Product demo videos are a great way to show customers what your product is and how it works. They also help you promote your software and increase sales.
But how to make one that stands out? In this article, we will explore the benefits of product demo videos, as well as go over some tips for making them successful.
Product Videos And Their Benefits
A product demo video, also known as a product demonstration video, is an animated short video designed to show off a product or a service. It’s a good way of advertising your product to potential customers and is often used as a means of getting people’s reactions to a product.
Using this tutorial, you’ll learn how to record your own screen demo and how to market and promote your product. Product videos proved to be useful for business promotion and increasing sales.
First, they are more effective in describing a product than a text, regardless of the skills of your copywriter. A picture is worth a thousand words, and 84% of consumers say they’ve purchased a product or service after watching a video.
Besides boosting conversion rates, video on a page increases its chances of getting more traffic juice from the organic search. It also helps you get relevant backlinks, more clicks, and more shares.
And finally, a product video reaches wider audiences, especially if you post it on YouTube. With over 2 billion YouTube users, it’s more likely that you reach an audience that find your video content amusing.
Product Marketing
Product marketing plays an important part in the promotion strategies of SaaS companies.
Product marketing is a combination of techniques that define the success or failure of a product on the market. It includes the following aspects:
- selecting the company’s product portfolio
- choosing the target audience
- finding distribution channels
- establishing the product’s price
- positioning the product
If you want your product to be successful, it needs to stand out from the crowd. Product demo videos allow potential customers and users of the software to get familiar with its features in an engaging manner.
However, before dipping your toes into video making, you need some preparation to make sure your video turns out great. And that’s where you need to take into account all the data you’ve recovered from your marketers.
Define Your Goals
What is the goal of your product video? Are you looking to attract new customers? Or are you trying to show your existing ones how great the product is? These answers will dot out the path you should take.
For example, if the goal is to attract new buyers, you should focus on explaining what value your product brings and how it can solve their problems. If you’re trying to reach out to existing users of the software, you need to show them that they made a great choice by buying this product!
You want them to get excited about using the software again and getting more from it than before.
Identify Your Target Audience
If you aren’t sure, it’s time to think about your customers again. Who is the typical user of this product? What problems do they have, and how can you solve them? You need to define who will be watching your video so that you know what kind of language they use.
For example, if the product is aimed at businesses, you need to use language that business people will understand. It’s not just about jargon, either. If your video is for a product used by lawyers, then avoid using too many casual words like “dude” or “awesome.”
Even if they use these words outside work, your video may seem untrustworthy. Consider what tone of voice would work best with this audience and create it within the script.
For example, if you’re demoing an app geared toward children, make sure it has plenty of color and fun sound effects; don’t be boring! On the other hand, if your software is designed for accountants’ then keep in mind that they might want something more serious looking that conveys reliability instead of playfulness.
Set The Budget And Time
It’s important to set the production budget and timeline before you write the script itself, not after. You’ll need to know how much money and time you will have before you can plan your video.
Once you’ve determined the sum, consider if it’s okay to be over budget for this project. Yes, sometimes video projects do go over budget because things happen that were unexpected – actors not showing up, technical issues, etc.
If you set aside too little time for the production, your video will suffer. However, suppose you’ve reserved enough time and money. In that case, it’s possible to scale down other areas of the project instead of missing a deadline or having a video of subpar quality.
Create A Marketing Plan
How does your video fit your overall digital strategy? Where and when will you place the video? What is your goal with it, and how can you measure if that goal was achieved? These are all good questions to ask yourself before moving forward.
In order to make great videos, you’ll need a well-defined goal for the whole process, a clear understanding of who your target audience is, and what problems that group perceives in today’s market.
You’ll also have to gather relevant data about visitors’ behavior on your website – do they read blog posts more often than watching videos? What type of content attracts them, and why?
These are things you must know before you decide how the video should look (e.g., tutorial or testimonial) and where it should be placed (e.g., homepage or a YouTube channel).
Don’t forget to plan your videos in advance. For example, if you’ve decided to post videos on social media like TikTok, you can use scheduler tools to help you post on a consistent basis. This will keep your audience engaged and coming back for more content.
The Making Of A Product Demo Video
Your video should be something your potential customers will care about. It should contain information that’s valuable to them, and it should inspire trust.
This way, they will think of your product when they need it. Here are the steps that will help you manage a successful video marketing strategy and make a video that will be on point.
Select The Type Of Video
Product demo videos can differ, depending on the aspects they’re focused on. It can be a complete product showcase where you describe all features, a video presenting new capabilities, or a how-to guide.
Regardless of the video type you pick, it should have a clear message. Answering the following questions will help you figure out what you’re trying to convey:
- What are the product’s features that require presentation, and what is it that makes them special?
- Are there any risks associated with this software?
- How does the user benefit from using it in their business or life?
Then you can choose the type of video that will fit your marketing strategy and promotion goals:
- Product showcase – a 360-degree presentation of the software. Show your potential customers the product’s features and how they can benefit from using it. The main trick here is not to brag about how awesome the product is but to demonstrate its value to customers and what they can do with its help.
- Introducing new features – a demonstration of how you’ve improved your product. You can make one short video for every feature – it will work great on Instagram – or make a longer video with all of them.
- How-to guide – an instructional video explaining how to use your product. An official video from a developer seems more trustworthy and will score you more points when your customers are looking for tutorials.
There are two main formats for product demo videos: live-action or animation. These days, animated videos tend to be more popular because they are cheaper to make, easily shareable on social media, and they come across as more modern than live-action videos.
Unfortunately, the latter will likely require a larger budget because you’ll have to hire actors and build a set. However, many people prefer this type of video due to its authenticity.
Write A Script
This is where you plan the direction of the final video as well as how scenes will flow from one to the next. Allocate an appropriate amount of time for each scene because you don’t want to cut any important segments short or drag things out longer than they need to be.
Make a bullet list before starting writing an actual draft – this will help to keep track of everything while working on separate sections of content at once.
Make sure the script is clear, concise, and engaging. Your video should include the following steps:
- introduce the product
- describe its features
- show its benefits to users
- add a call to action – visit your site, make a purchase, request a personal demo, etc.
As for the length, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. It will depend on the type of video and your ability to keep the audience engaged. The average length of a demo video is 1 – 2 minutes long.
Usually, that’s enough for people to build a connection with the video’s content and not get bored.
You might also consider putting some thought into how much screen time each element should get, so they don’t look too rushed or incomplete. Finally, go over your script and edit it several times before recording audio and video.
Record Your Software In Use
Now that you have your script, you need to record screencasts of each step of using the software. Then combine them into one long clip with music playing in the background.
To make your recordings clearer and more comprehensive (in the case of how-to tutorials), you can include cursor movements and keyboard actions. But mostly, you need to make sure nothing distracts the viewer from your product.
Edit The Video
Your presentation needs to clearly explain all the benefits of the product, so it can attract more attention. However, your audience will not enjoy watching a long, drawn-out introduction.
In order to keep your viewers entertained, you need to come up with effective ways of making use of transitions and smart scene cuts.
It’s important that your video be eye-catching so people will actually watch through the whole thing. Additional graphics and illustrations can make your product or app look even better on the screen.
It’s a popular opinion that you can do it only with professional software. Even if you have a limited budget, you can opt for free video editing software to put your footage together, apply filters, insert titles, use ready-made intros, and add built-in music, sounds, and backgrounds.
The goal of a product demo video is not just showing off what’s inside but also using some interesting tactics like humor or storytelling while doing so.
Many companies have found success by choosing one theme for their entire video – it allows viewers time to take in each specific feature they wish without feeling overwhelmed.
One last tip – always check with your script when you edit the video to make sure you’re not forgetting anything.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, making a product demo video requires time and preparation, but it’s definitely worth it. Not only does a good video increase brand awareness, but it also builds trust and boosts conversion rates. With all of these benefits in mind, it would be a shame to miss out on this opportunity to promote your company and products.
