Creating live product and service demos are one of the most cost-effective ways to increase sales, nowadays, if you do it right. On this blog post, we’ll show how to structure live product demos that work, in 5 steps. To make sure that by the end of this post you are ready to sell more with live demos, we also gathered 3 extra product demonstration tips.
Check out our video on this topic:
Why do a live Product Demo online?
There’s a reason why infomercials on television have been successful for years. Consumers want to see the product in action. Which means demonstrating how the product works play a huge role in sales. Many times, the customer has seen ads for the product before, but the demonstration closes the deal. Or it doesn’t if it’s not a good one.
Live product demos online are the new and improved infomercials, cheaper and tailored to your audience. Although infomercials are still alive and kicking, they simply don’t have the same reach you get online. Using live video to do product demonstrations gets you in front of your targeted audience. Having the right audience means you will present your product to potential customers. People who are highly likely to be interested in your product and that can afford it.
The high level of interaction on live videos is what makes the live demo stand out. It creates a personal experience for the customer, which leads to a deeper connection and trust. You can reach thousands of people and still make it personal. Before live video, you could only get that kind of interaction on in-person meetings. How long would it take you to meet thousands of people?
How to do a Live Product Demo?
A product demo is similar to a sales pitch. Because it’s live, you need to take your time to prepare it. If writing a script makes you sound too artificial, you can create an outline of everything you want to cover and base it on that. There are a few things you need to include in any product demo to drive sales. This goes for services or SaaS demonstrations too.
#1 Introduction
A captivating introduction will ensure that viewers keep watching your live video. You can introduce yourself and your brand. A good idea here is to tell them your story. Tell them why you created this product in a way that they identify themselves with. This is the first step to creating a connection with your audience. Keep in mind that lengthy introductions can become tedious and you might lose some viewers.
During your introduction, you can also talk about who is the product/brand for, which is another way of seeking a connection with your audience. While you present this part, some people might leave your live demo and this is actually a good thing. It means they are NOT potential customers. If they stayed, it would be a waste of time on both sides.
#2 Outline problems
Before you jump into your products’ features, which is what most people do, build your demo around the problems your product solves. The problems are the reason those people are there, watching your live video. Maybe they don’t even know they have those problems, so you need to make sure you outline these specific problems.
To go one step further, you can talk about the consequences of not solving these problems. Which is why the product was created in the first place. The why is really important here. What will happen to them or their company if they don’t solve these issues? This step gets viewers motivated to find the solution and fix what needs fixing.
#3 Your Solutions
Now you can address each problem with a solution. Focus on how your product solves each of the problems listed before. You can talk about the feature but you don’t need to focus on it, focus on their benefits. How do they solve the problem better than others? If they want to know more about the technicalities of the features, they can ask you, since you’re live. Or they can find it on your website.
Your goal during the live product demo is to show your audience how your product can help them solve problems. Show the viewers how your solution relieves their pain points. What value do you bring them?
#4 Q&A
To take advantage of the live video, you can do a Q&A at the end. Get viewers to send their questions and concerns. If, during the live demo you don’t have time to answer all of them, make sure you reach out later and reply.
Also, take notice if some questions come up regularly and consider adding them your presentation.
#5 Call-to-action
A call-to-action is a stimulus or an instruction for the other person to do something towards a goal. It’s a term used a lot in marketing and it’s essential to live video. At the end of your live product demo, you need to give viewers instructions on what to do next. The process should be as simple as possible.
If your objective is to increase sales, then you’ll need a call-to-action that drives sales. You can give them a direct link to purchase your product instead of telling them to go to your website, clicking here and there.
These 5 steps can help you create an engaging product demo that focuses on increasing sales. Before you do a live product demo, make sure you refer back to these steps, create an efficient outline and get better results.
Extra Product Demonstration Tips:
Apply these product demonstration tips to every live product demo and get better results.
#1 Use different Live Video Formats
For your product demo, you can schedule a live stream on your social media, promote it and go live on the scheduled date. You can also do it more like a webinar, where you can ask people to register for the live video.
If you feel like you aren’t able to deliver an engaging live presentation, you can also do it in an interview format. You find a host that will ask you questions about your brand and product. In a way, the host would simply guide you through the product demonstration. Some people feel more comfortable in front of the camera when they do it this way. It can also be an interesting format for your audience to watch.
Any format you choose, you can record while live and used later, as additional marketing material.
#2 Engagement & Interaction
A live product demo, like any other live video, needs to be engaging. Because attention spans are so short, you must constantly drive focus to your video. To do so, apply different visual elements to your live video. Also, try to have more than one video source. For example, having 2 camera angles that you can switch between, as well as adding some pre-recorded videos. It will create dynamic live videos that keep people interested.
Another way to create engagement is through interaction, which is one of the main reasons to do a live video. The power to interact with your audience is huge. You can ask them questions, create polls and ask them to share their opinions.
#3 Customer testimonials & Incentives
During your live product demo, you have an opportunity to show your audience what others think about your product. Genuine customers’ testimonials can have a really positive effect on your viewers because they might identify with them and end up making a purchase. The best way to show testimonials are in video format, but it doesn’t have to be live. You can play a pre-recorded video during your live stream.
Throughout video demos, many presenters forget that the audience needs to be constantly motivated. They need the motivation to keep watching your live video and to take action. What we’ve seen brands doing that gets results is, creating cliffhangers and different offers. A cliffhanger is, for example, telling them that you’ll be giving something for free at the end of the live video. To create a different offer that motivates people, you can decide that for the first X number of people that make a purchase, they will pay less or get something else.
In Summary
For a successful live product demo, the focus must be on the audience’s needs. If you follow these product demonstration tips and steps, you will be able to address problems that people are facing and present them a solution. Your solution. Which is probably why the product was created in the first place.
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