Overview

You can upload any kind of video content into Consensus. If you are starting from scratch, here are some guidelines that will help you create effective demo video segments.  Remember that building demo videos for marketing and sales purposes Is different from building them for other purposes (i.e. training). You need to build in what we call a “persuasion methodology” while you educate the customer.  You’ll find tips throughout this guide on how to make sure you’re building demo videos that educate and persuade.

Anyone can build effective demo videos, even if you have never built a video before!  This guide teaches you how to build the video segments that you can load into Consensus when building your own demo. We also provide you with a link to our online tutorials on how to upload your completed video segments into Consensus and build the automated demo from the segments. 

The main steps to effective demo video creation are:

1. Discovery and Planning
2. Writing Your Script
3. Create Your Video Segment
4. Creating a “Short” Version
5. Creating Your Completed Demo from the Video Segments

Step 1 – Discovery and Planning

One of the most important steps is identifying what you want to communicate in the video demo and who you want to communicate with.  You may create different content for different audiences.

Intro Video

• A quick video summarizing the company and the value proposition you offer for the audience
• Short video 30 -45 seconds (approximately 85 words)
• Longer videos cause early drop off and prevent users from getting to your features

Asking yourself the following questions during planning for intro will help guide you. What is the main product messaging you would like to include in the intro video? What is the problem that your company or product solves?

Problem/Solution Videos

• There should be between 3 -5 Problem/Solution videos
• Each video should be less than a minute and thirty seconds (approximately 200 words) 
• Highlights one problem or use case that your company solves
• Viewer will choose the video that is “very important” to them

Problem Video

Follow this guide to help plan out each problem video. Once one problem is complete, repeat for the second, third, etc.

• What is the main customer problem this product(s) solves?
   
• Who is the audience that you are targeting? 
   
• What is the name or title of this video feature? This typically is a short description of the problem. For example, Increasing Customer Conversion.
   
• Please give an overall description of this product(s)'s functionality.
   
• In general terms, what type of solution or benefit does this product(s) provide for this customer problem?
   
• Do you have any specific messaging for this product(s)?

Step 2 – Create a Script

Create a brief script for the points you want to cover in each video.  A recommended structure is the Persuasion Method. 

The basic structure for a video is:

1. Begin with problem-solution statement.
2. Demo the content.
3. End by restating benefit.

Problem-Solution Statements

Begin with a strong problem-solution statement. The problem-solution statement starts by stating the general problem faced by consumers, then states the general solution or benefit this feature provides for said problem.

These statements are not necessarily long and detailed, but should strongly relate to the potential customer. The should show that you understand their problem, and have a solution for it. Sometimes the customer problem is not obvious. In this case, think of this feature’s strengths, and build a problem that this feature is best suited to solve. Below are a few examples of some problem-solution statements.

“Running multiple sites can be overwhelming. But with Centershift Store you can manage all your properties from a single location, with a few simple clicks.”

“Tired of searching through code books? Find-a-Code’s “Click-a-Dex” tool makes index searching fast and easy.”

“Everyone’s struggling to learn ICD-10. The Map-a-Code tool makes your transition to ICD-10 easy and painless.”

“When it comes to Work Orders, your clients need to know that nothing will fall through the cracks. CleanTelligent gives you an easy way to manage your work orders, and keep everyone in the loop.”

Demo Content

Once you have begun with the problem-solution statement, you are ready to demo the content in the order you think is best for the video.

Here are some items to consider:

Use a story

Instead of just listing off the things this feature can do, give it a story. You can use transition phrases like, “Suppose I want to…”, or just jump right in (“I need to schedule an appointment for Saturday…”). These stories help relate to the customer, and give you a context where you can show off the various features. If this is a very short video, there may not be time for a story, but use one where you can.

Stay focused on benefits

Don’t just start listing features, stay focused on why each aspect of this feature is important to the customer.

Bad example: “I can change the date range on my filter.”

Good example: “I can change the date range on my filter, so I can compare stats from month-to-month.”

The good example focuses on the benefit to the customer. 

Restate Benefit

Begin with a problem-solution statement, and end the video with a restatement of the benefit. Don’t use the exact wording you used at the beginning, but finish with a strong restatement of why this feature will solve the pain you listed at the beginning. 

“With CleanTelligent work orders, you and your clients can be confident that everything will get taken care of quickly and nothing falls through the cracks.”

“CleanTelligent Mobile Surveys allow you to offer your clients the fastest possible service, and solve problems the moment they arise.”

 “Use Code-A-Note for fast, accurate coding and fewer denials.”

“So get better results for faster coding, with Find-a-Code’s comprehensive search tool.”

Problem Video 1 

Write down what you would use for each of the below. Then repeat for problem video 2, 3, etc. 

• Problem Solution Statement:
   
• Demo Points to Highlight:
   
• Restatement of Benefits:

Step 3 – Create Your Video

There are many easy screen recording tools to use to capture audio and video.  Since Consensus works with any kind of video, you can use any of them! So if you already have one you like, just stick with that.  

Consensus has partnered with ScreenPal (https://screenpal.com/home), to provide all of our customers with an easy tool (Screen Recorder) that you can use to create unlimited screen recordings. All Consensus content creator users get a license to ScreenPal’s Pro Recorder.  Follow this link to download a screen recording tool that is easy to use and even has features to help you write your script.

Setup Screen Recorder

For tutorials on how to use the screen recorder, visit:

https://screenpal.com/tutorials

Some things to consider:

• How big should my recording be (i.e., screen resolution)?
• When I record, what should I do (and not do) to get good material?

Screen Resolution

The Consensus player uses a standard 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. (It’s the same ratio used by all the major video hosting sites on the internet, and your TV.)

The basic principle is: you want to set your recording window at the highest level of 16:9 resolution that your computer will support, as long as your product still looks good at that size. Some common resolution sizes are below:

• 1080p is 1920x1080 pixels. Many computers don’t have this high of resolution, but if yours does, go ahead and use it. It’s full HD. And there’s no reason to choose anything higher than this.
• 720p is 1280x720 pixels. Most computers can handle this resolution, so it’s often a good way to go.

Recording Your Demo — Best Practices, Tips, Do’s and Don’ts

Great! Now you have your screen recording product and you’ve chosen the size of your recording window. What do you do now?

Record! Like with scripting, do one feature at a time. If you’re doing a single-take video, you’ll want to memorize your script the best you can, then try demoing it. 

Tip 1: One “Scene” at a Time

If you’ve gone through the scripting process, you know what your video narration will be and what will be shown during that narration. Take your script in chunks, and record one capability at a time. You can edit these together later anyway, and it’s easier to tackle in chunks so you can get it just the way you’d like it.

Tip 2: Watch Out For The Mouse!

When viewing a video, your eye is drawn to anything that moving. If you’re accustomed to doing live demos, you probably have a “point-with-the-mouse” habit. This is great for live demos, but for recorded demos it can be distracting. Lots of mouse movement can make the viewer feel disoriented, not sure what to focus on. So, use the mouse to navigate, but once you’re where you want to be, just leave it where it is, or move it to a neutral location and leave it there until you’re ready to navigate again.

Tip 3: Practice Data before Recording

Make sure you have gone through and set up any necessary data you may need before recording.  Login information, example data entry, and unexpected errors can trip up a recording. Run through the process before clicking the record button.

Post-Production Editing

Tools such as ScreenPal, Camtasia, ScreenFlow, and others allow you to edit your video after recording.  There are many tutorials available (https://screenpal.com/tutorials) to help you get the perfect result, including highlights, arrows, overlay text, transitions and changing the speed of the recording.  A few simple touches, such as adding a highlight, can dramatically increase the perceived quality of your video!

Step 4 - Create “Shorts”

Once your long videos have been recorded and edited, it is fairly simple to create shorter versions of these videos.  The short versions are used on the platform if the viewer selects “somewhat interested” or "Not Interested".

• There should be a short version of each problem/solution
• Short versions should be 30 seconds or less (approximately 85 words)
• Viewers can go back and review the long versions of the video if they are interested in more information

Step 5 - Upload your Videos

Once you have completed your intro, long and short videos, you can create a demo and upload the videos.