Advice and tips for product demonstration
Initially I thought that product demonstration video production was primarily targeted at past-purchase customers who need help with their new products. However, there may actually be potential for turning product demo viewers into future clients, if your demo video is produced carefully. Below are some tips for making your e-commerce product demonstration videos into conversion engines. Based on a list that was originally compiled for ReelSEO by Jen Peep, a studio director for a creative agency called The Garrigan Lyman Group, the advice in this list features insights from one of the best advertising firms in the country.
1. Be authentic. People are wary of overproduced demos because they think they’re just advertisements. Show your product in use in a real setting being used by a real person. Videos convert better if they include people in the shot—even if it’s just their hands. People using your products are the experts so feature them and not celebrities. Celebrities aren’t perceived as trustworthy, and they make a video feel more like a promotion. Even real employees can lend credibility.
2. Be simple. Use real-world examples that matter to the audience. Keep it simple. If it’s too technical, you can intimidate the viewer. Don’t demonstrate too many features at once. Instead, focus on one or two, and show multiple examples of how to use those features. Viewers respond best when they are shown features, not just told about them, so voice-over shouldn’t be relied on. When voice-over is used, it should directly complement what is shown on screen or viewers could get lost.
3. Minimize text. Likewise, viewers don’t want to read. Keep the on-screen text to a minimum. When you do show text on-screen, keep it short and to the point.
4. Make every second count. Fifteen-second videos drive the most click-throughs in the social space. Sixteen- to 60-second videos drive the least click-throughs. So keep it short and sweet unless you’re going for an infomercial. Just as important as timing, pacing can make the difference between a compelling demo and a boring or confusing one. Don’t move too slowly or too quickly through the video.
5. Be professional. Though you don’t want it “over-polished,” the right lighting, sound and video production equipment, and editing facilities make a huge difference. Include metadata in your videos, and link back to product pages or your website. Including videos on your website can increase how searchable it is.
6. Be honest. Nobody thinks your product is perfect except for maybe you. Saying your product or service is “the most amazing thing ever” tends to be unbelievable. So you want to be real about some of the shortcomings (hopefully your product is good enough that its shortcomings aren’t total deal-breakers), and viewers will be better able to trust you.
