Are you using video as part of your marketing plan and sales funnel? If not, you should! Informative videos are a compelling, cost-effective way to generate sales, especially for products which are complex or have numerous options and features that can be difficult to encapsulate in a brochure or short demo video.
Video is Effective and Efficient
Video is one of the most effective communication tools in today’s digital world. We’ve talked before about how video enhances learning and retention*, and in her research, behavioral psychologist Dr. Susan Weinschenk identified four specific reasons why online video is so much more effective than text.
We also know that people like watching video; most consumers say they prefer watching a video to reading copy about it, and four out of five consumers said demo videos were important to them.
A product or app demo video can sometimes even be better than a live demonstration. With a video, you have the ability to capture the perfect demonstration; you never have to worry about forgetting an important feature, tripping over your words, or having tech issues interrupt the demo. Video lets potential customers experience your app whenever it’s best for them, without needing to schedule with your sales staff. This not only makes learning about your product more convenient for your customers, it also saves your sales staff time; live demonstrations may not be needed at all, or can be focused on answering a potential customer’s specific questions about the product since the customer will already have a basic understanding of what the product is and how it works.
Video is also a more efficient way to let customers learn about your product; the recorded audio of a video means no verbal fillers (all the “um’s” and “ah’s” and other verbal tics that slow us down when we talk) and you can eliminate all of the downtime you often have during a live demonstration (such as waiting for software to load up, product set-up, AV/computer equipment setup) and have a seamless demonstration of your product.
Video Length
General advice about online video is that shorter is better; the longer a video, the more audience you lose by the end (videos over 30 minutes barely manage a 10% retention rate). 90 seconds to 2 minutes is considered the sweet spot for maximum audience retention.
However, some videos don’t have to follow the above time limits. If you’re giving a video to qualified leads who have already expressed an interest in your product, they expect an in-depth demonstration video that is going to be longer than a minute or two.
We’ve found that 5-7 minutes is a good length for a video designed to replace a live sales demo; it gives ample time to talk about the product while not going so long viewers start to lose interest. If you have a product that is so complex it can’t be covered in that amount of time, we recommend breaking it down into multiple shorter videos focused around different features or topics.
Video Personalization
Personalization matters; it’s one way to being to build relationships with potential customers. But unless you’re a company with an unlimited budget, it’s simply not possible for you to create a personalized video for each and every customer. However, there are other ways to add a personal touch.
If you’re sending the video link to customers via Email, include the name of the person receiving the Email, along with a customized personal message in the body (and be sure and include the name of the person at your company they can contact directly if they have questions). In addition, make sure you include the word “video” in your Email subject line; inclusion of that word can actually boost Email open rates by as much as 19%.
You should also add personalization (also called account-based marketing) to your product landing pages. Anything to make the customer feel as though their experience on your website is unique and personal to them. A video on a landing page can increase conversions by as much as 80%, and account-based marketing can increase conversions by a factor of four.
The best part about this type of sales video is that it’s always available, even when you aren’t – but this isn’t the time to try and DIY: 62% of consumers are likely to have a negative perception of a company that has a video of poor quality. For a video that’s intended to be a potential customer’s first real introduction to your product, you want a professionally-produced video that lets your product shine.
At AppDemoVideos, we use both educational and marketing concepts to create a video that perfectly showcases your product. We work with our clients throughout the process to ensure that the final result is a video that meets all of your needs, and that you’ll be proud to use it as part of your marketing plan and sales funnel. If you’d like to talk to us about your video needs, please get in touch! We’d love to work with you.
* http://elearninginfographics.com/the-impact-of-video-in-education-infographic/, http://cct.edc.org/publications/television-goes-school-impact-video-student-learning-formal-education, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378720605000170, and https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/effective-educational-videos/