Do you need an explainer video for your SME, but the budget is limited? Good news: with the right strategy, you can get much more out of small budgets than you think. The key is not a big budget, but smart planning. Here are the most concrete tips for creating professional explainer videos without breaking the bank.
Step 1: Clarify your goals before contacting an agency
This is the most important step and many SMEs skip it. If you talk to an agency without clearly knowing what you need, it will be expensive and messy.
You should clarify this beforehand
What specific problem is the video supposed to solve?
- Too many support requests for the same question?
- Customers don’t understand your service model?
- Long onboarding time for new customers?
- Frequent misunderstandings about your services?
Who is your target group?
- New or existing customers?
- What role do they play? (Decision-makers, users, influencers in the buying process?)
Where and how is the video shown?
- Website, e-mail campaign, social media, sales call, event?
- This directly determines the length and format.
What exactly should happen after someone has seen the video?
- Should they register? Book a call? Understand a feature? Answer an FAQ?
What length and how many videos?
- One 60-second video or several?
- Do you need a social teaser + long main video?
We will be happy to advise you on these points. However, if you come to us with clarity, everything will run more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Practical example: Instead of “We want a video”, ask yourself: “Our customers don’t understand our service model. They keep calling and asking the same thing. A 2-minute explanatory video on the website could save 30% of these calls.”
With this clarity, you come to the agency and already save costs because fewer detours and revisions are necessary.
Step 2: Invest in explainer videos - the long-term game changers
Here’s a simple trick: choose content that you have to explain again and again. Explanatory videos that are used for a long time and save real working time.
This is ideal for explanatory videos:
- Complicated processes (How does our software work?)
- Frequently asked questions (How do I register? How do I create a project?)
- Customer introduction (e.g. onboarding for new customers)
- Common misconceptions (What can we NOT do?)
The genius: While an explainer video may run on your website for 2-3 years, you save an enormous amount of time. It answers the same question at any time without you having to keep repeating the answer.
Calculation: If you spend three hours a week explaining the same thing to customers, a 2-minute explanatory video will save you around 150 working hours over 3 years. That’s your ROI.
Step 3: Invest in professional dubbing
Here’s the most important cost-saving tip: explanatory videos don’t need actors. But they do need a professional soundtrack.
Why? An explainer video without a professional voice-over looks tinkered with. The animation, the timing, the graphics – everything loses credibility if the voice sounds unprofessional.
The budget for this:
- Professional dubbing is included in our package price
- An untrained voice costs your entire video in quality
What you save:
- No actors, no set, no filming, no catering
- No travel costs, no location rental
Step 4: Define your scope realistically
With a smaller budget, you have to prioritize. That’s actually a strength, it forces you to be clear.
Ask yourself:
- 1 explanatory video or a series?
- How many scenes and characters? (More complexity = more costs)
- Do you need custom animation or are predefined styles enough?
- Music, subtitles, what is essential?
Budget-friendly variants:
- Flat design animation (cheaper than 3D)
- Predefined animation styles (instead of everything custom)
- Screen recording for software explanatory videos (very efficient)
For smaller budgets: less is more. A focused explainer video with a clear message beats a cluttered video every time.
Step 5: Choose the right length
With explanatory videos, one thing is clear: shorter is cheaper. Fewer scenes mean less to draw, animate and design. This directly saves production costs.
Rule of thumb:
- 60-90 seconds: Standard explanatory video for website
- 90-120 seconds: Explanatory video with more details (more scenes = more costs)
- 2-3 minutes: Only if the complex explanation really needs it
- Social media teaser: 15-20 seconds (short hook, link to full video)
The important thing here is: shorter is cheaper. Fewer scenes means less to draw and animate. This directly saves production costs. So: concentrate on the essentials. A focused 60-second explanatory video is cheaper and often more effective than a long-winded 3-minute video. And for social media: Make a short teaser (15-20 seconds) that links to the full explainer video on your website.
Step 6: Use templates and existing assets
You don’t have to reinvent everything:
- Predefined styles: Many agencies work with predefined animation templates
- Music libraries: License-free music instead of expensive compositions
- Icon and shape libraries: instead of drawing everything
- Your content: screenshots, existing graphics that you have can possibly be integrated
Step 7: Plan for extensions
The best thing about explainer videos: You can expand them later.
Example:
- Start: 2-minute explanatory video on website
- Month 3: Short social media teaser (15-20 seconds) + link to the full video
- Month 6: Extended 4-minute version for a deeper introduction
- Year 2: Update with new features
The basic production of the explanatory video is one-off, the extensions are cheaper. This spreads the costs over time.
Step 8: Measure the impact
This distinguishes successful budgets from wasted ones:
- Where is the explanatory video integrated? Website with analytics? Email campaign with click tracking?
- Which metric counts? Views, completion rate, leads generated, support tickets reduced?
- Baseline before the video: How many support requests do you have now? How long does customer onboarding take?
After three months: Has anything changed? If your explainer video saves 10% of onboarding time or reduces support tickets by 15%, then the budget was definitely worth it.
The bottom line: strategy before Budget
The biggest mistakes happen when SMEs contact an agency without a plan. Then the budget is used up before the explainer video shows its value.
If you follow these eight steps, the following will happen: You know exactly what you need. You focus on explanatory videos with real ROI. You consciously invest in professional audio. The agency works more efficiently for you. And in the end, you save costs.
Schedule a free consultation with our video experts.
Together, we’ll simplify your communication.
