Trade Show Video vs. Explainer Video: What’s the Difference?

Are you thinking about the type of video to create for your next marketing campaign? I suggest comparing the options and choosing the right one depending on your business goals. 

In our recent articles, I have already covered the opportunities of educational videos for business. Today, let’s dwell on the common and distinctive features of trade show videos and explainer videos to find out which suits your marketing goals best. 

 

 

Trade Show Video and Explainer Video Definitions

 

Before dwelling on the trade show video and explainer video similarities and differences, let’s briefly recap their definitions which are quite clear from their names.

A trade show video is a video clip created to represent the company’s product or service during an event. Its goal is to help the visitors get the first impression and understand the brief essence. 

 

 

A product explainer video is a more detailed video explanation of the ways the product works and delivers unique benefits to its users. 

Both trade show video and a video explainer have overlapping and distinctive features, so let’s look at them in more detail. 

 

Trade Show Videos vs. Explainer Videos: Similarities 

 

Below are the features trade show and explainer video production have in common. 

 

Present the Company or Service and Communicate Brand Value

Trade show and explainer videos have the first goal of presenting the company, product, or service. What’s more, this is the initial goal of producing any marketing video. The set of video production tools, approaches, and best practices is quite diverse, and that’s why you can tailor different video types to different marketing goals. 

 

Reusable Nature

Both types of videos are also perfectly reusable. For instance, you may share your animated explainer video via video hosting platforms, publish it on your website and its product page, attach it to your email newsletter and successfully promote it on social media.

As for the trade show video, you can take it with you to any business event you visit, and also use it at the post-show stage by sharing it with the prospective leads who were unable to visit an event. 

 

Trade Show and Explainer Video: Differences

 

Still, the approaches to creating an animated explainer video and a video for a trade show are different. Below are the main differences these video types have. Mostly, they are driven by the use case since trade show video display has its specifics.

You are also welcome to find out more about trade show best practices in our dedicated article. 

 

Trade Show Videos

 

• Brief and Concise. A trade show video, unlike an explainer one, doesn’t have to be long since there is a high probability that it will never be watched to the end. Instead, it should show the product and the company in the most concise way. Still, it has to be meaningful and highlight the most important essentials only. 
• Focused on Visuals. Trade show videos have little room for explanation with voiceover or text. Instead, they use strong visual means to captivate the audience. That’s why one of the best practices to trade show video production is to create them in such a way that all the details are perfectly visible from a distance and from different angles. 
• Used at the Awareness Sales Funnel Stage. The main goal of visiting a trade show or event is to capture the prospective leads who most often have either superficial knowledge of a brand and its product or don’t have it at all. From the marketing perspective, the visitors are at the awareness stage of the sales funnel, and that’s why trade show videos just showcase the product, without going into deep details or an attempt to sell it right now. 

 

Explainer Videos

 

• Provide In-Depth Details. Animated explainer videos usually come more detailed compared to the ones created for shows and events. The reason is simple – the users are more likely to catch and understand the details when watching an explainer video in a relaxed environment compared to the noisy one of an event. But nevertheless, explainer videos shouldn’t be overloaded with technical specifics  – otherwise, the users will get tired. They also shouldn’t be as detailed as video tutorials since the task of an explainer is to explain only. 
• Embed Strong Storytelling. A winning business explainer video often tells a captivating story that is strongly interconnected with the product idea, mission, and the benefit it delivers. In this way, an explainer video triggers the first emotional connection with a brand. 
• Combine Visuals with Audio or Written Narration. When watching explainer videos, the users are more likely to perceive visual and audio information in parallel. That’s why explainer videos, unlike trade show ones, often employ clear and pleasant voiceovers or use written explanations at least, if it is a whiteboard explainer video, for instance. 
• Used at the Consideration Sales Funnel Stage. Unlike trade show videos that are used at the stage of awareness, explainer videos make the most sense at the consideration stage of the sales funnel. At this point, they help the prospective leads to develop a deeper understanding of the product’s benefits and drive them to the stage of purchase. 

 

Why Animation is The Best Choice for Trade Show and Explainer Videos?

 

There are different approaches to creating videos for trade shows and events. You can explain your concept in different ways either. Still, using animation is one of the most winning tactics when creating videos, and here is why. 

• Creative freedom. Depending on the specifics of your product or service, and type of the video you would like to create, you can follow different animation styles. For example, 3D style better fits a trade show video since it allows for showcasing the product from any angle. 2D can be a perfect match for a simple explainer in a cartoon-like style since in this case, the story itself and complementing voiceover are more important than expensive graphics. 
• Flexibility. In addition to the diversified set of tools, styles, and approaches, here is another reason why I’m in love with video production. There is no industry, product, service, or concept that can’t be winningly showcased or explained using a video. There are no limitations for those ready to turn the creative thinking on and follow the trendiest marketing tactics to date. 
• Affordability. Animated videos are quite affordable, especially when comparing them with the live-shoot ones. What’s more, their reusable nature allows you to employ them again and again – at no additional cost for you. 

 

 

Conclusion 

 

If visiting trade shows is an essential part of your promotional strategy, creating an event video about your product or service is a winning tactic. As for the explainer video, this is an absolute must-have for any more or less innovative solution. 

When created right, both of these video types can promise a good return on investment. Still, you have to be smart when using them and partner with an experienced explainer video production company to get awesome results.

Wow-How Studio would be happy to share our creative and technical expertise to come up with attention-grabbing videos for your marketing strategy, regardless of the use case