1.) No gratuitous flash. Prospects want to see your product, not look at stock photos animated to coincide with your marketing message.
2.) Engage the viewer. When you combine screen shots of your software with professional voiceover, prospects see and hear why your product meets their needs. When you engage multiple senses (sight and sound) you are increasing the probability that a prospect will remember your product...and give you a call back.
3.) Show Your Software in Action. People don't buy what they don't understand. Show how your software works so that prospects immediately understand why they need it.
4.) Make it professional and personable. Keep your demo's voiceover friendly and make sure to use professional talent. Nothing speaks more loudly than a raw, untrained voice that says, "We're not the professionals you want to work with."
5.) Make it automated and leverage it everywhere to get maximum ROI. An automated demo gives your prospects the option to view it when and where they want. With an automated demo, you can use it on your site, on marketing CDs, include links to it in marketing emails, and loop it at tradeshows. Add a registration page to pull contact info.
6.) Keep it short. No matter how complex your software is, don't spend more that four to six minutes introducing it to new prospects. Showcase your three strongest selling points to grab their attention and compel them to learn more.
7.) Use ubiquitous technology. While we stand behind our first rule: No gratuitous flash, building your demo using Macromedia Flash is a good idea. You want to use technology that has a high adoption rate and doesn't force viewers to use plug-ins.
8.) Don't hide it. Make the link to your demo contextual and give it optimum real estate on your site. Your demo will get more exposure if you strategically name it and make it easy for prospects to find.
9.) Keep it updated. Build your demo so that it can easily be updated as your software is updated.
10.) Build It. If you don't have a demo yet, or rely on your sales force to give one-on-one demos, your sales message is most likely dependent on whomever is doing the selling. An automated demo keeps your messaging consistent and your sales force on the same page.
Demos are a cost-effective and efficient way to communicate compelling product information. Here’s a partial list of distribution options to ensure that your demos reach the widest possible audience.
Benefits of Demos
From captivating your viewers, to improving the effectiveness of your customer communications, read the top benefits of using demos to promote and market your software product or website.
Top 10 Rules for Software Demos
Your software demo may be your single most important marketing tool. It gives prospects a peek at your solution and makes the case for whether they buy it (or not). Here's a quick list of our top ten rules for building a demo that pulls leads and gets results.