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Rishabh leads the content strategy at Content Beta, a creative video and design agency for Tech & SaaS companies.
In today’s market, a well executed video marketing strategy is the holy grail for any B2B company. Video Marketing Statistics by Motioncue showed that demo videos are one the high value content element for businesses.
People want to buy products from businesses when they feel their emotions click. Demo videos are the perfect way of tugging those personal threads and by establishing a personal connection.
This isn’t to say that you can just slap a few clips together and call it a day. Each Product Demo Video must contain a great deal of thought and effort, especially if you want it to produce an outcome or generate leads.
If you’re jumping right into writing the script for your B2B SaaS Product Demo Video after coming up with an idea, you’re probably starting off on the wrong foot.
This road can lead to boring corporate videos that have almost no efficiency. Your first step should be to create a video marketing strategy for your Product Demo Video marketing journey.
It’s fine if video marketing isn’t currently a key component of your overall marketing strategy. You can begin by developing a strategy for individual video projects.
If your marketing team wants to create a new video for your homepage, the first step is to develop a video strategy. A project-based video strategy should include:
If you intend to use more videos in your marketing, you should develop a detailed, journey-based strategy with a full content calendar. We recommend adding a video category to your existing content calendar. Then, as with any other marketing content, you can plan out the purpose and target audience for each spot.
Spending time on strategy before creating a video will help you get an effective, long-lasting spot for your brand, regardless of which route you take.
This animated B2B product demo video here is a great example of a clearly executed SaaS Product Demo video strategy.
Everyone understands that a B2B Product Demo produced by a video production company will look better than one shot on an iPhone. However, many B2B marketers who are new to video marketing fail to involve video experts in the early stages of the project as well.
Most marketing departments have a reliable network of freelance copywriters, strategists, and designers. These individuals are capable of producing excellent case studies, whitepapers, and sales presentations. What they frequently fail to do well is conceptualize or develop videos.
Video has become synonymous with content marketing in general. As a result, many people believe that good content marketers are also good at video. However, “video” is a broad term for a specific type of content. It tells you no more than “writing” about what you’re getting.
A video can be a polished ad or a webinar recorded over Zoom, or anything in between. Working with the right team is critical when creating videos that you want to be top-of-funnel or have a long lifespan.
When creating a B2B Product Demo, consider how words, visuals, and sound can be combined to create an effective message. A copywriter, who mostly writes content for people to read, might not be able to write an effective video script.
That’s why the voiceover in so many B2B videos sounds like it’s reading a whitepaper or a sales sheet. Because it was written by someone who is mostly known for writing whitepapers and sales sheets.
A video expert, whether it’s a copywriter who specializes in scriptwriting or a creative director who will oversee storyboards, is an investment in a high-quality video production. Hiring an outside expert may appear costly when you have good writers on staff, but consider the cost as a percentage of your overall budget.
Why be cheap when it comes to paying someone a couple thousand dollars for quality words if you’re going to spend tens of thousands of dollars on video production? I guarantee that the investment in a quality video will be worthwhile.
And if you’re ready to make an investment for the future of your company, get in touch with Content Beta today.
From design to animation – For Product Marketing, Customer and Partner Enablement they’ve helped 100s of B2B software companies achieve their goals. Take their word for it.
One significant advantage of video is that it performs well across multiple platforms, from social media to in-person conferences.
However, one of the most common mistakes we see B2B brands make is distributing animated product demo videos across multiple platforms like facebook, twitter, youtube and instagram without optimizing them for each.
For example, relatable and funny short videos perform really well on instagram and Mailchimp has used it perfectly.
Optimizing your videos for SEO not only makes them easier to find, but it also increases the likelihood of your video appearing in Google search engine.
This significantly increases the likelihood that a prospect who isn’t already browsing your company’s YouTube channel or website will discover the video.
When sharing the B2B Product Demo on social media, always include a caption and a CTA with a link. After watching the video, all you need to do is say “Learn more” to give prospects a next step. Adding a short line in your caption goes a long way.
For example take a look at calendly’s youtube video for this
In comparison to my other errors, this one may appear minor. Not so. Depending on who you ask, anywhere between 60% and 85% of online videos are viewed without sound. That means that a video without captions immediately loses more than half of its potential audience.
Closed captions are also required for online accessibility. Just as you would never invite a client to an office that could only be reached by stairs, don’t invite your prospects to watch a video that requires hearing.
Video marketing takes time. While most social media content has a limited shelf life, videos on YouTube or your website can generate leads for years.
Consider how long you intend to use the animated product demo videos as part of your video marketing strategy. If you want a spot that will last for years and be used across your owned channels, you should properly invest in it. High quality pieces, like a quality wardrobe, will last longer and be used indefinitely.
A high-quality spot can also lend itself to shorter cuts for use as advertisements or on social media. Plan all of this ahead of time to get the most bang for your buck in terms of production.
Look for savings with videos that will be used only on social media or have a shorter lifespan. When done in-house or more cheaply, those spots are more likely to still see ROI.
You might not have considered animation at first for your Product Demo Video, but they’re highly efficient and effective.
If you’re still not convinced, here are reasons why you should consider animated product demo videos for your B2B or SaaS.
You may believe that in order to create an amazing demo of your app, you must directly record the screens in order to show users how to navigate it.
There is nothing wrong with this approach (we make screen-recorded videos all the time). But websites and apps are constantly updated, and features are subject to change. With a screen-recorded B2B Product Demo, your video becomes void every time your app updates, and creating new ones can be time-consuming and expensive.
You can use animation to hide the features of your app while still showing the buttons, layout, and brand colors – but without focusing on specifics.
Perhaps you’d like to show real people using your app, product, or service. Again, nothing wrong with this, but live action is more complicated and expensive than animation.
When shooting live action, you must consider locations, actors, schedules, reshoots, and much more.
Another issue with using live action is the risk of alienating a segment of your target audience.
Assume you’ve developed an app that allows people to download and listen to music. Your demo video depicts a young white female living in a city apartment with three roommates and using the app at a party. Many other potential customers who do not identify with that person are similarly alienated.
You don’t have to worry about that with animation. Anyone (and everything!) can be animated characters. And, unlike actors, you can have ten animated characters for the same price as one.
With that in mind let’s take a look at some creative B2B animated product demo videos
B2B companies out there have really taken advantage of the booming video marketing world to showcase their brand in unique ways. Here are some examples of that come to life
Runtime:
59 Seconds
Takeaway:
Cleverly uses music and sound effects to drive home the message of the video. Despite the lack of human voiceover, the catchy animation captures audiences’ attention.
Runtime:
2 Minutes 10 Seconds
Takeaway:
The voice over artist smoothly guides the video in a streamlined flow. The software animation clearly helps the audience in envisioning it in real life. The video also touches on human emotions which fits perfectly in this animation designed for the medical field.
Runtime:
40 Seconds
Takeaway:
Quick paced animation that hooks the viewer from the beginning. The colors pop out, making it visually pleasing.
We hope that now that you’re aware of some common mistakes, you’ll feel more confident about embarking on the creative process. Video provides incredible opportunities to pique people’s interest with educational, entertaining, and even artistic content.
Making a great video can ensure that your audience’s first encounter with your product or idea is memorable and positive. However, if the video falls short in some way, it can have the opposite effect. So, to effectively engage your audience, avoid making these common mistakes and start getting more creative with your business videos.
A product demo video typically costs $1,000-$5,000 on average, depending on the style, effects, complexity, and scope of the video production service.
Your demo video should contain four basic elements: an overview of your product, the solution it provides, how it works, and a call to action.
In your demo video, ensure that you have identified your product’s unique value proposition and that you can communicate it clearly and quickly. Why did you create this item? Who is it intended for? What problems does it solve for your customers, and how is it different or better than your competitors?
Your product demo videos can be promoted through the channels listed below:
