To communicate what your products or services are in a quick and accessible manner for potential clients and customers is crucial. With demo videos, you can immediately address this need so that you can have more chances of conversion.
This article will be a guide to how you can use demo videos to convert clients. It will cover why you should create these videos, what is the process of creating them, 7 tips to make them more effective, and the best examples that you should emulate.
What are Demo Videos?
Demo videos are videos that display a practical demonstration of how your product or service works to educate clients and consumers in an accessible and engaging way.
Some examples of demo videos can show people how to navigate through a software program, how to set up a new device, or how to operate a specific product.
It is important that you make your demo videos as simple as possible so that all types of consumers can be able to follow and see how your product works without being confused.
As long as you are able to explain and demonstrate your product and focus on how it can be used to solve the problems of your clients and consumers, they can be a powerful asset that you can reuse and repurpose in the future.
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5 Reasons Why Should You Create Demo Videos
1. Demo videos lets you prove to people that your product does what it says in your marketing materials.
Nowadays, a lot of consumers have become skeptical of the claims that companies make in their advertisements as they try to find products that work and can help them solve their problems.
Demo videos are a great way to ease the doubts of consumers because you get to provide a demonstration that your product works and can definitely be a solution to the problems that they face.
A demo video can also show clients the step by step process of how the product can be used to solve problems. Visualising this process can make it easier for clients and consumers to see themselves actually using the product.
2. You can explain your product’s most important features and benefits in an entertaining and engaging manner through demo videos.
With demo videos, you will be able to explain all of the features your product has and the benefits it offers in a way that does not obviously feel like you are hard selling it to viewers since its main purpose is to demonstrate how the product works.
While demonstrating how the product works, you can highlight and showcase the unique features it has and what benefits they bring to make the process of solving their problems a lot easier.
3. You can use your demo videos as a training tool for your sales team.
Demo videos should not automatically be a substitute for in-person and in-store selling, but it can be a great training tool to make it easier and more scalable for your sales team.
When you have a great demo video, you will have the best example of how your product should be demonstrated. This will make it easier for sales reps to pinpoint the most important features and key benefits to focus on when they do their own selling.
These videos will also give your sales team a complete understanding of what your product does so that they can be more knowledgeable and confident when talking about your product.
4. Demo videos allow you to save valuable time and expenses for your sales team.
Bringing sales reps to different countries or areas can be costly and you still will not be assured if the client will purchase your product or not.
If you want an easy but effective way of demonstrating and showcasing your products to foreign markets and companies, then you can just send them the demo videos you created.
Once you have your final demo video, you can just send the video link to interested companies and clients anywhere around the world so that they can learn all about your product at their convenience.
5. You can track the performance of your demo videos to improve them in the future.
A great benefit of posting your demo videos on the most popular video and social media platforms is that you will have access to different types of data that tracks how well your videos perform.
Some video metrics can show you the average time viewers watched your video and when some people drop off. This gives you a better idea of what your ideal video length should be and what parts should be removed or improved upon.
The Process of Creating Demo Videos
Here are the usual steps involved in the process of creating demo videos:
1. Planning out everything you will need for your demo video
Before you begin filming or recording your demo video, you must carefully plan everything that will be included in it. You should plan out what certain elements your demo video needs so that it can become successful.
Having a well-planned strategy and plan will make the production process a lot smoother since you already know what you want to include and achieve in the demo video.
Some essential elements of your demo video should include the problem that you want your product to solve, your product and its benefits, and the demonstration of your product in action.
You will also need to include a clear call to action prompt by the end of the video so that viewers will know exactly what step they need to take after watching.
Related article: 30 Pre-Production Tips to Create Successful Video Content in 2021
2. Filming or recording your product in action
Once you have planned out all of the information and content that will be included, you can now start to film or record your product in action.
This is where some parts of the production of your demo video will differ depending on what type of product you have. If you have a physical product, you are more likely to shoot it in live action. However, if your product is a software program, it may be better for you to do a screen recording.
For live action shoots, you can either buy your own equipment and do it on your own which may be costly, especially if you don’t have a lot of experience or you can hire a video production company like fewStones to help you out with all stages of production.
If you have a software product and would like to do a screen recording for your demo video, there are a lot of great screen recording tools available for you to use.
3. Editing your demo video
When you have wrapped up filming or recording your product in action, the editing process can begin. Editing your demo video may be different depending on if you created a live action video or a screen recording.
If you chose to do a live action shoot and hired a video production company for it, they will be able to edit all of the footage that they shot for you as well.
For screen recordings, almost all recording tools will also offer editing options in their programs as well which can be great for beginners.
Make sure that you edit all of your footage according to all of the elements that you have set when planning the content and information in your demo video.
Related article: Top Video Editing Trends for 2021
4. Uploading the demo video in the appropriate platforms
When your final demo video is ready, you can upload it on all of the appropriate platforms. As much as possible, it is important that you decide early on during planning where you would want to upload your demo video.
You will have a lot of different platforms to choose from, so you must be efficient with the platforms you choose. You can upload on video platforms like YouTube and Vimeo and even social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram.
Uploading your demo video to your website and product pages are also important because that is also where a lot of clients and consumers are showing interest in your product and want to learn more about it before purchasing it.
7 Tips That Will Make Your Demo Videos Convert More Clients
1. Focus on how you will open your demo video.
You will need to focus on how you will open your demo video as it is important to immediately capture the attention of your viewer in just the first few seconds. If you don’t immediately capture their attention, they are more likely to stop watching your video.
A good way of figuring out how you want to open your video is by deciding what is the first thought or image you want to convey to your viewer.
Some effective options for starting your video can include asking a thought-provoking question, presenting a problem that consumers face, or showcasing great visuals.
2. Keep your video short and straight to the point.
Even if you think you have a game-changing or interesting product, not a lot of viewers will stay and watch a video that goes on for too long, especially in the online space.
A good demo video should only run for about 1 to 2 minutes so that you can focus on making your video more efficient in terms of its content and information.
This short runtime helps you highlight the most important features and benefits of your product and will also force you to eliminate any fillers or unnecessary elements that are not relevant to the video.
When viewers are done watching your demo video, they should have a basic understanding of what your product does and how it works to benefit them. Trying to do more than this will dilute the main purpose of this video and lose the attention of your viewers.
3. Keep track of the amount of information that is being said in the video.
It can be tempting for your business to communicate and condense as much information as you can about your product, especially with a video that has a short runtime. However, doing this in your demo video will make it less effective and focused.
Having too much information in your demo video may overwhelm viewers and can cause them to lose their attention towards your video and your product.
You should stick to showcasing 1 to 3 of your most important features and benefits so you can still provide valuable information that most people will want to know about without giving away too much. Your viewers can learn more about your products later on.
4. Present the product in the right context.
Demo videos should not just show what the product is and how it works in action, it should also present this product in the right context so viewers will know when they can use it.
Presenting the product in the right context also lets viewers know why they should care about the product and how this product can positively affect their daily lives.
5. Choose the right speaker for the demo video.
Choosing the right speaker for your demo video is an important task and will depend on your product, industry, or your target market. You can choose to feature someone from your sales and marketing team or your company founder.
Your sales and marketing team can be a good choice for your demo videos because they probably know the most about your products and also your target customers and their specific pain points. They also know how to communicate information in a way that consumers can easily understand.
If you are a startup or a smaller company, you can also decide to let your founder speak on your demo video since most investors will have their attention on them the most. This can be applied to software products like programs or applications.
6. Make sure your demo video is visually appealing.
While you will need an interesting opening to hook your audiences, you will need to make sure the whole demo video is visually appealing so that they can stay and watch it until the end and up being informed.
You can do this by visually explaining how the product should be used into different steps that show a clear demonstration of what you will need to do.
Another way to elevate your video visually is by incorporating graphic overlays so that they can emphasise certain features and actions that you need to perform.
7. End the video on a high note and a call to action
Ending your demo video on a high note can positively affect your viewer and can urge them to move even closer to conversion.
A great way to end your demo video is by recapping all of the key points and benefits and including compelling and engaging call to action prompts.
You must also remember to make your call to actions easy to understand and to perform so that clients are more likely to perform the conversion action you are looking for.
Best Examples of Demo Videos
1. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft introduced their Microsoft Teams program by using both 2D animation and screencasts of how it actually looks and performs.
This is the perfect combination as the 2D animation is colorful and energetic to engage the viewer while the screencast demonstrates the actual features of Microsoft Teams.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jugBQqE_2sM
2. Google Translate
Google created a demo video to introduce its new Google Translate feature called Tap-To-Translate. The video begins by presenting a relatable problem and then transitions to how easy Tap-To-Translate can be used to solve it.
By presenting relatable situations, viewers can be immediately hooked and will want to find out all of the benefits of this feature.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xtEp55MKRE
3. Todoist
Todoist is a to-do list application that helps you organise all of your daily tasks. The demo video immediately grabs your attention by presenting a problem and presenting Todoist as a capable solution.
It also begins with immersive visuals to hook you visually and then transitions into a screencast of how the program looks like and how you can easily use it.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZKq0r-g87M
4. Hootsuite
Hootsuite employs a warm voiceover to guide new clients into what the product looks like and how they can use it to perform all of their necessary social media tasks.
The demo video uses a screencast of the actual program while also including animated texts and images to make the video feel more energetic.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LCx10zC72k
5. Apple
Apple’s demo video for their iPhone 12 model is mainly a live action video that showcases different people using all of the different features of the phone.
It also includes dynamic text graphics that aid the viewers into what these specific features are while the people on screen are making use of them.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65JrtwtTOdc
6. Gusto
Gusto is a HR software provider and they created a comprehensive demo video of how their product works. It goes on longer than usual demo videos at about six minutes as it gives you a complete walk-through of the product and its benefits.
This demo video can work best for those clients that are already further along in the customer journey and just need deeper information about how everything works before purchasing it.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lZsIKkZyM0
With these great tips and best examples, you are now more equipped to create demo videos that will help you convert more clients.
If you need help in creating these demo videos for your business, then our team at fewStones can help you out. We can help you create any kind of demo video whether you want to create a live action video or an animated video.
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