8 Interactive Demo Use Cases: Take Users from Awareness to Advocacy

Navigating a crowded SaaS market means simply telling people about your product isn’t enough. You have to show your product in action and let them experience its true power. This is where an interactive product demo can be your silver bullet! 

While many associate interactive product demos with websites, their potential stretches far beyond. 

From sales pitches to customer support, interactive demos can be a game-changer across various touchpoints. 

In this article, we'll delve into eight compelling use cases for interactive demos to guide users from initial awareness all the way to advocacy.

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How does an interactive product demo work?

An interactive product demo displays a SaaS product in a clickable, interactive format. This allows potential buyers to navigate and experience the product in a self-guided manner, without the need for a live demonstration. 

While it offers a realistic representation of the product, it's not a full demo. Think of it as a distilled version of your live demo, extracting the most crucial flows and presenting them in easily digestible, self-guided experiences. 

This format empowers buyers to explore, self-educate, and gain a comprehensive understanding of a product entirely on their own terms.

In essence, interactive product demos provide a bridge between passive content (like videos) and live demonstrations, giving users a more immersive and hands-on experience with the product.

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8 best ways to use interactive demos across your customer journey

Let’s look at all the ways you can use self-serve product demos to engage users across their journey:

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1. Product tour on websites to win product-qualified leads

Owned by: Marketing

Your website is more than just a digital storefront; it's a platform to showcase your product's true capabilities. Every visitor is a potential buyer looking forward to using your tool. Let them see the value upfront instead of taking them around in loops to book a demo.

With interactive product demos, you're offering more than just a glimpse into your product. You're delivering an immersive experience to turn a casual visitor into an intrigued prospect!

Interactive demos on a website can bridge the gap between passive browsing and active engagement. They allow visitors to experience the product's value proposition firsthand, transforming abstract concepts into tangible benefits.

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Different ways to embed self-serve demos on website

• Homepage hero section: Elevate your first impression by allowing visitors to dive deep into your product's core features, fostering immediate engagement.
• Product pages: Complement textual descriptions with dynamic demos, enabling users to visualize solutions and understand their practical applications.
• Footer or dropdown menus: Ensure consistent accessibility, allowing users to dive into a demo whenever curiosity strikes, enhancing their overall site experience.
• Feature Pages: Show off your hero features in their full glory. Create feature demos to highlight multiple use cases and specific benefits. 

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2. Email marketing to re-engage and convert subscribers

Owned by: Marketing

In the bustling world of email marketing, capturing a recipient's attention is half the battle won. With embedded demos, you have the power to not just inform but to engage and captivate. 

Embedding interactive demos in your marketing emails offers recipients a taste of your product's capabilities without ever leaving their inbox. It's a proactive approach to highlight your product's value proposition in a tangible, interactive manner.

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Benefits of using interactive demos in email outreach

• Higher engagement: Go beyond traditional email metrics by offering an interactive layer, leading to prolonged engagement and heightened interest.
• Personalization: Craft tailored demo experiences based on user behavior, ensuring each recipient feels a unique connection to your product.
• Instant gratification: Accelerate the decision-making process by providing a direct gateway to your product's capabilities, right within the email.

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3. Product-led content to educate and convert readers

Owned by: Marketing

Product-led content is all about giving readers a hands-on understanding of your product. This is where interactive demos can make a difference. 

While descriptive words can paint a picture, interactive demos bring that picture to life. Rather than simply writing about your tool’s top features, you can show them in action with a self-serve product demo. 

Readers can engage with these demos, explore different capabilities, understand multiple use cases, and grasp the product's capabilities. By integrating interactive demos into your content, you're not merely narrating a story; you're inviting readers to be a part of it. 

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Different ways to integrate product demos in content

• Blog posts: Integrate demos to substantiate claims, providing readers with tangible evidence of your product's capabilities.
• eBooks and whitepapers: Augment theoretical discussions with hands-on demos, offering readers a balanced mix of knowledge and experience.
• Webinars and tutorials: Enhance instructional content with real-time demonstrations, solidifying understanding and reinforcing key concepts.

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4. Feature demos to announce upgrades and upsell opportunities

Owned by: Customer Marketing 

Customer retention and upselling are about showcasing continuous value. With feature highlight demos, you can keep existing customers engaged and interested in what's new or improved.

Instead of just announcing updates or new features, let customers experience them. These demos can spotlight enhancements, new functionalities, or even underutilized features, ensuring customers see the ongoing value of your product.

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Ways to leverage feature highlight demos

• Product update announcements: Accompany announcements with demos, offering a hands-on overview of changes.
• Customer webinars: Introduce new features through live sessions, complemented by interactive demos.
• Dedicated feature portals: Create a hub where customers can explore new or highlighted features at their own pace.

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5. Outbound sales outreach to increase response rate with personalized emails

Owned by: Sales

A good cold email holds the promise of something valuable, something worth the prospects’ time. Adding interactive product demos to your emails can turn a basic email into a dynamic one. These demos turn emails from informational touchpoints to immersive gateways, offering a deep dive into your product's capabilities.

Besides, with personalized demos, you're not just reaching out; you're inviting prospects into a curated journey. These demos can be tailored to address specific pain points, industries, or use cases, making your outreach more relevant and compelling.

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Different ways to utilize personalized demo links in outreach

• Targeted pitches: Craft demo experiences based on the prospect's industry or role, ensuring immediate relevance.
• Event-driven outreach: Post-webinars or events, share demos that dive deeper into topics of interest, keeping the engagement alive.

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6. Post-demo leave behind to reinforce product value and benefits

Owned by: Sales

The journey doesn't end after a successful sales demo. You have to empower your prospects with tools to champion your product internally. This is where a post-demo leave-behind comes into play.

A tangible, interactive recap of the product demo enables your main contact to showcase the product's value to other decision-makers and stakeholders in the organization. These interactive demos can turn your prospect into an advocate armed with the right resources to close the deal internally.

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Strategies for effective post-demo leave-behinds

• Key Takeaways: Highlight the main features and benefits discussed during the demo for easy reference.
• Scenario Recaps: Showcase specific use cases or solutions that resonated during the demo.
• Next Steps Guide: Offer a roadmap for the prospect, guiding them on how to proceed or explore further.
• Objection handling:  After initial conversations, send demos that answer their questions and concerns. You can also reiterate discussed pain points or interests. 
• Persona-specific demos: Create and share demos tailored to every user persona. Share these demos to help prospects get stakeholders’ buy-in for your product. 

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7. User documentation to streamline onboarding and ongoing customer education

Owned by: Customer Success 

When training new users, your goal isn’t limited to sharing knowledge. It’s equally important to ensure users understand this information and apply it in their workflows when using your product.

This is where interactive documentation can elevate the training process and make it more engaging + effective.

Replacing static manuals or guides with interactive product demos is a more hands-on approach to customer training. Users can explore, experiment, and learn their way through your product in a dynamic environment, ensuring better retention and application.

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Benefits of interactive documentation in training

• Real-time Exploration: Users can navigate through features, understanding their functionality in real-time.
• Scenario-based Learning: Offer practical examples and challenges, allowing users to apply their knowledge.
• Feedback Mechanisms: Integrated quizzes or feedback loops ensure users grasp concepts before moving on.

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8. Self-serve support to deliver on-demand help and reduce support tickets

Owned by: Customer Success

Support isn't just about resolving issues; it's about empowering users to find solutions independently. With self-serve support powered by interactive demos, you're offering users a resource to troubleshoot on-demand.

These product demos can guide users through common issues, offering step-by-step solutions. It's about reducing dependency on support teams and ensuring users can navigate challenges confidently.

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Advantages of self-serve support with demos

• Round-the-clock Assistance: Users can access product demos anytime. That means they're never left stranded.
• Reduced Support Tickets: By offering solutions upfront in your self-service setup, you can reduce the influx of common queries.
• Engaged Users: Equip users with the knowledge and tools to navigate challenges, fostering confidence and satisfaction.

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How to create interactive demos in minutes (seriously)

You might be thinking, "Crafting demos for all these use cases? Sounds like endless days of work and playing ping-pong with the tech team." 

And then there's that little voice asking, "Is diving this deep even worth it?” 

You’ll end up creating product demos for 1-2 selective use cases instead of covering the entire journey.

Brace yourself, because Floik is about to change this entire equation. ⚡

With Floik, you can create interactive product demos in a few minutes. Record your screen showing your product’s key capabilities and customize the demo per your style. You can add and edit hotspots, include CTAs, add AI-generated voiceover, and a lot more. 

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The best part? You can convert each demo into an explainer video or a step-by-step guide with a single click.

Impressed already? Wait till you give Floik a try — sign up for free!

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Delight and support customers at every step of the way

Interactive demos are changing the way SaaS companies connect with users. They're not just for websites; they fit in many parts of the customer journey. 

From first-time introductions to helping current users, these demos make things clearer and more engaging. 

Remember, it's all about giving users a real feel for your product. So, use these demos well, and watch your users turn from curious visitors to big fans. It's time to make your product experience stand out!