Long gone are the days of bringing in communications last-minute for your new product or feature release. While it may have been enough before to send out a press release and schedule a press conference a few days before your big release, it’s now imperative that companies large and small take a more strategic, integrative approach.
Today, video can help to support all stages of your new product launch. In this post, we’ll identify the types of video you can leverage pre-product launch, for the product launch, and post-product launch.
The Product Pre-Release Videos
Your pre-release product launch videos are meant to build interest and the easiest way to differentiate them is by audience.
Your first pre-release product launch video is for your own team. This internal video should inform the team of the most important details of the new product, a product demo, and the product release date. You can also include information about events related to the product launch. If you’re expecting employees to be a part of the release promotion, you can include best practices and hashtags for sharing the release online. Various SproutVideo security features can help to ensure that only those on your team have access to this type of video ahead of your product’s release.
The second type of pre-release product launch video is for the press and online influencers you’re hoping will amplify your product release news. Rather than sending a traditional press release, a video press release can be effective in helping you to stand out from others pitching your recipient, to best illustrate how your new product works, and to help construct the story they share about your product. Alternatively, you can simply include your product release video with your press release. Whatever you do, be sure to include video when you reach out to press and online influencers you want to help to get the word out about your new product.
The last type of pre-release product launch video is for your customers and potential customers. Teaser videos can be a great way to build buzz prior to your release and there are plenty of ways to do it. You can incite curiosity by sharing partial glimpses of your product or the pieces that make it up. If you want to include people in your teaser videos, you can share short footage of the people who are working on it or create a video that shows people reacting to your new product (without actually showing the product). Another option, as Go Pro have done in the above example, is to showcase what your new product can do (without actually unveiling your product).
Don’t forget that incorporating a social media campaign that encourages people to engage with these videos (ie Liking, Commenting, or Sharing) can take your product release buzz up a notch.
The Product Release
The product release video is the star of the show! Also known as the product demo, this video is your opportunity to not only emphasize your product’s unique features but also to highlight its ability to solve your customers’ and potential customers’ problems.
Like many of your other videos, you want to marry storytelling with succinctness: Take a relatable, empathetic approach when sharing the dilemma(s) your team sought to solve yet get to the point when you’re announcing the new product and how it helps to address those challenges. Include a product demo to showcase the ease in using it and wrap up your video by reiterating the value proposition.
Your demo video should be professional yet not stuffy – After all, you want your new product to impress but you also want it to be something your viewer can easily imagine using themselves to solve a problem they have. One of the best examples of this is by Dollar Shave Club. Addressing the challenges their audience (young, professional men) are likely to experience while simultaneously showcasing their razors’ features in humorous ways seamlessly connects their product with that audience’s problems; you’re entertained the whole time so it hardly feels like a hard sell.
The Product Post-Release Videos
If your product release video is the star of the show, consider your post-release product videos to be excellent supporting actors. In fact, it’s these videos that may be what captures your online audience’s attention in the first place. Why? Because in each of the examples of post-release product videos below, you’re able to take a more human approach to your new product.
For instance, what is more compelling than listening to someone describe the work they’re passionate about? Not much. This is why featuring the designers and engineers who built your new product can be such a hit with viewers.
Structure these types of videos by asking open-ended questions about how the product was made, why the designer or engineer does what (s)he does, and why they’re excited about the product or (like Apple does in the video above), use the opportunity that product design and building process presents as a way to share the story of your brand. If your team members have a friendly accord with one another, ask them questions as a group and let the video take on a more discussion-forum feel. Try to include some “behind-the-scenes” footage of them actually working on the product to add legitimacy to this type of supporting video.
Another type of effective post-launch product video is the customer testimonial. While it is wonderful if any customer is willing to rave about your new product in a testimonial video, it is wise to strategically choose the featured customer for this type of video.
If you have the luxury, try to choose a customer that is doing interesting things with your product, has a unique story or memorable look that will stand out on video, who can articulate him or herself well, and who is engaged online (either with their own customers, fans, or friends). And if you have the luxury of being able to choose more than one customer to make a customer testimonial video, try to choose brands or people who are able to showcase different features of your product so that your online viewers are able to see the many benefits to using your product.
By virtue of the definition of “new”, all of your new product release videos will be shared in a relatively short time as newer product releases from others will inevitably come along. Fortunately with proper planning, many of the videos shared above can be made ahead of time so you’re not forced to scramble through the video production stage.
Video can help you to make the necessary splash to get your new product on the radar of customers and potential customers (pre-release video), to efficiently show how it can help them (release video), and to keep the product a part of the conversation (post-release video). If you’re launching a new product or feature soon, tell us how you’ll incorporate video into your marketing strategy by sharing in the comments below or by tagging us on Twitter @sproutvideo.
