Animated videos for brands can be highly effective. Full stop.
Unfortunately many aren't. What we cover in this blog is how to create an animated video that actually moves the needle. Because here's the thing. Animation is just the medium.
When commissioning an animated video for business, what you're really buying is both strategic thinking and flawless creative execution. Together, they'll set you up for a remarkable return on your investment.
Let's dig in.
Most enquiries we get talk about "animated video," as if it's a single thing. But actually there's a whole playground of animated video types. Each has a distinct strategic purpose when it comes to animation for business.
Tends to be further down the funnel. Conversion-focused.
These animated marketing videos are for prospects who are already interested and want to understand what you do. The goal isn't just to explain—it's to get people excited enough to take the next step.
Best for: Homepage videos, product launches, sales presentations.
High-level animated corporate video that humanises your brand.
These tell the story behind what you do. Your mission, values, the change you're trying to create. Less about features, more about why you exist.
Best for: About pages, investor presentations, company culture content.
Getting important messages out into the world.
Think Salvation Army raising awareness about modern slavery. Or a tech company highlighting a problem most people don't know exists yet.
Best for: Campaigns, thought leadership, social causes.
Designed purely for engagement.
Short, snappy, shareable. Often repurposed from longer videos but optimised for platform-specific behaviour. These animated training videos can also work well for quick onboarding content.
Best for: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok.
A note about style: Whether you go 2D, 3D, or mixed media mostly comes down to your personal preferences, budget, and brand guidelines. It's fine to consider style before embarking on the full briefing process—but always start with strategy, style is secondary.
For the full rundown, learn more about what to expect from a professional video production service.
We see it all the time. Two videos with similar budgets, similar animation quality, similar length. One drives conversions. The other doesn't.
What's the difference?
Low engagement videos opens with "We're excited to introduce our new platform..." The video that excels opens with "Tired of juggling five different tools just to manage your team?". If you immediately relate to your audience, they will be far more engaged in your proposed solution.
Your video should be able to answer this question in a single line: "What are we promising to deliver?" If your audience remember only one thing, it should be this. In a nutshell, how do you solve their problem?
The goal isn't to answer every question—it's to tease with just enough to make someone think "This sounds exactly like what I need" Followed by, "but I have questions." It's this combination of excitement + questions that drives action.
So many brands make the mistake of mismatching audience intent with video content. Instead, be strategic and clear on what success looks like. If your audience are clicking on the video because they think they'll get a succinct summary—then give them one.
Here's the key insight: beautiful animation with weak strategy might get you some compliments. But strategic thinking with flawless execution gets you remarkable results.
When we work with clients, there's a specific thought process that separates videos that move the needle from ones that just look good. Here's a flavour of the types of questions you'll want to explore.
What does success look like? Get specific. This question is so important that it should inform the content of the video. All roads should lead back to the answer to this question. For example, if success looks like more demo bookings, then we can ask: what's most exciting about what we offer? What would compel someone to book a demo?
It's incredibly tempting because you're likely spending a pretty penny on an animated video, but don't go too broad with your audience targeting. It's very hard to relate strongly to both the Marketing Manager and the CFO, because they have different pain points and desires.
How do they currently see the problem? What language do they use? What do they think the solution should look like? The more you see the world through their eyes, the more receptive they'll be to your message.
You could highlight ten benefits. Which three will excite your audience most? Which ones prove your promise statement is actually true? Be ruthless about what doesn't make the cut. Remember, the goal isn't to explain everything. It's just to create enough excitement for them to take the next action.
Where do you want them to go next? Book a demo? Download a guide? Sign up for a trial? The entire narrative arc should build toward that moment.
A client said something interesting yesterday. They'd always thought animation was generic. And to be fair, it's largely true. Most animated videos for business are generic. They have a similar style that isn't reflective of the brand. But it doesn't have to be that way.
Actually animation is one of the most versatile and adaptable communication tools. Check out the agencies portfolio and make sure you see a good spread of varied styles.
Here's some other ways that animation is uniquely powerful for business:
Every frame is intentional. Every movement serves the story. Everything is meticulously planned.
You're able to demonstrate clearly and show exactly what you want in a way that's highly engaging and informative.
You control every aspect of the narrative and how it's depicted on-screen.
When done well, every pixel reflects your brand guidelines. Your animation should live and breathe your brand voice.
The collaborative nature of animation production means every decision is strategic. Nothing gets left to chance.
Years of working with brands on video marketing for business has taught us that certain factors consistently separate successful videos from expensive mistakes:
The temptation is to maximise reach by speaking to everyone. But when you dilute your message to appeal broadly, you end up connecting with no one deeply. Better to resonate strongly with 1,000 people than weakly with 10,000.
Most explainer videos work best at 60-90 seconds. That's not much space to work with. Every word needs to earn its place. If you can show something visually instead of saying it, do that.
Poor execution undermines even brilliant strategy. Your audience judges your business quality by your video quality. You don't need Hollywood budgets, but you do need professional standards.
Use our ultimate video checklist for marketers to ensure you're covering all the strategic bases.
Here's what separates strategic partners from suppliers who just make things look pretty:
Anyone can execute a brief. The valuable partners are the ones who question whether it's the right brief in the first place. They want to understand your business challenge, not just your creative preferences.
Ask them to walk you through their process. Can they explain how they approach strategy? How they handle feedback? When key decisions get made? Structured thinking leads to stronger outcomes.
Stakeholders will change their minds. Deadlines will shift. Priorities will clash. The right team navigates this calmly and keeps the project moving toward the original goal.
The best partnerships happen when your definition of "good work" aligns with theirs. Results-focused teams care more about whether your video drives conversions than whether it wins creative awards.
We've written more about finding the right animated video production partner if you want to dive deeper.
Animated video can outperform almost all other marketing comms. But only when your brief is built on a solid foundation. The difference comes down to strategic thinking. Understanding your audience. Crafting messages that resonate. Executing with precision.
At Outmost Studio, that's exactly what we do. We don't just make videos that look good—we make videos that work. Every project starts with understanding what success looks like, then we work backwards to create something that delivers.
Whether you need explainer videos for business or comprehensive brand storytelling, our business animation services are designed around outcomes, not just beautiful visuals.
Because at the end of the day, what matters isn't whether people like your video. It's whether they act on it.
Ready to see what strategic animation looks like? Start a conversation →
