#10 ZenCash

The ZenCash video (produced by Demo Duck) has a unique hand-sketched style which really seems to draw viewers in. The client reported nearly 75% of visitors clicking play and watching a majority of the video, well above the industry average for a 90-second explainer video.

#9 IT-MAN (8-bit)

I love a good 8-bit video game (Super Mario 3 anyone?), so when I saw this 8-bit explainer video for Panorama 9 from the folks at Barq Video, I couldn’t resist. The voiceover and soundtrack only add to the nostalgia.

#8 Spotify

When Spotify “landed in the U.S.”, they released a great intro video to promote their music app. Best of all, it has no voiceover, just a great soundtrack and fun visuals!

#7 Groupon

The Groupon animated explainer video comes from our fellow Chicagoan Brad Chmielewski. Brad proves that you can explain anything in 30-seconds.

#6 Litmus Email Previews

Litmus, by Planet Nutshell, explains how email super ninjas can see exactly how their marketing emails will look on all platforms and browsers BEFORE they hit send. And let’s face it, who doesn’t love a good ninja video?

#5 Airbnb

Produced by the talented and creative Adam Lisagor, this live action startup video is an inspiring combination of live video and motion graphics. Make sure to check out the rest of work at Sandwich Video!

#4 PadMapper

PadMapper, created by our friend Miguel and his team at Grumo Media, is a great example of using humor to engage an audience. This video is fun, engaging and effective.

#3 Crazy Egg

Crazy Egg, the heatmap tool that shows why your website visitors aren’t converting, comes from the startup genius Hiten Shah. This video, also produced by Demo Duck (the parent company behind Video Brewery), is a nice example of problem/solution animation, along with a screencast of the web app in action.

#2 Mint

From my experience, this Mint.com overview video is one of the most referenced explainer videos of all-time. It was created by Nate Whitson and the talented crew at Picturelab.

#1 Dollar Shave Club

You’ve probably seen it by now, but this edgy viral video came out in March and already has close to 5 million views, skyrocketing Dollar Shave Club to near-overnight startup stardom. According to Michael Dubin, the founder and star of the video, the spot only cost $4,500 to produce.

Watching these videos, you may start to recognize some common traits that characterize each video. Here are a few we noticed:

» A little bit of humor can be a great way to keep people engaged.

» Frame the problem and emphasize the pain point your potential customers experience.

» It never hurts to use interesting visuals to keep viewers focused.

» If you can, show your product or service in action. People like to see what you do.

» Most videos on this list are less than 2-minutes (one is only 30-seconds), so keep things short and sweet!