What makes a good product demo video?

A product demo is an essential element in sales and marketing campaigns. Aside from raising awareness that your product exists, it’s also a means to educate potential customers about what your product has to offer.

But what makes a product demo video effective?

While some are easily swayed by an impressive product demo video, there will be others who could be quite skeptical. Whether using a free video editor or a paid one, here’s how to win them over, not by pure selling, but by helping them select and buy.

Features vs benefits

When creating a product demo video, sell the solution, not the product. It’s easy to list down the features of your product, but those aren’t necessarily consumer-friendly information.

Let’s imagine a potential customer who wants to buy a mobile phone. 

They aren’t tech-savvy but they know that they need one for business. 

So, they surf the internet and find a video about a mobile phone that catch their attention. The voiceover talks about state-of-the-art technology, 64GB 4GB RAM, 5000mAh battery, 16MP front and rear cameras, 6.50″ IPS LCD, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, and 405ppi.

Wait, what?

Those sound impressive, but what do they mean for the customer? How will those help them?

By highlighting the benefits instead of the features and specs, you get to educate the customer while telling them how your mobile phone can help make their life easier.

So, instead of going all geeky on your product demo video, say: capture and save as many photos and videos as you want. Take photos that are clear and vibrant. Be on the move and use your phone for hours without the need for frequent charging. No need to squint or zoom, as the wide screen lets you view all details and angles with ease.

Keeping it real

There’s nothing more misleading than a fake, super-hyped product demo video. If you want to impress customers and make them go “ooh” and “aah”, set realistic expectations.

Let’s say you are selling a set of acrylic paints. You’ll want to demonstrate in the video how the paint would look when it’s applied and how it’ll look when it dries. If you show a different result just to persuade the customer to make a purchase, you may get the sale you want but expect negative feedback when the results aren’t the same on the customer’s end.

So if the paint is a bit opaque and won’t provide full coverage on paper or canvas, give them a solution or a workaround instead of faking the results. Tell them that they just have to do a second coat or that the colors can be mixed with a bit of white primer to give it a fuller, heavier color.

Also, if you need to include people in your product demo, choose someone that potential customers can relate to. No sense testing a volumizing mascara on a woman with long, lush, curly eyelashes, right?

What consumers don’t want to see

There’s no real template or format for an effective product demo video. The style will vary depending on the product and the marketer’s strategy. But here are things you should avoid when creating yours:

• Long videos that involve a lot of text or narrations. Most people are busy and on the go. They’ll have no time to sit and watch an hour-long video talking about a product and how it works. Keep it short but informative.
• Empty adjectives. The phrase “high-quality” is often used to describe products, but what does it really mean? There’s no real value because every product can easily claim to be of high quality. Instead, use sensory words like squeak-free cabinets, long-lasting fragrance, or lip-smackingly good snacks. But make sure not to go overboard.
• Crushing the competition. It’s alright to compare your product with competitors, but do so in a professional way. No matter how bad their products are, saying bad or negative, things will only reflect on you. So, play nice.

Making an outstanding product demo video

The goal of a product demo isn’t to sell. Instead, aim to build trust and build a relationship with potential buyers. Don’t push and never force. Give them something to think about, help them decide by giving them a sound solution to their pain points. And when they learn to trust and believe in you, they’ll also learn to trust and believe in your product.