How To Use Demo Videos In Your Marketing Strategy (With Examples)

As a video maker, I’ve created demo videos for some of the biggest brands out there.

When done right, the results are usually the same: the content drives engagement, generates leads, or helps build brand value. In short, it works. That’s why so many businesses use demo videos.

In this article, we’re going to show you how to create effective product demo videos, to help grow your business.

We’ll explain what a demo video is, what details go into the best demo video, how to make one for your own products, and give you a few well-known examples.

Let’s get into it.

 

Create Sales Demand For Your Product

The modern shopper is all about online research. In fact, more than half of consumers do so before making a purchase.

A product demo video is an easy way to give people the vital information they want to know about your product. You can use them to generate sales demand by leveraging video storytelling to show customers how your product solves their problems.

For example, if you’re selling video-making software, your product demo should show the following:

• How the user can create a video
• How the video will help them

Done right, the result is usually an increase in sales – 83% of marketers say that video has increased their lead generation.

Demonstrate Your Product’s Value

A product demo video has one primary goal: to show potential and prospective customers the value of a product (i.e. why it’s needed). When you achieve this, the majority of people will make a purchase.

The stats don’t lie. According to Wyzowl, 84% of people have bought a product after watching a brand’s video.

There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, a product demo video lets you clearly and concisely explain your USPs. You can list your selling points, one by one, with no sales pressure placed on the business owner.

Secondly, the best product demo video is clear and easy to digest, meaning more people will likely understand what you’re selling.

Reduce The Pressure On Your Sales Team

Not only do good product demo videos increase sales, but they also take the pressure off your sales team.

The reason for this is simple. A well-made product demo video answers all questions. So, whenever your sales team receives a query, they can save time and energy by using your product demo video instead of having to arrange and perform a personalized one-on-one product demonstration.

With a great demo video, you can take this responsibility off your team, freeing them up to focus on other tasks.

Demo Videos Are Shareable Assets

People love to share videos on their social media channels. So much so, that video gets 1,200x more shares than text and photo posts combined, according to LinkedIn.

If your product demo video is well made, there’s a good chance people will share it, too. The more people who see your content, the more sales you’re likely to get as a result.

And it’s not just about online shares; product videos are often used as recommendations. A product demo video can be shared between friends with similar problems, coworkers who need buying approval from their boss, etc.

Recommended further reading: 17 Real Benefits Of Video Marketing For Ambitious Businesses

Live-Action Demonstrations

A live-action product demo video uses real actors, props, sets, and on-location shots to explain how a product works.

Generally speaking, these are great for physical products – such as clothing, technology, or homeware – where the customer needs to see how something looks and works in real life.

While live-action videos take more planning and cost more to make, they allow a brand to connect with the audience. Using real people naturally adds an emotive element, which is great if you’re looking to create authenticity, drama, or comedy.

Animated Demonstration Videos

While live-action videos are great for physical products, animated video demos work better for digital products and services, such as software, financial products, or online courses.

Animations are super engaging and great for explaining complex or abstract concepts clearly and compellingly, simply because they can break the fourth wall and have no physical limitations.

Animated marketing videos are also easier to make. With a good digital video maker, creating product demo videos takes a few short minutes. They’re also budget-friendly, as you won’t need to hire actors or cover travel costs to create your product demo videos.

Screencasts

A screencast is a live demonstration. Not to be confused with screen recording or a live-action video, this is a real-time demo where a salesperson shares their screen with a potential consumer, walking them through the product.

These are almost exclusively used for software products and work best for particularly complex things where a buyer may have many questions.

The significant benefits are that a screencast can be delivered to multiple people simultaneously, like an online presentation, and they provide real-time customer feedback.

They’re great for closing sales at scale and promoting digital products.

UGC Demonstrations

UGC (user-generated content) demonstrations capitalize on existing consumers to explain how your products work.

This type of product demo video is usually a short, simple video, often shot on smartphones using the selfie setting. You see a lot of this kind of thing in the beauty cosmetics industry, where the results are instant and clear to see.

The user-generated element adds a level of authenticity that the other videos on this list lack. It also creates a sense of trust in the same way, a customer tutorial does. Most businesses actively encourage this kind of product demo video through a competition or social media campaign.

Recommended further reading: 36 Fresh Marketing Video Ideas For Your Business

How To Make A Demo Video For Your Product

Creating a full demo video for your product or service can seem daunting, but with the right approach, it doesn’t have to be.

Here is the process of making product demo videos into a few simple steps:

1. Define the objectives: first and foremost, you need to decide what you want to achieve, who your video is for, and the key messages you want to get across.
2. Write your script: using your objectives, create a script. Keep things simple, clear and concise, and ensure you touch all the key points listed in your objective section.
3. Create a storyboard: a storyboard is a visual representation of your script. Storyboards help you to plan the visuals and pacing of your video.
4. Record and edit your footage: once you’ve finished recording, you’ll need time to piece it together as a coherent story.

If all this still sounds too overwhelming, you’re not alone.

Most small businesses understand the importance of posting regular video content, but they do not have the resources or time to create videos consistently.

Viddyoze is here to change all that by leveling the playing field for high-quality video content.

Our easy-to-use software lets anybody create perfect marketing videos, featuring your products and brand imagery, in just minutes.

• No more storyboarding
• No more scriptwriting
• And no more complicated editing software

Viddyoze differs from other video makers because our software is built on the ‘video recipes’ system.

A video recipe is a fully optimized video structure, created exclusively by Viddyoze’s team of in-house animators and video marketers to get results.

Our platform currently has over 90 video recipes that follow all engagement and conversion rate best practices.

Including a Facebook Ad video recipe, explicitly designed to get your products more attention in newsfeeds. And a product video recipe, designed to explain your products more clearly and keep people watching until the very end.

To get started, all you need to do is select the video recipe you want to use from our dashboard, customize the text to fit your product, hit download, and then you’re ready to post. It really is that simple.

Sign up to Viddyoze now and post a new video every day to turbocharge your business growth.

Click here to learn more about Viddyoze.

Create Videos For All Use Cases And Examples

You might only sell one product, but chances are you’ve got multiple markets.

For example, Viddoze can be used by any person or business needing video content. Whether you’re in HR, marketing, retail, sports, or education, our video maker will work for you. And it’s the same story for your business.

To capitalize on this, make product videos for every market you serve. Each demo video should highlight how your product helps that specific market segment and the industry-specific problems it can eliminate.

Remember, the more you can personalize your marketing videos, the more people will understand why they should buy your product. Don’t just promote to one industry if your product can serve multiple.

Focus On Benefits, Not Features

When promoting your product to customers, what’s most important to them is the end result or benefits they will gain from purchasing it.

However, businesses often make the mistake of over-focusing on their product’s features in their marketing.

Let’s use laptops as an example. Which of the following is more appealing to you?

1) The laptop has a super fast processor, allowing for seamless streaming and gaming

2) The laptop has an M2 Processor with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD

Number one is a benefit, while number two is a feature. Sure, customers may be in point two before purchasing, but point one is more likely to catch a customer’s interest.

Benefits are tangible and easy to understand, while consumers might need more time to comprehend a product’s specific features or how they would utilize them.

Make your marketing campaigns more effective and less confusing to customers by focusing on the benefits of your product.

Present A High Likelihood Of Success

Staying with the theme of problem-led marketing, if you can convince consumers that your product works without fail and will 100% solve their problems, then you’ve practically guaranteed the sale.

This strategy is all about minimizing risk for your customers. They know they have a problem, they now need convincing that your product is the best solution to eliminate it.

There are a few ways to achieve this. The first is to use stats or facts in your videos. For example, if you’re selling electric cars, highlight how much cheaper they are to run compared to petrol cars. Maybe you’re selling accountancy software – show the buyer how much time they will save compared to doing their books manually.

Another way to present a high likelihood of success is to leverage social proof in your videos. By that, we mean show happy customers and include positive reviews in your video content.

Again, if customers know your product works, they’re considerably more likely to buy it.

Make Your Brand Presence Felt Within The Video

The most successful brands forge a connection between their business and the watcher. They do this with simple in-video features, such as the following:

• Branded intros – a short intro featuring your logo and brand colors.
• Branded transitions – these are cuts between scenes that feature your logo.
• Branded lower thirds – graphics that appear in the lower third of your video, adding info. Think names, facts, and stats.

Last but not least, your production value needs to be high-quality. Any grainy footage, out-of-sync audio, or low-quality images will put people off – they may even think your business is untrustworthy.

Include Calls-To-Action And Purchase Information

A call-to-action (CTA) is a prompt that tells your viewer what to do next. It could be as simple as a single line that says “find out more on our website” or a big button shouting “BUY NOW!”.

Whatever the message, including a CTA in your demonstration videos, is vital. Sure, it sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people need that little prompt to take the next step.

Providing purchase information at the end of your software demo videos is also a good idea. Things the viewer might want to know:

1. Where can they buy your product (is it available on-site, in-store, or on a third-party site?)
2. How they can buy it (Paypal, credit card, Apple Pay, etc.)
3. How much it costs (and any discount details)

Not Having A Clearly Defined Target Audience For Your Demo

The first question you should ask when making a demo is: who is it for?

Every demo video should have a clear target audience in mind, whether that’s a different industry, different demographic, or different kind of buyer.

If your product can serve multiple industries and customer profiles, a one-size fits all type of video isn’t enough.

Remember, personalization is the key to winning over customers. If your message is too broad, potential customers won’t realize that your product solves the problem they’re currently encountering.

Being Too Descriptive And Not Visual Enough

Video is a visual medium – don’t dilute its wow power with dense blocks of text or narration.

Ultimately, viewers want to see something engaging and easy to understand. A verbal run-through is integral to a video’s basic structure, so the visuals should do most of the talking for you.

You can do this with dynamic animation and live-action displays (as we’ve discussed earlier in this post) – just let your product do the talking.

Creating The Wrong Type Of Video

As mentioned, some demo styles work better than others for specific products and services.

While there are always cross-over and unique product video examples around, there are two major rules when it comes to making a good product demo video:

• Don’t use live-action for digital products
• Don’t use animation for demos of physical products

Not Using A Storytelling Framework

Every video should have a story – demos are no different.

That doesn’t mean you have to spend hours on an Oscar-winning script, but your video should have a logical progression from start to finish.

The reason for this is simple: a good story creates an emotional bond between your brand and the viewer. Done right, it can boost your conversion rate and increase customer callback (i.e. they’re more likely to remember your brand later when they’re ready to make a purchase.)

For more detailed advice about storytelling frameworks and how to use them, read our blog on How To Use Video Storytelling In Your Marketing Campaigns.

Recommended further reading: 22 Common Video Marketing Mistakes (And How To Avoid Them)
 

PlayStation VR2 – Sony

If ever there was a superb example of an animated product demo, it’s this one by PlayStation.

The demo walks users through the new VR2 virtual reality headset, using a combination of footage from games, dynamic graphics, and product images.

This demo works so well because it’s incredibly visual – there’s barely any text at all. The VR footage is strong; PlayStation lets it do most of the talking.

Car Cam – Ring

Car Cam walks viewers through its main USPs with a snappy live-action demonstration video. We get to see the product working in multiple real-life scenarios, solving problems a potential customer could have.

This entire demo video works for two reasons. The first is the use of actors for live-action scenes. Any viewer watching a video can relate personally to what they see in the demo. Second, Car Cam uses simple storytelling concepts to get its message across.

Whether it’s car theft or a traffic incident, each issue is presented as a mini-story, further creating an emotional bond with the viewer.

Bard – Google

We’ve seen product demo video examples that look great – but what about when they go bad? Google recently found this out the hard way.

In a bid to counter ChatGPT, Google released a demo for its own AI product, Bard. The problem? The AI tool answered a question incorrectly, wiping an eye-watering amount off Google’s stock value.

The lesson? Don’t rush your video, only release it when your product is ready, and always fact-check your content.

*The video here isn’t the original Google ad (that’s long gone). This is an explainer made by a third party for context.

Recommended further reading: Recent Video Marketing Examples (And The Goal Behind Them)

Embed Them Onto Your Website’s Landing Pages

A demo video is a great way to improve your website’s performance in terms of both conversions and UX (user experience).

Business Community said conversions were up by as much as 80% on pages with video, while Neil Patel has reported similarly positive stats.

Videos increase website performance for a couple of reasons. With video on your landing pages, people spend longer on the site. Generally speaking, the longer a person spends on a website, the more likely they are to convert. Higher session durations also drive better SEO results.

The other reason is UX. Video makes things easier to understand and improves a user’s interaction with your site. Put your product demos on the corresponding product page for the best results.

Collaborate With Influencers In Your Niche

Influencer marketing has exploded into a billion-dollar industry over the last five years. One of the driving factors behind this is that anyone can work with an influencer.

Whether you’re a dentist or hotel manager, it doesn’t matter – there’s a good chance you’ll find an influencer in your niche.

When making a demo video, you can work with an influencer to create the content for you, similar to UGC in that it’s a third-party piece of content. The main difference is that you’ll likely need to pay or provide your product for free.

The main reason to work with an influencer is to take advantage of their audience, giving you added reach.

Win New Customers With Paid Ads

Thanks to platforms like Facebook and Google, a product demo video can be repurposed as a paid ad.

There are two main ad formats you should use to promote your demonstration video:

1) Retargeting ads: these ads allow you to re-engage with people who’ve previously visited your site, but who didn’t take any action. They’re perfect for reminding customers about your product and getting the sale over the line.

2) Targeted ads: you can target people from specific demographics to get your demo in front of the right people – this is especially useful if you’ve made many different demos targeting different industries.

Repurpose Demonstration Videos Into Short Social Media Clips

Short videos are the future of marketing. Most marketers agree that TikTok and Instagram provide the most opportunity for growth moving forward.

It’s no surprise then, that Instagram Reels has become the platform’s fastest-growing feature while TikTok also continues to grow exponentially.

To capitalize on this trend, repurpose your longer promo videos into short clips for social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.

For example, if you have a 10-minute product video, you can potentially repurpose this video into ten 1-minute clips.

This way, you can generate a whole week of video content to share with your subscribers without spending extra money.

Demonstration Videos Are Essential For New Product Launches

When launching a new product, demo videos are essential.

Think about it. Whenever a huge brand, such as Apple or Nike, releases a new product, what do they do first? They released a video demo. This is a tried and tested way to generate buzz and build hype ahead of the physical launch when the product goes on sale.

UTM Tag Your Demo Video Posts

A UTM (urchin tracking module) is a small piece of code added to the end of a URL – every time someone clicks the link, the source is recorded. UTM codes allow you to track exactly where your web traffic is coming from.

By adding this code to your video’s URL, you’ll be able to measure your video’s engagement and how it performs across different platforms. Such as social media, email, or third-party landing pages.

Use this tool from Google to easily create UTM links for your website content.

Monitor The Conversion Rate On Your Landing Pages

Before adding video to your landing pages, track your conversion rate over several months and record your results.

Once you’ve added the video to your website pages, check your reports for any increase or decrease in your established conversion rate.

It’s a relatively simple method but should still provide accurate data on your video content’s effectiveness.

Customer-Acquisition-Cost For Your Paid Ads

Once you’ve switched your ad campaigns to video, compare the numbers to your previous ad creative.

Are your ad campaigns generating a better ROI now that video is in play? You’ll need to look at several metrics to figure this out. The most important, however, is CAC (customer acquisition cost).

This shows you how much it costs you to get each sale. The lower your customer acquisition cost, the higher your profit margins will be.

Final Thoughts

You should now understand just how important demo videos can be for a business.

They increase your chances of conversion and improve your website’s performance, social media presence, and brand recognition.

It doesn’t matter what you sell – whether it’s a physical product, software, or a service – demo video marketing can help take your business to the next level.

Ready to get started? Sign up to Viddyoze and start making a product demo video right now.