3 effective ways to showcase your software and entice leads

SaaS companies often struggle with the dilemma of “how do we showcase our software on our website and marketing channels?”. I hear common concerns, such as:

• Our software is more functional than aesthetically pleasing. We don’t want it to look boring
• Prospects won’t understand a screenshot without context
• It looks too small when displayed on a web page; you can’t see the detail
• We don’t want to give away our secrets to our competitors

In this article, I outline three solutions to overcome these concerns, along with examples of SaaS companies who have successfully implemented these methods.

1. Recreate your software as flat graphics

Not all software dashboards are going to look gorgeous. I’m not suggesting that you necessarily need to redesign your front end. Functionality often takes precedence over design, and rightly so. But when your prospect is in the early stages of the buying process, within seconds, you need them to grasp your offering and what benefits you bring to them. You’re unlikely to achieve this by taking an unedited screenshot of your software and posting it on your website. Unedited software screenshots on websites can often result in the visitor squinting at the screen, trying to read the ultra-small font on the buttons and scratching their head trying to understand what exactly the software does. This will leave them feeling frustrated and confused, resulting in them exiting the site and looking elsewhere.

Consider instead using flat graphical representations of your software. Flat graphics allow you to create a clean and simplified design by stripping out the unnecessary details. Prospects should be able to immediately grasp the overall concept of your software and be intrigued to know more.

Here’s an example from the Seedlegals website homepage.

This particular example showcases the Term Sheet section of their software. As you can guess, their software doesn’t actually look like this. They’re showing a flat graphic which represents the software and enables the prospect to have a clear understanding of the solution and its benefits.

2. Create short web videos of your software’s processes

Short animated feature videos can be particularly beneficial for mobile apps or software that involves a lot of user engagement such as quick page navigation or drag and drop. Having a static graphic or graphics of your software may not give the prospect a genuine understanding of your software and how it works. Short animated snippets can work great online as they are also eye-catching. These can be created using animated GIFs, WebM or animated SVGs. Sometimes flat graphics (as outlined in point 1) work best. Zoomed in or cropped displays of software can also have great results.

This WebM video from Helpscout shows the functionality of the app in a quick, attention-grabbing format. Within seconds, the prospect understands this essential function of the app and how it could benefit them.

3. Create an animated sales video

All too often, I see SaaS companies post 10+ minute demonstrations of their software on their website with a monotone voiceover. There’s a time and a place for technical demonstrations and walkthrough videos. The main pages of your website and marketing channels aren’t it. You should be focusing your attention on new prospects. These people are shopping around, looking at your competitors, seeking an overview, not a full-blown demo.

Animated sales video can bring massive value to a tech company’s marketing team. They can enable prospects to understand who you are, what you do and how you benefit them in a matter of seconds. Attention spans online are short and getting shorter. Most visitors would rather watch a short video than read a paragraph of text. A well-produced video can add increased professionalism to a brand. Take a look at this example from Zeamo, created by Wyzolw.

The first half of the video connects with the audience and outlines the business concept. The second half then showcases the key features of the software itself, utilising flat graphics to make it super-easy to understand.

Whichever option you go for, always keep in mind the audience you are targeting and what stage they are at in your buying process. Your website is a sales pitch, not a technical demonstration. Giving away too much detail about your software on your website is not generally an effective lead generation strategy. Having a “less is more” approach often works best. Showing the audience some flat graphics of your software or some animated feature snippets or a sales video will entice them to contact you or book a demo to find out more.

If you would like to discuss how we can turbocharge your tech company with digital solutions that deliver outstanding results, book a 30-minute strategy call with me.