No question about it, business audiences are getting comfortable using online video in their work.  And video demos are great ways to introduce new products to those audiences. 

Well over half (63 percent) of business and IT professionals access online videos at least once a week, says a survey of 5,300 conducted by KnowledgeStorm, the technology researcher, and Universal McCann, one of the world’s largest media services firms.

Video can be an effective tool for selling industrial equipment and supplies, says Michael Bryant, who is director of marketing for Sony Creative Software: “Many times, the selling process involves educating your customers. This is especially true when selling equipment that can be very specialized and in some cases complicated. Video enables you to offer that ‘sales education’ in a compelling and sometimes entertaining way.”  

Bryant notes that people have grown comfortable with multimedia experiences, be it through broadcast TV, sales DVDs, or web-based videos: “That multimedia experience has now been extended to the Internet. In fact, the Web is becoming the first choice research tool for gathering information before a purchase for a lot of people. This is why video is becoming a bigger part of the web experience. The combination of full motion pictures, the human voice, and music is a very powerful way to educate and deliver your message to your customers.”

A video demonstration, including web-based video, explains Sony’s Bryant, can be a major help in selling: “If a picture is worth a 1,000 words, a video offers 10 times that. There is nothing like a rich multi-media experience to get your message across. Video enables you to engage your prospective customer on several levels simultaneously.

“A static description, even when coupled with a picture, cannot compete with a video showing all angles of your product. The voice over, when produced properly, is often more engaging than a dry product description. The power of voice, music and full motion video give you a much more complete selling package,” concludes Sony’s Bryant 

Rohm & Haas, the Fortune 500 chemicals producer, relies on video and video webcasts to communicate new or updated product information to internal and external audiences. “Internally, our global employees feel more connected to our executives and to the company-–our employees tells us they prefer video communication over emails,” says Alan Friedlander, multimedia manager for Rohm & Haas (Philadelphia, Pa., www.rohmhaas.com). 

“Externally, our customers are more knowledgeable about our products, thanks to video. It has also enhanced our brand, as it reinforces our message as an industry leader by sharing leading experts’ opinions with our customers and prospects-–video is a much more personalized way to do that (versus paper or just audio). It has expanded our reach. Our use of video has grown exponentially,” adds Rohm & Haas’ Friedlander.

“Industrial products can sometimes be complex to describe, so the capability to present information in combination with visuals is very impactful,” explains Ysette Witteveen who is vice president of marketing for IVT Inc. (Beverly Hills, Calif., www.ivtweb.com/). IVT is a video and webcasting software producer that works with Rohm & Haas.

“Explaining a product on video while simultaneously explaining key features augmented with slides featuring graphs, charts and key messages will help your key audiences learn faster and retain more-–as well as create a more intimate connection with the audience,” adds IVT’s Witteveen.

SherrillTree, a company that sells arbor and tree equipment and supplies, is using a three-disc video DVD set that showcases products alongside the company’s 2008 catalog to increase sales dramatically. What’s more, SherrillTree (Greensboro, N.C., www.wtsherrill.com) has found that the DVD set has produced additional sales through distribution at trade shows, university arboriculture departments, and other nontraditional marketing channels.

Michael Bryant of Sony Creative Software points to his own web site traffic for evidence of video’s drawing power: “I can say that on our own website--www.sonycreativesoftware.com--our product tours and multimedia software demonstrations are one of the top links on our site and get more ‘click-throughs’ than other areas. These videos enable us to educate, demonstrate, and inform our customers in an easy to consume and entertaining way.”

In conclusion, “A well-made video can absolutely help the sale of an industrial item,” says David A. Fields, managing director of Ascendant Consulting (http://ascendantconsulting.com).

“When an in-person demonstration is impractical or impossible, video can be an essential part of creating the aha! necessary to close the sale,” says Fields.  His company has worked with and advised ITT, Lexmark, General Chemical and other companies on how to increase their sales over the past 20 years.

Click on the Product Demos/Videos part of the www.newequipment.com web site to learn more about the product demos brought to you by New Equipment Digest.  Or, feel free to visit this site: http://www.industrialproductdemos.com/