It wasn’t too many years ago that, in order to effectively demonstrate a product, you had to schedule a meeting, travel (sometimes a fair distance), set everything up in a strange office, and give a compelling presentation. Product demos, while a critical part of business development, were expensive and time consuming to manage.

The Web has changed all that. These days, with a few professional tools, and the free publishing power of YouTube, you can produce and post videos to the world that effectively demonstrate your products.

If you have any type of computer-based product – a software tool, web-based tool, or even if you sell products online – you can take advantage of screencasts to create effective visual demonstrations.

Screencasts are basically video recordings of a computer screen, blended with a voice track that explains to viewers how a product works. They come in all shapes and sizes, from simple “how-to” videos to series of screencasts displayed on an e-Learning portal. They are effective because they provide viewers with a real-time demonstration of a product. But the real beauty of screencasts is the way they are published. Using free tools like YouTube, you can present your videos to a wide audience who can not only view them (and rewind and pause as much as they want), but they can share them to others as well.

It’s easy to get started with screencasts – you can download a free tool like Jing that will allow you to record short clips of your computer screen and add a voice track, then download them and share them to people. If you want to get more advanced, using a tool like Camtasia or Screenflow (Mac) will allow you to add animations and graphics, as well as do more advanced editing.

Screencasts continue to get more sophisticated as the capture software becomes more robust. Many companies are also looking to increase the production value of their videos, by hiring professional hosts and voice over artists, hiring professional script writers, incorporating some live-video shots, and adding more sophisticated graphics and music. If you’re looking to add some extra pizazz to your screencasts, consider bringing in a professional video producer to help. We did a similar project with investment software company Recognia recently, with some fantastic results.

Why not give screencasting a try? You may just find a whole new audience for your products.

[photo by Solo]

Video production is becoming increasingly accessible to the average person. These days, you can shoot high definition video on an iPhone, use free tools like Windows MovieMaker or iMovie to edit, and post to YouTube at the click of a button. Technology is enabling anyone to become a video maven.

However, if you are going to venture into video for your business, I recommend bringing a professional video producer into your project on some level. This doesn’t mean you have to hire them to do everything, especially if you don’t have the budget. But hiring a pro for some aspects of your production can be a cost effective way to ensure a slick video project.

Recently, Jester Creative worked with Tradex to produce two videos to educate people on the importance of Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). Our client, Brien, already had a couple of great concepts for the video, and he is a photographer with a slew of high end camera gear, so chose to shoot the video himself. He brought us on to consult with him in the pre-production phase, to provide him with some tips on scripting, and on the best videography, lighting and audio techniques. He took our advice, and combined with his own existing photography and writing skills, was able to script and shoot some great footage.

Brien then brought us in again to help with the editing process. Rather than piece it together in iMovie himself, he wanted to add that polish that a professional editor can bring to a project. We took his already great footage and finessed it with music, graphics and imagery, to bring the whole story together.

The result were these two videos, which show clearly that by making video production a collaborative effort, great results can be achieved. So, look around and see what you may be able to achieve yourself, then know when to bring in the pros to add that extra bit of polish.

They Grow Up So Fast

RESP’s Through Tradex