
Even though online animation software allows you to create generic animation, it doesn't create a full video for you. In other words, it doesn't represent the personality of your brand, it doesn't have the power to sell and it doesn't bring the uniqueness of the product you are trying to promote. It will cost you on average from 50$ to 500$. Yes, it saves you money, but you have to make a sacrifice.
2. Taking part in the process of creating a video.
As a client you can easily get part of the job done by yourself. What we mean by that is that you (or your company) can write the script; make a voiceover or find the voiceover yourself. In that case the animation studio has to do only the animation, and this is definitely cheaper than having the whole project done by them. Keep in mind that not every single agency is ready to work with your script and voiceover, so you have to find the animation studio first, and ask if they are okay with you providing some content. You can always reach out to them and negotiate all the necessities!
There is also another way to go: you can find freelancers on online platforms who can get the job done for less money. We wouldn't recommend making the entire video with their help simply because you are going to pay way more than if you were working with an animation company. Not only is it worth a lot of money, but it is also time-consuming. Imagine all the hours spent on choosing the right freelancer and trying to explain what you need. But freelancers are the way to go when you need only part of job done by professional (for example, only one piece of your video). The choice is yours.
1. Using cheap animation software.
Even though online animation software allows you to create generic animation, it doesn't create a full video for you. In other words, it doesn't represent the personality of your brand, it doesn't have the power to sell and it doesn't bring the uniqueness of the product you are trying to promote. It will cost you on average from 50$ to 500$. Yes, it saves you money, but you have to make a sacrifice.
2. Taking part in the process of creating a video.
As a client you can easily get part of the job done by yourself. What we mean by that is that you (or your company) can write the script; make a voiceover or find the voiceover yourself. In that case the animation studio has to do only the animation, and this is definitely cheaper than having the whole project done by them. Keep in mind that not every single agency is ready to work with your script and voiceover, so you have to find the animation studio first, and ask if they are okay with you providing some content. You can always reach out to them and negotiate all the necessities!
There is also another way to go: you can find freelancers on online platforms who can get the job done for less money. We wouldn't recommend making the entire video with their help simply because you are going to pay way more than if you were working with an animation company. Not only is it worth a lot of money, but it is also time-consuming. Imagine all the hours spent on choosing the right freelancer and trying to explain what you need. But freelancers are the way to go when you need only part of job done by professional (for example, only one piece of your video). The choice is yours.
3. Are you okay with the stock footage?
The animation studio can use stock footage and stock illustrations, so they spend less time creating their own content for a 2D animated explainer video. Not only it saves time, it saves you money, but you should keep in mind, that in the end you get pretty good but not a unique video. If you're okay with that, it is a perfect way to save some money. In addition to that, you can choose how detailed you want your 2D animation to be. If you want to keep it simple, so the animation is easier to create and, as a result, is cheaper, so here is another way to save some money.
4. Do you trust the beginners?
You can find the animation studio that is new to the market and try to negotiate a good deal with them. The thing with new animation studios is that some of them are relatively new and want to be promoted and found by many people. They may be creating their own portfolio, so they will charge you with a small fee or give you a reasonable discount. There are couple of new animation studios who can provide you with a great offer, but you have to be careful when looking for one. Even though the price is great, the final result can easily lack in quality or animation effects. But in many cases the final project will be worth spending the money. You have to keep in mind that dealing with new animation studios is like buying a pig in a poke.
The animation studio can use stock footage and stock illustrations, so they spend less time creating their own content for a 2D animated explainer video. Not only it saves time, it saves you money, but you should keep in mind, that in the end you get pretty good but not a unique video. If you're okay with that, it is a perfect way to save some money. In addition to that, you can choose how detailed you want your 2D animation to be. If you want to keep it simple, so the animation is easier to create and, as a result, is cheaper, so here is another way to save some money.
4. Do you trust the beginners?
You can find the animation studio that is new to the market and try to negotiate a good deal with them. The thing with new animation studios is that some of them are relatively new and want to be promoted and found by many people. They may be creating their own portfolio, so they will charge you with a small fee or give you a reasonable discount. There are couple of new animation studios who can provide you with a great offer, but you have to be careful when looking for one. Even though the price is great, the final result can easily lack in quality or animation effects. But in many cases the final project will be worth spending the money. You have to keep in mind that dealing with new animation studios is like buying a pig in a poke.
5. Have you considered hiring people from abroad?
There is another way to minimize the cost of your explainer video, and that is by hiring an animation team from a country where labor cost is low, but the level of education is relatively high. There are countries where the cost of living is actually lower than in your country, but the education provided is one of the best in the world, so you can do your research and choose reliable animation studio with good price lists. But as they say, good things come in small packages, so you should be aware of possible pitfalls.
Are there any downsides of purchasing a cheap video for your startup, app, or business?
As you probably already know, each case is different. Generally speaking you get what you pay for. And from that point of view, buying a cheap video means not getting what you have expected to see.
If the price of a 2 minute explainer video is well below the market price, there is a chance of something fishy going on. The animation studio may be outsourcing the project to low quality studios and as a result you get what you didn't want. The other trick is that they may be using templates and your video won't be unique anymore. You just have to be aware of fraudsters out there.
Bear in mind that your explainer video is a marketing tool, so do you want that to be bad? Everyone knows that poor animated explainer videos aren't just referring to low-quality visual effects, but they also send the wrong message to your potential customers.
The final price of a 2D animated explainer video or how-to video consists of many factors, such as time spent working on the project; people who are doing their particular job; animation quality. Not only it requires time but also qualified people to do the job. And their work has to be well-paid.
In conclusion, you can always find a way to save money when purchasing a video for your business, but you have to be super careful and remember all of the options we explained.
If you have any further questions, we are ready to answer them!
There is another way to minimize the cost of your explainer video, and that is by hiring an animation team from a country where labor cost is low, but the level of education is relatively high. There are countries where the cost of living is actually lower than in your country, but the education provided is one of the best in the world, so you can do your research and choose reliable animation studio with good price lists. But as they say, good things come in small packages, so you should be aware of possible pitfalls.
Are there any downsides of purchasing a cheap video for your startup, app, or business?
As you probably already know, each case is different. Generally speaking you get what you pay for. And from that point of view, buying a cheap video means not getting what you have expected to see.
If the price of a 2 minute explainer video is well below the market price, there is a chance of something fishy going on. The animation studio may be outsourcing the project to low quality studios and as a result you get what you didn't want. The other trick is that they may be using templates and your video won't be unique anymore. You just have to be aware of fraudsters out there.
Bear in mind that your explainer video is a marketing tool, so do you want that to be bad? Everyone knows that poor animated explainer videos aren't just referring to low-quality visual effects, but they also send the wrong message to your potential customers.
The final price of a 2D animated explainer video or how-to video consists of many factors, such as time spent working on the project; people who are doing their particular job; animation quality. Not only it requires time but also qualified people to do the job. And their work has to be well-paid.
In conclusion, you can always find a way to save money when purchasing a video for your business, but you have to be super careful and remember all of the options we explained.
If you have any further questions, we are ready to answer them!
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