Product demos: always start with the story

Many startups pride themselves in their ingenious technology. Whether that's AI, blockchain, nanotechnology or quantum computing, there are no end of new trends and fantastic innovations which are here to transform our lives.

But when it comes to communicating aboout a new product or service, there is the tendancy of 'getting caught up in the tech' and this can be no more pronounced than in a product demo.

Product demos should be an integral part to the sales and marketing strategy, it's a chance to show potential customers the real capability of your product, a chance to 'try before you buy'.

Too much, too soon

If you're excited about the product you're marketing (which you should be!), you might want to dive into a 30 minute call with a potential client, showing off all the bells and whistles that it has to offer.

This can be daunting for the client, you know this product inside out, but they don't as yet. You risk overwhelming them, and they might worry that it's too complicated to navigate. In this situation, the demo risks having the opposite effect to the one intended.

Keep it short and sweet

First impressions are everything, no more so than the first time a potential customer sees your product in action.

But since humans can only retain an average of seven pieces of information in their short term memory, be selective with what you show.

You can always show the main functionality and leave them wanting a second demo in which you can go into more detail.

Start with the scenario

Wind it back, what problem is your product solving? Put yourself in your customer's shoes, how will they approach your offering for the first time?

Is it necessary to dive straight in to an extensive demo, or it is worth introing with a story which sets the scene?

You could create a character and name them, and put them in a situation which fits the persona of the individual you’re talking to. Talk your customer through the scenario as you go, using the demo to facilitate the story.

By anchoring your demo to a real-life situation, you're going to make your product much more relatable.

The ultimate test is to run it by your auntie, or someone who isn't in the industry. If it makes sense to someone who’s not familiar with the subject matter, it means the story and demo are working well together.

Think shareable content

If you have a great product, you'll want to shout about it from the rooftops. But we all know that when it comes to online information, most of us in our need to endlessly scroll have the attention span of a goldfish.

Think about breaking your demo down into key parts and repurposing it elsewhere. Transform the snippets into gifs which show bite-sized elements of the journey.

Share these short clips on your social channels, embed them into your website to demonstrate what it does.

Always remember the context

Wherever you place your demos, always think back to the real-life scenario. It's great that you can create tags to classify documents in your software... but what does it mean?

It means you can be better organised and bring up specific documents quickly and easily, making you more responsive when you're on a call talking to a client.

Whatever your industry or area, once you start thinking about your customer's point of view, it’ll transform the way you present and think about your demos.

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