I had some conversations with friends about all the products available today, everything from mobile devices, laptops, tablets and video games to credit cards and insurance.
What was interesting is, a lot of people don't truly understand the full utility and features of products/services prior to purchasing and surprisingly even after they purchase.
For me, I still get confused as to how I get points on my credit card or exactly what my co pay is for a doctors visit.
The mother of a good friend of mine also had similar issues. She had a Blackberry, but didn't really know how to use it outside of making phone calls or sending the occasional text message. She wanted to do more with her BB, but just didn't know how.
Whether it be confusing marketing speak, lack of any clear instructions or the fact marketers assume customers understand their products, there seems to be a need to better inform customers.
A good example of how to address this is creating educational videos. To me, videos do a great job of simplifying product benefits and demonstrating the full utility of your product or service. I see this beneficial for both acquiring and even more important, retaining customers.
Some marketers that have gone this route include Google which made a video for Chrome (See my post on 12/21) and this video from Microsoft for Xbox, which has 3.3 million views on YouTube. Both of these focus on acquisition, but could be tweaked for retention.
I really like how it demonstrates everything you can do with the Xbox. It is simple and easy to understand how you can:
Use your body as the controller
Use your own gear
Use facial and voice recognition
Connect and Share
Videos like this could be applied to nearly every product category, and hosted on company websites, or specific product microsites. Although YouTube is still primarily seen as an entertainment destination, that seems to be changing and seeding this on YouTube or creating a channel for your product on YouTube would also be beneficial.
Understanding is essential to purchase and retention. Look for videos to help articulate this.
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Let's also not forget that part of the problem is that a lot of these devices are chock full of apps, features and widgets that only a small % of the population will use. And if you use them, you may even use them once. A lot of times it's bells and whistles for no good reason.
ReplyDeleteSince our devices are becoming smarter and more complicated, I agree that video is an excellent way of demonstrating a product's features. Imagine how much money a company could save if they don't have to print instruction manuals and instead direct them to a video online.
Mama like.
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