It’s no secret that video has carved out a huge chunk for itself in the content marketing world, so much that YouTube is knocking on Google’s door as the second most popular search engine. But not just any video will grab the attention of your target audience and earn their respect. The short and sweet explainer video should be your choice to encourage sharing among viewers. So when you only have three minutes to make an impact on your prospects, focus on the basics.

Develop a framework before you begin: You can’t jump in the explainer video fray without knowing who you want to reach and what you’re going to cover. Figuring out the first part isn’t tough; you simply follow social media influencers to see who is paying attention to conversations that matter to your business. Then, you monitor what your target audience is talking about online and develop your material around their interests. Your goal should be to answer their questions, respond to their concerns and demonstrate how you can help solve their problems.

Pack a punch in the first few seconds: As soon as your video starts to play, you have about eight seconds to maintain the attention of your prospect, according to studies performed on viewer behavior. After that mark, a viewer is likely to bounce if they’re not engaged or interested in watching further. Therefore, it’s essential to get to the point right away. In addition, you want to use the first segment of your explainer video to qualify leads, so you know you’re talking to the right people.

Use your explainer video to answer questions: The three-minute format is perfect for addressing the specific questions of your target audience. Usually, the inquiries will be about new developments in your industry or problems that many of your prospects are facing. Once in a while, you might answer questions related to your company’s products, but be sure to avoid lengthy sales language. Not sure what your audience questions are? Check out your prospects’ conversations on social media for some new ideas.

Be more personal, less perfect: Of course, you should always maintain proper professionalism, but you don’t need to sound like a robot. You’ll appeal to your viewers more effectively if you show your human side and establish a personal connection with them. Definitely work from a script and rehearse – but don’t over-rehearse. Have a little fun with your explainer video and you audience will, too.

Include a link in your call to action: In all forms of content marketing, you must tell prospects what to do next, whether it’s fill out a form, download a whitepaper or contact a representative. With explainer videos, it’s even important to include a link in your call to action because you’re not hyperlinking as you are with text-based content. Send them to a landing page, so you don’t leave your target audience high and dry.

Earning yourself a piece of the explainer video pie isn’t as easy as throwing together some content and uploading it to YouTube, but you can easily find success by following a few simple rules of thumb. Even a three-minute segment gives you plenty of time to tell your story and convey your message, as long as you always put the interests of your target audience first.