Creating Product Videos for Trade Shows

Video is being hailed as the “future” of marketing and advertising. At trade shows, videos are shown in nearly every booth. But how effective are “your” trade show videos? A short walk around the show floor will quickly reveal how your videos stack up against the competition.

Trade show videos, especially Product Videos, are extremely effective. Not only can videos perfectly represent products, they can also explain them – especially complex machinery – in ways that aren’t possible on the trade show floor.

How can you create effective Product Videos? If you’re looking to create a Product Video that attracts people to your booth, gets them interested, and excited about features and benefits, then read on.

Creating Effective Product Videos
for Trade Shows

So you need to show off your product; what it is, what it does, and why it’s better. You’ll probably have your product at the show, and you might even run it on site. But showing off what it can really do … on the trade show floor … that’s complicated.

This is where animated Product Videos come in.

So what “is” an animated Product Video? What can it do? Let’s consider two different types of Product Videos:

Ø  Complex Machinery

Ø  Consumer Products

Complex Machinery Videos

If you exhibit at trade shows, you already know how difficult and complicated it is to show how complex machinery works. Certain features & functions are just impossible to show.

For example:  Maybe your machinery washes or sterilizes something, inside a sealed chamber. How do you show that in your trade show booth? You probably can’t keep the door open while scalding hot water, and caustic chemicals, clean and disinfect instruments to perfection. But you can use animation.

And what if your product has lots of options? Do you pull accessories out of a box at the trade show floor and attach them right there?  With animated Product Videos, it’s a lot easier. Limitless features and options will just simply … “appear.”

Check this link for an example of how this is done using an animated Product Video.

Industrial Washing Equipment

Consumer Product Videos

Animated Product Videos are just as effective for consumer products.

Consumer Product Videos might look more like a TV commercial, but the benefits of using animated Product Videos for consumer products are the same.

In one example, a toy, it’s accessories are where the real fun plays out. With an animated Product Video, these accessories come to life … they turn, pop up, light up, whistle; all those things that your product “can” do, it “will” … perfectly, every time.

The best part is … with an animated Product Video, your product won’t get stuck, or fail to work like it’s supposed to. With an animated Product Video, your product will perform perfectly, every time.

If you’ve experienced complications of “getting it right” at your trade shows … that’s a pretty comforting trick.

Toy Product with Accessories

What Does it Take to Make an Animated
Product Video?

Unless you have an internal creative department that uses 3D animation software, you’re probably not going to make your own video in-house. That said, below are a few of the steps involved in creating Product Videos.

CAD                 Agencies that create Product Videos can use your actual engineering files (CAD). It may sound complicated, but it’s not. Most every product already has engineering files available. Simply “export” the CAD file, and the creative team will use your actual real product to build your new Product Video.

A Story            Animated Product Videos are essentially short movies. Have a favorite movie? It probably made you excited and kept you really interested. Your Product Video needs to do that too. Your new video may be expected to “explain” your product (sometimes called “Explainer Videos’) but it still needs to be told like a story. So a script and storyboard are needed. Your creative person will help guide you through the process. Typically, you, or a subject matter expert from your company, will provide technical data – and the video developer will turn that into an interesting, captivating story your customers will love to watch.

Time                It takes some time to make a good Product Video. Depending on how complex your product is, it might only be a couple of weeks. But if you’re product is highly complex, and you want something really spectacular, plan on one or more months.

Experts            Like anything else, you “can” do it yourself. But I don’t recommend it. Engage some experts – you’ll get a video you’ll be proud of, and can use for years. Look at examples of their work, and ask what they charge.

Cost                 It’s going to cost you a couple bucks … probably a few thousand dollars for a simple Product Video. Long complex Product Videos are going to cost quite a bit more. Cost is always tied to complexity, but so is ROI.

When thinking about cost, always consider what an animated Product Video might “save” you. You’ll be surprised how quickly they pay for themselves.

The price is worth the investment – you can use your Product Videos for every trade show you go to, on your website, on YouTube and even as advertising.

Summary

Animated Product Videos are highly effective at attracting and retaining visitors at your booth. They do an incredible job at explaining products, complex or simple. And they can pay for themselves by reducing the need for the physical product at trade shows, while outperforming communication of a products’ features and benefits over the alternatives.

Copyright 2013.  By: Michael G. Lomb, Senior Marketing Consultant & Creative Director of MG Lomb Advertising.