E-learning videos help educators take their courses to the next level.

E-learning videos can help enhance the overall learning experience, giving a deeper explanation for certain concepts or providing students with easy-to-follow visuals that are simply not communicated as well by text. While they are more labor-intensive to create than written content, they can pay-off by being more engaging and valuable to learners. Here are seven reasons why you should make the effort to create e-learning videos for your course.

1. Engage your learners.

Did you know that 68% of people prefer to learn about a new product or service through video? Videos are an engaging way to grab—and hold—user interest. A well-executed video has the power to keep the audience’s attention to the end.

Videos also strike a deep connection with viewers and can evoke an emotional response. Even for e-learning, having video visuals can resonate with the viewer and make the content more memorable. Done correctly, videos can make information easy to explain in a short amount of time.

The human brain may also have been made for video. Not only does your brain process visuals more quickly than text information, but nearly 90% of information transmitted to the brain is also visual. Your users are equipped to better interpret video than text.

2. Represent ideas visually.

Being able to present ideas visually makes it easier for learners to imitate what they’re watching. For example, you can talk about the effect of gravity on paper, or you can demonstrate the effect by dropping apples off a rooftop. Being able to describe a concept is key to developing a good online text course, but being able to demonstrate it visually often gives learners that “aha!” moment—and the concept clicks in their mind.

Videos can also demonstrate how not to perform certain tasks. In another example, you may wish to demonstrate the correct way for a sales representative to make a sales call with a client. Show a couple of “bloopers” before showing the preferred way to approach a customer. This fixes the wrong way to do something in someone’s mind and provides a reminder that pops up when they’re about to make a misstep.

3. Combine multiple visual aids.

Motion and sound are two concepts that the human mind is hardwired to pay attention to. With video, you can show it and you can tell it, all at the same time. You can combine the e-learning video with graphs or short bullet points to reinforce certain concepts, mixing in a few carefully selected still shots to highlight key concepts that your users should take away from the module.

Most people are far more likely to remember videos that tell a story, instead of reading a list of facts. Creating videos that allow you to explain the concept while demonstrating it can reinforce the important material you wish to cover. You can choose to make your videos funny, too, further engaging the user. Using our salesperson example, adding in sounds when they mess up, like a honking horn or a buzzer sound and lighten the mood a bit and make your audience laugh.

Incorporating music into your videos adds another layer of emotional connectivity. You may not think that case studies or how to make a sales call would be something particularly emotional, but if your audience has an emotional response to your videos, they’re more likely to retain the information and process it more fully.

4. Connect with your audience.

A well-scripted video can help your audience engage with you and the concepts you’re teaching. When you’re speaking to the camera and addressing the audience, you can help develop a connection that makes them pay attention. Think about some of your favorite shows. Do you enjoy watching cooking or home improvement shows where the host is talking directly to you? When you’re able to build a virtual relationship with your users, you build trust and confidence in your position as an expert.

5. Accessible to more learners.

Some people have a very hard time processing written information. Those with ADD, for example, may read several pages but be unable to tell you what they read—they just “space out.” Learners with dyslexia or non-native spearers may also have more difficulties with written content, or may prefer to consume content in both visual and written versions. Considering that many learners simply like consuming information in a variety of ways, it just makes sense to incorporate videos into your online training.

Even those who prefer to learn by doing can benefit from e-learning videos. Watching a video makes it easier or people to mimic the process for completing a task. For example, if you have a clothing store, videos demonstrating the right way to fold sweaters, shirts, and trousers can help new employees grasp the concept right away, showing them how to do it and then having them practice.

6. Demonstrate difficult steps.

Some procedures and concepts naturally lend themselves better to demonstration visually instead of a diagram or a list of instructions. Let’s use our clothing store example again. Would it be easier to show and tell the step-by-step way to fold a fitted shirt or would it be easier to write out the instructions and hand out sheets of paper to employees? Showing some of the more difficult to explain steps can be much easier.

Other learning concepts may be best covered using animation in videos. Abstract concepts, or concepts where it would be impossible to demonstrate yourself, in person, can be best explained with animation. These must be well-executed, however. Poorly done graphics can distract your audience form the key concept and make your e-learning courses seem amateurish.

Video learning for abstract concepts creates an immersive experience that allows you to show how the concept works, instead of simply explaining it. Remember the gravity example from earlier? Imagine standing before your audience and explaining it verbally, or dropping the apples while you’re explaining how the concept works. The video explanation of the abstract is much more effective.

7. Offer courses on multiple devices.

Your e-learners may not all be using a computer. Some may be taking the e-learning course on their phone or tablet on their daily commute. Others may use multiple devices to complete an e-learning course. For employers using video for new hire training or continuing education, sending a link or DVD of the video allows employees to complete the training on their own, instead of calling a meeting and training all at once.

Video courses can be consumed on many different devices, from someone’s TV to their smartphone. Giving users flexible ways to digest the content makes it easier for them to complete the course.

E-learning videos give you more ways to connect with your learners.

Use e-learning videos wisely, and you can help your learners master material more efficiently. Engaging videos capture your audience’s interest and keep it, ensuring that they’re paying attention to the information. You can explain abstract concepts to give users the “aha!” moment. Demonstrating in a “show and tell” method can help break down the steps of a certain process more easily. You can connect with your audience, building an emotional engagement that helps users retain information.