Motion Graphics Video vs. Slideshow Video For Online Marketing

Motion Graphics Video or Slideshow Video? Which is best for online marketing? We help answer these questions and more in our online marketing through video series.

What are the types of videos?

There are five types of videos that you can use to market your business online:

  • screencasts
  • live action
  • motion graphics
  • slideshows
  • live streaming videos

Today, we will compare two of them: Motion Graphics Video vs. Slideshow Video. Recently, a client asked me “What’s better, a motion video or a photo slideshow video for my business?” The answer is… it depends on your budget and what you want to accomplish! It also depends where the video will be used.

What costs more?
Motion Graphics Video for online marketing is more expensive than a photo slideshow.

Why?
Often the motion graphics videos will incorporate still shots to enhance the video.  Motion graphics videos with voice overs or interviews also give the video marketer much more content to work with and optimize. From a video SEO perspective, which means for the purpose of gaining higher rankings, this is a better option. Motion graphic videos are more time consuming to create, but they offer the human connection.

What’s the appeal?
Here is an excerpt from a Forbes Article on video for 2013, which explains the appeal of the motion video:

Four core, very human reasons we are drawn to video:

  1. The Fusiform Facial area makes us pay attention to faces – this is an actual brain function that hard-wires us to use the human face as a gathering point for information and believability.
  2. Voice conveys rich information – yes, the simple sound of a human voice speaking to us has an amazing way of converting information into meaningful content.
  3. Emotions are contagious – here’s a subtle but powerful aspect that we may take for granted. The body language of emotions is an appealing and we naturally love to share.
  4. Movement grabs attention – another trait that runs deep in our collective anthropological DNA is the power of peripheral motion. Since the stone age, we’ve survived by noticing things in motion – looks like we still do!

Motion Graphics Video For Online Marketing

What is an example of a motion graphics video?

What does a motion video cost?
It depends on many factors from length of video, complexity, professional voice over vs. spokesperson etc. However, you can expect to spend anywhere from $1,500-$3,500 for a professional online video.

Photo Slideshow Video For Online Marketing

What is a photo slideshow video?
It is a video that flips through images and often has music in the background.  The slideshow can be made more effective with product or business features and unique selling points overlaid on the photos to tell the story with words.

What does a photo slideshow video cost?
A photo slideshow can be very cost effective, especially if you already have the photos. If you have the photos, these videos typically start at $250. However, it’s critical to have great photos for this type of video, so we highly recommend having professional photos taken.

Pros and Cons

I love this video by Tim Schmoyer as he very succinctly explains the different types of videos and the pros and cons of motion graphics vs. slideshow videos.

Jump to the Motion Graphics and Slideshow portion of his explanation: It begins at 2:00 minutes and continues for 60 seconds.

Tim’s position is quite harsh on the slideshow videos for online marketing.  He has a point, which is that slideshows can easily be done in javascript and the visitor can then control the slideshow.  However, I do think that some video is better than none, and when budget does not allow, the photo slideshow is a decent option.

 

Check out our related article: How To Use Video For Offline Marketing 

About Sara Mannix

Sara Mannix founded Mannix in 1996 with a goal to get clients found on the web through organic search engine optimization (SEO). The company now serves over 1500 clients worldwide and employs a team of 30 specialists, operating under the tagline "Success Measured." The tagline reflects the company's focus on measurable results for every client. This multifaceted company is an industry leader, specializing in organic SEO, conversion rate optimization, SEO-friendly website design, paid advertising (PPC). Mannix Marketing has two divisions, one side is focused on lead generation for nationally competitive businesses. The other side is focused on local businesses. Mannix has one of the largest portfolios of tourism and city guides in Upstate New York. These guides, (Albany.com, Saratoga.com, LakeGeorge.com, and Adirondack.net etc), reach over 10 million visitors a year. Corresponding social media profiles for the region extend this reach to millions every month.

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