Build a Better Demo

Got a product demo? Want to put it online and strut your stuff for potential prospects? Here are some tips that will help the leads roll in.

1. Skip the Flash intro on your home page – it slows down the user and It’s distracting.

2. Send people directly to the demo page (fewer steps = more click-throughs)

3. Click here (and here) and here… use images, buttons and text. Have more than one place to go forward (people click everywhere). Track the clicks so you know which spots are hot

4. Make the demo button larger than the rest of the type on the page.

5. Lead visitors through the process and make it clear what you want them to do.

6. Have an outsider (or better yet, a group of customers) test the demo and the site for you, so you can see whether your site is easy to navigate and instructions are easy to follow.

7. Skip the “how-tos”. Focus on the “what” and “why”. Tell people what they will gain by using your product and why they should use it.

8. Ask them to register for more info or a free trial, but NOT in order to view the demo. Make the registration process short and offer something else in return (a newsletter, an update, a list of resources).