The Ultimate Guide to SaaS Platform Demo Videos: Why You Need One and How to Get Started

In the crowded world of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platforms, grabbing your audience’s attention and converting them into loyal customers is no small feat. A platform demo helps you do both by bringing potential customers right into your platform, and addressing major pain points that your software solves. It's a tutorial and marketing tool in one!

A well-crafted demo video doesn’t just show your software in action; it helps potential customers feel the value your product brings. Whether you're onboarding new users, pitching to leads, or looking to give your marketing an edge, a demo video can make all the difference.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into what SaaS demo videos are, when to use them, why they’re so effective, and how to get started making one.

An SaaS demo/commercial we created in 2024

What is an SaaS Platform Demo Video?

An SaaS platform demo video is essentially your software’s “movie trailer.” It’s short, engaging, and shows off your product’s key features and benefits. These videos typically run anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes, providing just enough time to showcase your product, or one incredible feature, without losing your viewer’s attention.

There are different ways to create a demo video, depending on your style and audience:

• Pure platform demonstration: This has no live-action person in the video and instead, involves a voiceover that leads the viewer through the platform demo.

• Platform demo plus host: These provide a more human touch as there's a person on screen leading you through the platform. That person can be presented full screen or in a small bubble towards the bottom of the screen.

• Commercial demo: These types of demos lean more into marketing, and can involve snapshots of the platform, without getting too bogged down in how to access the various features. This is more of a broad overview in a fast-paced commercial style. (Check out our video above for an example of this type!)

  
  

When Should You Use an SaaS Demo Video?

Every SaaS platform needs a demo video. Imagine getting a home appliance like a dishwasher with no manual. But what type of demo you make will depend on how you're using your demo video. Here are some options for where SaaS demo videos can live, and keep in mind, this is not an either/or situation. Your video can live in all of these places at once.

1. Homepage

Your homepage or landing page is like the front door to your SaaS business. You wouldn’t leave it bare and uninviting, right? A demo video is a perfect way to greet visitors and give them a quick, compelling reason to stick around. In fact, adding a video to your landing page can boost conversions by up to 80%!

2. Email Campaigns

Emails with videos get opened more often than those without. If you're sending out product updates, newsletters, or a welcome email to new users, including a demo video can increase engagement and drive more clicks to your site.

3. Free Trials

These are common for SaaS products. But how do you make sure users don’t abandon your platform out of confusion or because they're overwhelmed? Enter the demo video. A quick walkthrough will help users get up to speed, ensuring they experience the full value of your product and are more likely to convert to paying customers. Since they're already in your funnel, a more in-depth demo would be more appropriate for this situation.

5. Social Media

Short, punchy demo videos are perfect for social media. Think of it as a teaser that sparks interest and encourages people to click through to your website. Whether you’re sharing a video on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Twitter, a visually appealing demo video can help generate buzz and direct traffic to your platform. Because social media values brevity, short commercial-leaning demo videos work well.

The Big Benefits of Using an SaaS Demo Video

We've been creating SaaS demo videos for years, and we've seen the benefits our clients have come to value.

Boosts Engagement and Conversion Rates

People are visual learners, and video is one of the most powerful ways to engage them. A demo video can drastically increase conversion rates because it gives potential customers an easy-to-understand, low-commitment way to see how your product solves their problems.

Builds Trust and Credibility

Simply having a demo video shows that you’re serious about your product and confident in what it can do. The more transparent and professional your video, the more likely viewers are to believe in the product’s value.

Clarifies Complex Features

SaaS platforms often come with a lot of user-friendly features, and some that are more advanced. You want to account for both audiences with your marketing and your videos. A series of demo videos allows you to do just that, honing in on specific features and allowing you to show, not just tell.

Enhances Customer Support

Demo videos are sometimes added to FAQ or support sections of webpages and can greatly reduce the number of questions customers have by providing them with visual guidance. Imagine cutting down your support requests by simply showing customers how to solve their issues themselves. This has been a huge time and resource-saver for some of our clients.

Steps to Create an SaaS Demo Video

We're in the SaaS demo video creation business, so a lot of the creation of the video will be on us. But there are a few things we need from you to get started:

1. Setting Clear Goals

What do you want to get out of this video? Do you want current users to be able to learn about more advanced features? Do you want to give a broad overview of the platform? Do you want to market to a very specific pain point that you know your platform solves for people? Answering all of these questions will help us come up with the right strategy and right type of demo video.

2. Gathering Assets

If your company has all your platform's user interfaces as manageable files, that is ideal. However, sometimes it's beneficial for us to be given a user name and password so we can create a user experience, guiding the viewer through the platform as if they're using it themselves.

Our team will take it from there, writing the script, creating the voiceover, filming a live-action host, and creating a demo from scratch!

In the world of SaaS, demo videos are a must

Whether you're looking to engage leads, onboard new users, or boost conversions, a well-crafted video is the best way to show off your platform’s value in a way that’s fast, fun, and easy to understand.

Let's get started!