Page 72 - SKU-000506274_TEXT.indd

Chapter 4 Creating Educational Videos 51

install their newest canister filter. If you’re at all familiar with the aquarium hobby,
you know that a canister filter has a lot of different parts that have to be connected
in just the right order, and a certain way of operation that has a bit of a learning
curve. Creating a video that shows customers how to put it all together and get it
working on their fish tanks is quite useful—necessary, even.

Figure 4.1 A how-to video for installing an aquarium canister filter, from Fluval.

This approach works for lots of different types of products. For example, if you’re a
pharmaceutical company selling asthma drugs, you might produce a video showing
people how to use your latest inhaler. If you sell networking equipment, you might
produce a video showing people how to set up a wireless router. If you sell wooden
playground equipment, you might produce a video showing customers how to con-
struct one of your more complex products.

This type of how-to video works as both a pre-purchase and post-purchase aid. For
customers considering purchasing your product, it gives them a taste of what’s
involved, and perhaps eases some of their fears; at the very least, it demonstrates
that you provide the support they might need. For customers who’ve already pur-
chased your product, it’s immediate assistance for getting them up and running.
This type of video can actually reduce the number of customer support calls you
get, minimize the need for detailed instruction manuals, and make for more satis-
fied customers. It’s a real boon.

Project Videos

The second type of how-to video is a bit more generic in that you show viewers
how to do something useful; you don’t show them how to use your product, except
in the course of completing the project at hand.