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Rishabh leads the content strategy at Content Beta, a creative video and design agency for Tech & SaaS companies.
Onboarding videos help in attracting new customers, supporting and training them for the best user experience of the platform. Demonstrating how a SaaS product or service works, by investing time and money in videos for educating and inspiring prospects, can be that one small effort that will make a strong foundation for the company and will establish a loyal user base.
But one target that most companies forget to address and fulfill is to make app onboarding videos for customers that are using their SaaS on mobile phone devices. Adhering to only creating videos for desktops and laptops can result in the loss of an entire section of customers due to weak user onboarding.
“86% of people say they’d be more likely to stay loyal to a business that invests in onboarding content which welcomes and educates them.”
Onboarding videos are powerful as they can improve customer allegiance and eliminate the potential frustration caused by difficulties that occur when a person uses a product for the first time.
Videos made specifically for user onboarding on mobile phone devices, showcasing the working of the UI as seen on these devices, are app onboarding videos.
The purpose of using an app onboarding video for your SaaS is to evoke loyalty by focusing on your customers and their specific needs, not on yourself. The success of such videos is measured by the engaging potential of the video which directly affects the behavior of the user after sign up.
Why it works: Mailchimp is known for creating multiple short videos for personalized onboarding, recognizing that all of the users will belong to separate segments in their journey with your SaaS and it is important to address each problem.
This video in its classic brand colors has been made to explain how Mailchimp mobile app helps in scanning business cards and transferring contacts to the Mailchimp account.
The voiceover is clear and soothing, and the background music not only makes the video upbeat and fun but also does not overpower the educational content in doing so. The usage of UI in real-time is clever, and with attractive animations and helpful textual instructions the video manages to clear all doubts.
Why it works: The strong branding and color scheme hits you straight away. It is a live-action onboarding video showing the usage of the app by a human being in real-time which immediately resonates with the customer and establishes trust.
The video maneuvers through the benefits of TaskRabbit, explaining how to manage tasks, invoice clients, and access support with the help of the app.
Why it works: The whole video has been made in a live-action advertisement format with an impeccable storyline and engaging protagonist. Patrick takes the viewer on a personal journey as we see him go on delivery for GrubHub.
The branding and colors are highlighted in every frame as you see them on Patrick’s clothes, the app on his phone, and the animation used in the video. The tips and tricks section is engaging with smaller elements popping up here and there enabling the user to retain more information. The video explains the benefits and unique features of GrubHub using the UI and pop-ups of instructional tooltips.
Why it works: The setting and the music are almost meditative and help in attracting the viewer’s attention. With every change of scene, we see human beings interacting with the. This brief video has been made immaculately as it explains most of Asana’s special features in a delightfully engaging manner, using textual instructions and appealing animations as we follow the workings of the UI.eatures on the mobile apps and using Asana for its benefit.
This brief video has been made immaculately as it explains most of Asana’s special features in a delightfully engaging manner, using textual instructions and appealing animations as we follow the workings of the UI.
Why it works: In a masterstroke, the video begins with listing out where the app can be downloaded by users. This will help in increasing awareness for potential leads and improving product adoption by new users.
With its alluring voiceover, helpful textual popups, and the warm coffee on the table, the video takes the viewer on a comfortable journey through using the app -from start to finish- in a very short period of time.
Creative and charming graphics, helpful graphs, and statistics, along with the buoyant music keep the viewer hooked. The animations that get projected next to the screen help in grasping and later recalling complex actions. The video ends with a strong CTA and highlights details about the website.
We know how to sell your story using your product UI
Why it works: This is an animated video, showcasing character animation. We meet Joel, and through his problems see how Trello can benefit its users. The video shifts from character animations to shots of the UI on the mobile device screen.
An animated hand maneuvers through the features, while an engaging voiceover explains the features simultaneously. The color scheme reflects the branding throughout. The video ends with the powerful CTA urging its users to try out Trello.
Why it works: The video starts with a view of Basecamp’s UI and explains how the app helps teams to work together. It goes on to explain 6 different tools in every basecamp, namely Campfire, Message board, Todos, Schedule, Automatic check-in, and Docs & files.
The speaker then goes to each tool and gives a background about the tool, information about the features, and a demo on how to use it. The branding is clear through the continuous use of the UI. As the video ends, it uses the important strategy of enlisting the platforms that the user can approach for further questions about the SaaS.
Why it works: The video starts with explaining the features and benefits of Uber. The animation in the video is professional-looking. It is exceptional, with the background changing and resonating with every feature showcased, thereby keeping the viewers absorbed.
For example, when they talk about keeping the phone steadily in the mount they actually show a car dashboard in the background or when they explain mapping and GPR they change the background to that of a map that has different locations highlighted and pointed.
Even though the whole video takes place on the UI of the app, the phone moves around in the video as if it were a car on an actual road thereby making the experience interactive and easy to recall.
The characters in the video show the inclusion of different ethnicities. The app onboarding video explains the usage from starting to end perfectly leaving no room for doubt with the end of the video declaring how using Uber will be a continuous process for all users.
Why it works: The app onboarding video is crisp and starts on a cheery note with optimistic music playing in the background. Using Slack’s bright brand colors the video takes you through the benefits of the SaaS, that is, how it brings team communication in one place and integrates with the tools and services the viewer uses every day. The animation is clean and points to the various features of the app.
Why it works: This is a unique video as it has a different style of telling the story through an animated protagonist but using close-ups of the app UI in between. It has a very comic-book-animation vibe.
Through the eyes of the protagonist, we see how ExperienceFellow allows users to document their experience with a service, product, or brand along any customer journey.
There are different scenarios, whether it is a plane journey, finding a hotel, or services of a restaurant, the video establishes how the app will give the user an opportunity to use its features to put up reviews and feedback for all of the occurrences which will later be analyzed for valuable insight for improvement and innovation. The end-slide puts up details about the website and the app.
“More than half (55%) of people say they’ve stopped using a SaaS because they didn’t fully understand how to use it.
We know how to sell your story using your product UI
| Software | Pricing | Applications and Browsers Supported | Unique Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inline Manual | Standard Pro plan- $158/month Enterprise plan - Price on request | All web-based applications (authoring tool needs Google Chrome) |
- Allows multiple branches of onboarding content - Showcases content to users depending on the path they choose - Allows Version control by easy save and update of onboarding content - Saves content as drafts, helps make the correct version show up on your app |
| Appcues |
Essentials plan - $249/month Growth plan - $879/month Enterprise plan - Price on request |
All web-based applications (Google Chrome needed for authoring) |
- Helps with branded onboarding - Creates goals for completing X number of steps and track completion in your app - Helps with segmentation and user targeting |
| Mixpanel |
Free plan Growth plan - $25/month Enterprise plan - Price on request |
Web-based and Android apps |
- Gives Launch impact reports on feature adoption success - Provides Funnels report to analyze how different users perform different processes in the app - Provides user flows to understand steps leads take make a purchase or sign up |
| Demio |
Starter plan - $34/month Business plan - $163/month Premium plan - Price on request |
All web-based applications |
- Gives easy access to live onboarding - Gives customizing options to highlight branding - Allows conduction of Q&A session |
| Loom |
Starter Plan - Free Business plan - $8/creator/month Enterprise plan - Price on request |
Any web-based, iOS, or Android application |
- Gives Engagement insights - Can link to Help docs or additional resources with CTAs - Quick upload and sharing via email, chat, or another channel |
| Maze |
Free plan Professional plan - $25/month Organization plan - Price on request |
Web-based, iOS, and Android apps |
- Provides wide range of product-testing templates - Gives qualitative and quantitative feedback data |
| Pendo |
Free plan Team, Pro, and Enterprise plans - Price on request |
Web-based, iOS, and Android apps |
- Creates Top 10 lists for users, feature usage, etc. - Has an easy-to-understand feature analytics - Allows to bookmark important app features |
App onboarding videos have the responsibility of educating and nurturing an entire section of your SaaS customers that are using mobile phone devices. Failing to make such videos will leave the customers feeling dissatisfied and disoriented, and will further increase the churn rate.
An onboarding video focuses on choosing a specific topic of a single feature of the product and explaining it in a way that helps new customers adapt better to the feature and thereby to the product or service itself.
App onboarding can be the first point of contact for a new user on the app as they explain the process of adopting the software itself. They also provide the first impression of what the customer care will be like and the kind of support the brand intends to provide.
The onboarding of an app focuses on the flow of a sequence of steps that introduce and guide the user through the journey of using the software. Some of the prominently used steps are including a welcome page, a couple of informational popup screens, instructional text to guide through the login and registration process, and multiple short onboarding videos that can help with product adoption.
Onboarding videos can prove to be powerful tools for any company that wants to engage and converse with its new users. Most SaaS companies come out with products and services that run on complex coding and UI that is hard to understand for most users. Onboarding videos can prove to be a comforting travel guide for new customers on their journey of understanding the UI and adapting to the product to become superusers. Onboarding videos are as important as demo videos.
