You’ve probably heard of a webinar before, but have you heard of a product deminar? While the webinar has proven essential in modernizing how we exchange information, the product deminar takes your users’ reliance on virtual technology and transforms it into an opportunity to boost sales. With a deminar, you can demonstrate your business’ products or services live to anyone in the world.
Product demonstrations are a fundamental marketing strategy long familiar to salespeople and customers alike. The door-to-door vacuum salesman of the 1950’s is a classic trope, with Electrolux offering live in-home demonstrations of their vacuums since the beginning of the 20th century. Switch to the early 2000’s, and you couldn’t turn on the television without seeing a crazy new gadget or a celebrity hawking their own line of fitness equipment. While the days of the infomercial and the door-to-door salesman have waned, companies still need new and innovative ways to get their products in front of buyers’ eyes - enter the live product deminar.
What is a Live Product Deminar?
Simply put, a live product deminar is a demonstration of a product or service delivered in the style of a webinar, intended to help your business convert leads into final purchases. Product deminars happen in real time and allow you to hear directly from your buyers while demonstrating the value that your product delivers. A live deminar can excite customers to engage with your brand and deliver the reassurance they need to make a final purchase.
Most present-day buyers prefer to self-educate on a product rather than interact with a salesperson. According to a March 2021 study from McKinsey, even as in-person engagement reemerged as an option once the threat of the pandemic subsided, 2/3 of buyers preferred remote human interactions or digital self-service instead.
Modern buyers want to feel like they are making an informed purchasing decision rather than being sold to, and in today’s digital world, all of the information about a product is usually available just a few clicks away. How can you nudge these customers from the information gathering process to the bottom of a sales funnel? A live product deminar can serve as a customer-centered marketing strategy that encourages independent buyers to take the next step in the sales process.
How to Use a Deminar to Leverage Product Sales
For a simple example, let's re-imagine the door-to-door vacuum sales strategy as a live product deminar. First, no more cold-calling or wasted time trying to sell your vacuum to people who aren’t home, don’t have purchasing power, or don’t have floors. A live product deminar can bring customers who are already interested in purchasing a new vacuum straight to you - and conversely, deliver your product straight to them.
A virtual demo also means no more lugging around your vacuum from house to house and city to city. The expenses that used to be associated with demo’ing your product in a physical space are eliminated - no more airfare, per diems, lodging, travel reimbursement, convention fees, event planning, and other costs associated with live demonstrations. The product deminar is a relatively inexpensive way to market your product to a wide variety of consumers across the globe, and can produce larger returns on investment as compared to more traditional advertising methods. You can market your new vacuum without spending an excessive amount of money on a sales force or fancy events, and your customers can experience your product without leaving the convenience of their home or office.
When a customer is on the verge of a purchase, a live product deminar can give them the push they need to move forward. How? By giving buyers an opportunity to personally engage with your product and the people that represent your business, automatically building trust in your product and brand through your presence. A deminar gives your buyer the chance to self-direct the sales conversation, see the product being used as they would use it, and ask clarifying questions that help clients convert your product from an option to a final sale. For example, a pet boarding franchise might ask you to demonstrate how well your vacuum picks up kitty litter, while a glitter factory owner wants to see how easy your vacuum is to clean after use. When you encourage your buyers to interact with your deminar through Q&As, polls, and chats, you gain real time insight into your buyers’ needs while simultaneously demonstrating your commitment to superior customer service.
Product deminars also give you an opportunity to collect useful data that you can leverage to improve your marketing and sales tactics after your event is over. This data can give you further insight into your customers’ personas so you can create more effective marketing campaigns for your brand and products over time. As consumer preferences change, you might find that hotel owners are especially interested in automatic robot vacuums, and change your marketing strategies accordingly. Many virtual platforms also offer integrations with your existing CRM, making following up with interested buyers easier than ever before.
Now that you know how a live product deminar can increase your sales conversions, here’s a list of BlueJeans’ top tips for executing a successful deminar.
Tips for Selling Products with a Deminar
Incentivize your buyers
To increase live deminar attendance, offer something exclusive. Whether it's a chance to pre-order your product, an early-bird discount, the opportunity to interact with a special guest, or early access to your product, these small touches make your customers feel valued while also boosting your sales. The resulting conversion rates can then be analyzed to improve your next live product deminar.
Show, don’t tell
Chances are, unless you are debuting something new, the customer attending your deminar has already familiarized themselves with the basics of your product - now they want to see it put to use. That translates directly into less talking and more showing when it comes to your goods and services. Customers don’t need a lecture about the benefits of your product; they want to see how it's practical for their own use. If you don’t actually demonstrate your product or service, you can expect quick drop-offs in attendance.
Encourage audience participation
People love to express their opinions. From voting for the winner of American Idol to choosing the next big potato chip flavor, consumers like to be a part of the action. A live product deminar lets you use this proclivity to your advantage. The major benefit of hosting a live deminar over a recorded product demonstration is the chance to engage your consumers in an interactive and exciting way, especially if you're offering an exclusive. Not only are you catering directly to your buyers’ needs through audience feedback, you’re also collecting invaluable data to shape future marketing endeavors.
Allow for real time questions and feedback
With that said, letting your audience ask questions throughout the demonstration instead of saving them until the end provides quick gratification to your buyer and delivers a more engaging and memorable experience. An environment full of open dialogue shows that your business puts its clients’ needs first and is dedicated to solving their problem with your product or service.
Use purchasing history to your advantage
Live product deminars offer an excellent opportunity to cross sell or upsell to your current customers, so don’t forget to capitalize on the loyalty of established buyers. They’ve already purchased from you in the past, and might be interested in seeing what else your business has to offer. For maximum exposure, be sure to send deminar invitations that target and include your existing customer base.
Don’t forget to follow up
Just like with the conclusion of any sales pitch, your deminar audience needs to be told clearly and explicitly what to do next. This is where a robust call to action comes into play. Make sure to give your buyers clear instructions on how to take the next step in the sales process. You can provide direct purchasing links, complimentary consultation sign ups, and access to resources like videos, blog posts, white papers, and product reviews. Make sure to utilize your attendees’ contact information to add to your organization’s marketing campaigns and encourage further interaction with your brand long after your deminar is finished.
BlueJeans webinar software allows you to generate sales opportunities through product demonstrations that old-school marketing strategies never could. Featuring immersive video, Q&A, polling, large meeting controls, and the ability to engage up to 50,000 attendees to maximize your reach and return.
Looking for additional advice? Follow our step-by-step guide on how to host the best webinar or read more webinar presentation tips, then sign up for a free trial to start planning your live product deminar today.
About the Author
Priyanka is a customer centric and data driven Product Marketing Manager with a diverse experience. At BlueJeans, she is responsible for driving marketing strategy for the BlueJeans Meetings platform focused on go-to-market activities and product messaging. Prior to BlueJeans, Priyanka was responsible for driving strategy and direction for multiple product families at Fujitsu, intimately involved in creating optimal GTM strategy to achieve business goals. Priyanka has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University and an MBA in Marketing & Business Analytics from SMU in Dallas, Texas. Outside of work, Priyanka loves spending time with her family and traveling the world.
