Seriously Social and Sellable: Your Guide to Product Demo Videos

Video content is everywhere we look. It captures our attention and dominates our social media feeds. Video content continues to reign supreme with an astounding 91% of businesses using it for their marketing campaigns.

There are many different formats used for video content from live stream videos to interviews, user-generated content, how-to videos, and product demo videos. A product demo video is an instructional video that shows a product in action. 

Creating a compelling, sociable, and sellable product demo video is easy if you know what you're doing. Ready to craft a product demo video that is sure to wow? Keep reading below to discover further information. 

Understand Your Target Audience

When making a product demo video, you need to understand your primary audience first. This will steer you in the right direction as far as video format and content go. 

Start by conducting market research. Research will help you understand your target audience's demographics and preferences. You'll find it can be beneficial to create ideal buyer personas for your sales strategy.

Identify demographic data such as: 

• Age
• Income
• Education
• Location
• Gender

You'll also need to address any common pain points in your product demo video. Use this information to tailor your video content to your target audience. By doing this, you'll be able to better resonate with their unique needs and interests.

Write Your Script

Proper script writing is an important step in the video production process. As much as you may be tempted to wing it and ad-lib your content, you'll find it's much easier and more professional to have a good script in place.

You need to focus on clear and engaging dialogue for your product demo video. Be sure to use the target audience demographics above to help you maintain the right voice and perspective.

If your product demo video has little to no dialogue involved, a script can still be a good guideline to have. Your script can allow you to plan your video's overall structure. You can detail elements like your introduction and conclusion, as well as the product demo itself.

Keep It Short and Sweet

Brevity is the name of the game. According to new research by Psychologist Dr. Gloria Mark, PhD, the average attention span in 2023 is just 47 seconds. This means when demoing a product, your product demo video needs to be as concise and to the point as possible.

Viewer engagement can severely drop after 2 minutes. So it is vital that you keep your product demo video brief yet informational. Focus on showing only the most crucial information and product benefits.

If your product has many great benefits associated with it, try narrowing them down to the top three for the sake of time. 

Highlight Key Product Benefits

Explain what your product offers the viewer. Why is it special or unique? What does it do? 

Viewers want to know how your product will enrich or improve their lives. Again, don't go overboard talking your product up too much. Highlight the key benefits of your product only.

If you were able to pick out the top three product benefits of your product, you should also try to rate them based on which one is the most beneficial, followed by the second, and third beneficial feature, respectively. 

Rating your top three features or benefits will allow you to whittle down your list further if your product demo video runs over time. 

Solve a Problem

Highlighting the benefits is only one part of a successful product demo video. Viewers want to see it in action too. This is where identifying and solving common pain points with your product comes into play. 

Use storytelling to weave a compelling and relatable scenario. Then, address how your product can solve this problem. Take on the role of your ideal consumer persona and step into their shoes.

Consumers benefit highly from watching video content over written text, so this is your opportunity to shine. Show before and after scenes from demoing a product that demonstrate how it fixed this pain point. It should be believable and easy to understand. 

Create an Engaging Opening

The opening of your product demo video is your opportunity to hook the viewer. Having an engaging opener will keep them interested in following through with your video content.

Start your video by addressing a common problem or pain point. Focus on relating your product demo video intro to your buyer persona. This lets you connect your content with your target audience.

You can also implement the use of visuals to pose a question to the viewer. Asking a question lets you pique the interest level of viewers. They will want to continue watching the product demo video to see how your product can answer this question.

Utilize Real-Life Scenarios

While it could be fun visually to show a product in outer space or a jungle setting, it's much more effective demoing a product in everyday situations. One of the best ways to make your product demo video stand out is by utilizing it in real-world situations.

This lets you show the practical uses of your product in action by real people. Demonstrate how it can solve common issues and pain points firsthand. Accurate portrayals of your product will act as a marketing better representation.

Depicting product setting accuracy in a product demo video is key to building effective brand awareness. It's also beneficial for improving your sales strategy. 

Use Clear Messaging

The message of your product demo video is an essential aspect. You don't want your video's purpose to get jumbled up or misunderstood by using confusing terminology. Nor do you want to have your brand message getting lost in translation.

Unless your target audience really is made up of rocket scientists, you'll want to avoid overly technical jargon. However, you will also want to avoid talking down to them or making them feel dumb. Put yourself into the shoes of your target audience once more to find a balance that works.

Use simple and straightforward messaging. Your product demo video visuals should also be simple and understandable. You don't need to show complex moving parts with complicated or scientific names.

Show Step-by-Step Video Demonstrations

You only have a limited amount of time to showcase your product to your target audience. You want to ensure that the content is easy to follow and understand. That's where the beauty of a step-by-step video demonstration can come in handy. 

A step-by-step product demo video should be broken down into a series of concise and easily understandable steps. The number of steps will vary from product to product and the attention span of your product.

On average, between 5 to 7 steps is sufficient for a product demo video. Any more than seven steps and your product demo will appear to be overinvolved or too tricky.

Focus on Brand Awareness

Brand development is a necessary part of any successful business. Your product's brand is the driving force behind building brand awareness with your target audience. Your unique brand also helps to differentiate your products and services from the competition. 

That's why, even in your product demo video, it is imperative to have a focus on brand awareness. This entails including your brand's color scheme and logo design in your video content. While you're demoing a product, you're also prominently featuring your brand. 

A branded video is the smart way to create a product demo video. There'll be no question as to what business is promoting the product when you have your brand displayed front and center. 

Highlight Product Testimonials

A product testimonial is a great way for your target audience to hear about the effectiveness of your product. They're getting an unbiased review from real people just like them who have used your products for themselves. Nine out of 10 consumers would buy from a brand that gained their trust.

With permission from satisfied customers, you can display their testimonials in your product demo video to establish credibility. Feature short little video snippets from actual customers, not actors. This helps to humanize your brand and build trust in your product.

If you don't want to use video testimonials within your product demo video, use text-based written ones instead. Display the first name and last initial of the customer and their location. 

Include a Strong Call-to-Action

Your call-to-action in your product demo video is the desired action you wish consumers to take after watching your video content. This is where you inspire your target audience to commit to your brand. Use actionable words and phrases such as " Buy Now!", "Order Today" or "Click Here!" 

A call to action may also lead viewers of your product demo video to sign up for a mailing list, visit a webpage, or request a free sample. You should also incorporate clickable links within your video content and the webpage it is displayed on to encourage this action. 

Optimize Your Video Content for Mobile Viewing

The average consumer spends a lot of time on their smartphone. In fact, 75% of U.S. adults spend around 2 hours each day watching short-form content on their mobile devices. Use this to your advantage by ensuring that your video content like your product demo video is always optimized for mobile viewership.

This involves verifying that your video content displays correctly on a variety of mobile browsers. You'll also want to check that the dimensions of your videos are appropriate for viewing on different models of phone screens. Check that your video is not distorted or cut off.  

You should also use large legible text and mobile-optimized navigation buttons for accessibility and easy viewing. 

Implement Search Engine Optimization

When it comes to digital marketing content, you want to use every advantage you can get you help you stand out. One of the ways you can do this is through Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Using strategic and relevant keywords in your marketing content, you can appear higher up in search results more organically. 

Even video content like your product demo video can benefit from SEO practices. Focus on using relevant keywords in areas like your video's title, the description area, and the video tags to boost its visibility for common search inquiries. You can also optimize the thumbnail of your product demo video for enhanced clickability. 

Select Effective Distribution Channels

Once you've created your product demo video, you need to know the best places to share and distribute it. Your website and email marketing newsletters are the two most common places. You'll also want to explore other options like YouTube and social media. 

Keep in mind the best social media platforms and other distribution channels that are the most relevant to your target audience base. This will ensure that it is shared with the channels where your ideal consumer buyer personas frequent the most. 

Use custom-branded hashtags on social media and customized video descriptions to help expand your brand's reach as well. 

Choose Quality Video Production

Your product demo video is a reflection of your brand. If you try to cut corners to save money by doing it yourself, the quality of your video will likely suffer. This will also show your brand in a negative light. 

If you try to buy or even rent all of the equipment you need, it can be costly. There's also no guarantee that you have the skills needed to make a quality and professional video. 

That's why it's important to use the services and expertise of a professional video marketing team. They have everything you need at their disposal, including post-production services, to help you craft a high-quality and professional-looking product demo video you can be proud of. 

Elevate Your Product Demo Video Production with Cumberland Marketing Today

Your product demo video can go a long way to helping you inform your target audience about the benefits of your brand's product. You want to make sure that your video production is quality and hits all the right marks with your consumer base. This will allow you to have the best possible impact.

Cumberland Marketing, in Kingsport, TN, is an all-in-one marketing agency specializing in video, design, web design, photo, and digital marketing. We can help you bridge the gaps in your marketing strategy with custom solutions.  

If you're ready to discuss your marketing needs, contact Cumberland Marketing today.