Explainly

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m one of the co-owners of Shasta Power, a private equity-funded solar development company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Explainly?

We needed someone to provide us with video production services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Explainly provided us with three tiers of animated video production, including two-dimensional animation, video length, and additional production services.

Their process had us pick a tier, decided on the length of the film, and negotiated an agreement. They then set us up with a Trello account as the main project management dashboard with the entire timeline of the project, as well as the storyboard, script, voiceover progress, animation drafts, and design.

We then collaborated on the entire production process and once that was done, they edited the video and delivered the final product.

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Madhuri (Senior Project Manager), but we also worked with a large team of about 12 people.

How did you come to work with Explainly?

We started with an internet search, but we also had an ad consultant who helped us decide on our explainer video’s production team.

We decided to go with Explainly based on their positive reviews, pricing, and quality of production.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $13,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November 2021–January 2022.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our feedback for the quality of the video is high as they did a phenomenal job of providing us with great content and opportunities for changes along the way.

Moreover, we really liked the video as there were some clever nuances to the animation and they were always willing to edit some aspects of the video.

How did Explainly perform from a project management standpoint?

They were spot-on from a project management perspective despite having some organic delays like the holiday season.

Trello was our centralized location for communicating, providing feedback, and identifying edit points, but we also used emails and video conferencing to interact.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I would say it’s the quality of their process, as it also encapsulates their efficiency and value. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they need to improve on, other than reassuring their client that they can help produce their ideas even if they lack the creative skills to do so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise them to have a clear vision of what they’re trying to accomplish beforehand so they can achieve better results.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Headquartered in New Castle, Pa., Berner combines engineering, state of the art equipment, and highly skilled workers to produce the most efficient, good looking, cost-effective, reliable air curtains on the market. We ship worldwide. I am the content marketer tasked with creating and managing all of our content that goes out into the world to market our air curtains.

For what projects/services did your company hire Explainly?

For two videos to explain our new product, the PureAir Package which is an air disinfection system for air curtains that uses Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization to clean the air.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a sales tool for our team to be able to show and help explain this new technology to potential customers since it can be a complicated topic.

How did you select Explainly?

I did research on firms that had experience with creating video animations within the manufacturing industry. My team and I interviewed 3 and went with Explainly because of how much it was clear that their upbeat, positive company culture matched ours.

Each firm we met with could have gotten the job done, but we connected with our team immediately and felt we would have the best experience with them.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

We had meetings at first to explain this new product and technology and how it was being applied to our air curtains. Explainly uses Trello boards which made sending them informational documents, assets, and images very easy and simple.

From there, Explainly drafted up scripts for both of our videos. Once those were ironed out, they narrowed down the style we wanted and created style frame examples, and then complete style frames.

They gave us several voice and music options to pick from and each phase of the process had two edits included from myself and my marketing manager.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Explainly uses Trello Boards to conduct file sharing and content reviewing. Ben was our main contact but there was a team in the background developing the video. For each stage of the project, we had two edit rounds included in the price.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have only recently launched the videos on our website and social so I can't comment on any metrics. However, our internal sales team is very happy with it and anticipate uses it often to explain to our customers how this technology works, which was our goal when we set out to create it.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Ben at Explainly was extremely responsive and involved from day one. We had scheduled meetings that he arranged but he also was available most of the time during the day to hop on a quick call if we ever needed clarification on anything to keep the process moving forward. They used Trello Boards and the way that it was organized and utilized made for a very easy process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The organization was one of the best things about Explainly in their process and communication. I never had to wonder where our project was at or what was needed of me or my team. We also really enjoyed the positive attitudes and willingness to learn about our product thoroughly to make the best video possible.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of anything at this point.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I was the SVP of Marketing and Communications for the American Marketing Association. We are the San Francisco Chapter

For what projects/services did your company hire Explainly?

I needed to increase engagement for our online channels so I asked them to help me figure out an intro video that would be cross-platform, that stand out, and that capture the attention in order to grab more eyes organically.

What were your goals for this project?

Increase the CTR of all our social platforms to our landing pages

How did you select Explainly?

Explainly created a very engaging animation that was on brand and captured the attention until the end. This video is cross-platform and customizable, something that allows us to reuse over and over.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

It utilizes the brand symbols, textures and patterns, and colors. They brainstormed with me, then they created basic storyboards, asked for my feedback and they created Round 1. It only took one or two rounds to nail it.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

We used Trello all the way, back and forth. It worked well.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The video looks great, but most importantly, it worked, it had the thumb-stopping power that I was looking for. CTR increased by 23 %. More than expected

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

It was mainly me and Andy Toizer and as I mentioned, we worked well through Trello.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their talent and professionalism set them apart.

Are there any areas for improvement?

N/A

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director of Marketing at Amper, an OEE and machine monitoring solution for manufacturing companies.

For what projects/services did your company hire Explainly?

Since our solution is a fairly new idea to our market, we needed a quick, 1 minute video that explains what we do.

What were your goals for this project?

1. Concisely explain what our company does to prospects & investors, 2. Create an animated video to use in marketing material

How did you select this vendor?

We evaluated a few different freelancers & agencies.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

First, we wrote a script that the Explainly team gave feedback on/edited down. Next they laid out a few different style ideas, then they created a storyboard that we provided feedback on. After that, we chose a voiceover artist, while the team animated the storyboard. The process is broken into very definitive parts, with check ins and feedback loops that made it easy to ensure our project was going according to our expectations.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

They used Trello, a project management system, that was super easy to provide feedback/upload screenshots and communicate with their team and our internal team.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

So happy with the results! The video explains exactly what we do in 1 minute.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was very effective.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The people! They were so easy going and quick to respond.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No! Great experience overall.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I manage strategy and ops at an e-commerce subscription company.

For what projects/services did your company hire Explainly?

Our company is launching a new product with a slightly complicated subscription model, and we wanted an explainer video to help customers understand how the product works and why they should use it.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a fun explainer video that aligned with our brand to explain the new product.

How did you select this vendor?

I met with several different vendors and was most impressed with Explainly's work product, project management style, and price.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

There were five main steps where we spent the majority of time during the process: script, style frames, storyboard, voice over, and animation. The review process was very simple using their project management board, and turnaround times between versions was very quick. Communicating with the Explainly team was easy.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

For each round of review, Explainly uploaded the deliverable to the project management board and I would simply open the board and review the deliverable. Then my team compiled feedback and submitted our feedback directly in the deliverable file. It was simple and easy. There were a few times we had quick phone calls to run through feedback when it was more complex.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We are still in beta and have not fully launched the product yet, but the video looks great.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Occasional hiccups but nothing major. We generally worked very well together.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed and quality of work!

Are there any areas for improvement?

It might be helpful to have quick 15 min calls after the first round of feedback for each new step of the process. There were miscommunications a couple of times that a phone call likely would have mitigated. Towards the end we did schedule some calls and it was very helpful.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Grin Influencer Marketing is the all-in-one software platform to find and recruit social media influencers, manage influencer relationships and measure success. I am a sales manager.

For what projects/services did your company hire Explainly?

We are a fairly new company in a newer industry, so it's important for us to quickly and concisely explain what we do - so we wanted a slick looking visual explainer video that we can host on our website, and to send prospective customers.

What were your goals for this project?

Educate on what GRIN does and generate more sales leads.

How did you select this vendor?

After speaking with Alex at Explainly, it was clear he understood our business and how content marketing words. He's a bright young entrepreneur that listens well and worked within the constraints and criteria we imagined. Other vendors made us work within their program and weren't willing to work around us.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Write scripting for the video, come up with visual designs for what will be shown in the cartoon explainer video and when, many phone calls to review our company's philosophy and what is "on brand."

What was the team composition?

Multiple people involved from idea, to design and execution. It was very clear who we should be talking to at each step and who our main POC was.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have had numerous prospective customer and active customers tell us they were interested in evaluating GRIN based on the Explainly video. We know it has driven pipeline generation and helped influence revenue. Internally, our team compliments it all the time and helps us stand out against our competitors.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Extremely effective. They worked within our business hours (which were the same as theirs) and nothing was every confusing or misinterpreted.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Aside from the final product that we are ecstatic about, it's Explainly's drive and willingness to get to know our business was impressive. They helped create a vision as if they actually worked for us. It did not feel at all like we were outsourcing this project.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing that I can think of.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the department chairwoman for a hospitality management program at a University on the West Coast.

For what projects/services did your company hire Explainly?

We hired Explainly to create a marketing video for our hospitality major.

What were your goals for this project?

To create a video that we could use for external marketing purposes that was fun, to-the-point and catchy.

How did you select this vendor?

My team selected Explainly because they were referred to us. They came highly recommended.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

The video is very short - about a minute - and is animated. It tells the story of a high school graduate contemplating where to go to college, the choices in front of her. The process from script to images to sound to the final video was fairly seamless and Explainly created everything. They sought feedback at every stage of the process.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Explainly provided us with an extensive questionnaire at the beginning of the process that sought to get sense of our mission, purpose of the video, what our students were like, what sort of images we envisioned in the video, what our messaging was, etc.

From that point on, at each step of the process, they sought input about the script they had created, images used, voices, timing/speed of the video, the music, colors, etc. It was very easy to make comments directly in the video, second by second, if needed.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The feedback that we have received from students has been 100% positive, and the ultimate end product is beyond what we were expecting.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

As mentioned above, they communicated with us at every stage of the project. Although the video took some time to create, the team was timely with new information, updates, or edits. We sometimes had trouble keeping up with their expedient service!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Explainly's knowledge and willingness to work with us so extensively. I also appreciated how thoughtful they were in making sure that the video was true to our expectations and our vision.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No - all was good!

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing coordinator at a transportation company. The company includes many parts, a relocation sector, moving & storage component, and moving logistics. I primarily work with relocation services.

What challenge were you trying to address with Explainly?

The challenge we were trying to solve was being able to explain the complicated service we provide to those looking to relocate within the home marketing assistance program. We needed to explain the program in a corporate sense but also needed it to transfer well for audiences to take us up on the program.

We also wanted them to see the benefits of hiring us as a relocation company. We would potentially use this video as an extra tool to explain our products and services in an appealing way to our clients.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The team at Explainly worked with us to make sure that our script, storyboards, videos, and animations all reflected the concept of the program engagingly and accurately. Their team worked with us on creating the whole project. They helped with animation and scripting. We already had a script, but they reworked that with us a few times.

What is the team composition?

I only worked directly with Andy (Project Manager, Explainly) and Alex (CEO & Founder, Explainly).

How did you come to work with Explainly?

We came across Explainly through Upwork. The reason why we ultimately chose them was that they offered customized animations for a reasonable price. We also wanted to work with an agency that would have their own opinions, but also let us have a say in the product.

With explainer videos, it can be challenging to find precisely what you’re looking for. We wanted to be able to customize the video according to the tone and animations we wanted. We saw on Explainly’s website that they offered a lot of personalized services.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Explainly in October 2019, and the video was completed that December.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We had an internal focus group to show people within the company. We plan to keep the video private because the concept itself is relatively private.

Internally, everyone was happy with the animations. There were a few edits made to the script based on their suggestions, not a reflection of Explainly’s work. Explainly worked well with us to ensure the fixes matched the focus group’s thoughts. Overall, everyone was impressed with their work.

How did Explainly perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they did well for a smaller company. Sometimes things took longer than expected, but that was on both ends. At times, we took a bit longer to give feedback than anticipated. Despite that, I appreciated how hands-on their team was.

What did you find most impressive about them?

From what I’ve seen from other explainer videos, the customization that Explainly puts in stands out. We used one video for a specific example of what we wanted to follow. When we compared the two videos after the project was done, their work was of higher quality and much more detailed. Their attention to detail was top-notch. The team at Explainly also has the ability to make products unique.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were timing issues for both of our teams. But in the beginning, we had given them specific feedback involving the video’s tone. The script went a bit awry, so it had to be reworked entirely. Ultimately, that was fixed with more specific feedback. It’s hard to say whether that was because of how we worked as a team or how Explainly themselves did.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend working with Explainly. As far as explainer video companies go, they’re the best I’ve seen.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Safe & Sound is a San Francisco based nonprofit that provides direct services to families while advocating and educating for the safety of children. Our mission is to prevent child abuse and reduce its devastating impact. I work on the fundraising team focused on individual giving and events, while collaborating with our communications officer on marketing projects.

For what projects/services did your company hire Explainly?

We hired Explainly to create an explainer video that communicated our services in a clear and friendly way for donors, partners, companies, volunteers, and families.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal for an explainer video was to communicate one message about our organization that we could use to reach all of our stakeholders.

How did you select this vendor?

The team at Explainly came to visit our organization and learn more. Our conversations together showed they really cared about helping a nonprofit and wanted to adapt their corporate model to fit our needs. They were also really friendly and thoughtful in their approach.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail.

The video is one 2.5 minute animated video. The process started with answering a list of questions for Explainly and they drafted a script for it. We provided feedback and got the script to an approval point. We then provided photos of our actual buildings (interior and exterior) and provided important elements that we needed - diverse and inclusive people (both staff and clients) to reflect the reality of our organization. Explainly provided storyboards and we went through a back and forth feedback process to make sure the elements all fit. Once that was complete, we received animation and voiceovers. This went through a feedback cycle until we were all set. Throughout the process, we never needed more than 2 back and forths in feedback. Explainly nailed the edits/feedbacks very well every time.

What was your vendors' project management or feedback process?

Explainly used Trillo to manage the feedback process, which was really helpful. We utilized the Google Suite to provide notes and then emailed any additional items that were needed.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We have only received positive feedback so far from the project. We're currently releasing it to different stakeholders.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was really effective between Explainly and my team. Everything was clearly communicated. There were no surprises and all timelines/deadlines were met by both sides. Explainly never threw a curve ball. We knew how things were moving along every step of the way because of their clear communications.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I was really impressed by Explainly's attention to detail and commitment to excellence. You can tell they really cared about getting everything right and were always willing to work with us to ensure we were happy.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I honestly can't think of any.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Communications Director for Spoken Worldwide, a global ministry that translates Bible passages and stories into oral formats for people who can't or don't read, and who have yet to hear the gospel.

For what projects/services did your company hire Explainly, and what were your goals?

Our mission is oftentimes difficult to convey to someone unfamiliar with us. We hired Explainly to create a 2D explainer video that succinctly described our mission. The end goal was to have a marketing asset that we could use on our website and digital media campaigns.

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

From our very first conversation with the Explainly team, we knew they were the right team for us. The Explainly team is extremely professional and committed to understanding the needs of their clients, so that the final product is exceptional.

Describe the video(s) and the process in detail, including the project steps and all stages of production.

Our 2D video walks viewers through our mission, describing what we do at Spoken Worldwide and why we do it. The Explainly process is very specific and well-designed. We always knew the next step and never had to wait on the Explainly team for the next deliverable - if anything, they had to wait on us, as our team reviewed. The Explainly team also did a great job of getting our message right - we had very few revisions,

Who did you work with and what was the feedback process like?

We worked with Evan Falco and Scarlett Bush. Both team members are professional and friendly - a great combination to work with.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

No success stories to share at this time, but we expect the video will quickly generate interest and ideally, new donors.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Professional, succinct, efficient. The have a well-oiled machine in place for project management!

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

It's hard to pinpoint just one aspect. The entire experience was impressive!

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

None that I can think of.