Animated Explainer Case Study: PlusThis

PlusThis is a plugin for the marketing and sales automation software, Infusionsoft. Whoa! Slow down, Tess. What does that even mean? I recently interviewed PlusThis CEO, the wonderful Dave Lee, and asked him to share with me what PlusThis is in his own words: “PlusThis is a library of add-ons, integrations, and tools to help Infusionsoft users do more. Our whole mantra is we want to build very simple tools to make running a small business easier.” Ok, so the product is simple, but educating potential prospects on a marketing software is difficult because it’s not a tangible product. It sits in the cloud. Not only is the product intangible, it’s also jammed pack with tools and uses. Although simple in it’s nature, PlusThis is vast, and computer software may be intimidating to most people. With this in mind, we started asking questions. How does a small business educate people and market something that provides so much, but the client or prospect will never truly get their hands on? What is a fun, simple way of communicating something that is difficult to communicate? Dave Lee approached the Brewmasters fully knowing he wanted a video. He also knew he wanted to keep the company’s edginess, uniqueness and fun personality. A demo video of the software was not an option. Demo videos have become dated and often confuse clients and prospects more. Knowing the wants and needs of the client, a lightbulb went off in our head. Animated explainers are perfect to convey the diversity of this intangible product in a fun and effective way. Let’s jump forward to delivering the final animated explainer to the client. Don’t worry, we’ll talk you through the production stages of an animated explainer in a future blog post, but I want to take a moment to analyze what Dave Lee and PlusThis did once they received the explainer. You have this kick-butt animated explainer and want to get your money’s worth from it, right? Of course! That’s what this is all about! When Dave received the explainer video he immediately placed it on his company’s home page; centered and above the fold. PlusThis also sponsors several different conferences each year. He uses the animated explainer to loop before presentations or seminars at conferences throughout the nation. One incredible factor worth noting is the shelf life and reusability animated explainers provide. In the interview with Dave, he informed me that he only has to change logos at the end of the video before looping it at conferences. Talk about low maintenance and simplicity! At these conferences, Dave also provides attendees a discounted rate to PlusThis to encourage sales. Alright. Now for the numbers! See for yourself. Animated explainers WORK! Towards the end of the interview, I asked Dave if there’s anything else he’d like me to know or include. He said “Yeah. Ask me if it was worth it.” Immediately I blurted out “Was it worth it?!” His response brought a huge smile to my face. He said “1000% yes. If you’d ask me if I’d do it again I would say yes. I’ve seen the tangible result of more clients per month, piece of mind and people getting educated is key.” Ready to get brewin’ on your animated explainer? Are you ready to see three times as much new customer signups? Check out this site or call the Brewmaster at 407-641-0152. We’re ready to help you be successful. Cheers!