Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Low-cost, Multimedia Demo

Posted by KathyAd on 4/3/2008 at 5:22 PM ET 250 Points
Help! My company needs some kind of web-based demo, and I don't know anything about how to do this.

I have a marcomm background, so I am well-versed in writing, pretty good in graphic design (I know Photoshop very well, and have some background in InDesign and Illustrator), good with html (I have worked on many corporate web sites, so I am very comfortable with this), etc.

But I have never done any kind of "multimedia" demo. Our first thought was a slick video, but we talked to a couple of vendors who wanted $50,000. We have a small budget (maybe $2,000 - $4,000 tops), and we need this in a month or less. So a slick video is not an option.

So I am wondering:

(1) I have heard of narrated powerpoint slides. This would work for us, and I could probably learn the program, since I am ultra-comfortable with things like Photoshop, and making animated gifs in ImageReady. But what programs are out there for this??

(2) Are there other types of demos people would suggest? When I think of web-based demo, I think of slick video? Are there other options?

(3) Does anyone know of vendors (low-cost freelancers) I could approach?

I am guessing that some of this stuff is easy if you "know how to do it" -- just the way I consider setting up a web site easy, or creating graphics or a brochure.

I'd really appreciate any input!!! I am in a bind! Thanks very much!!
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by melissa.paulik on 4/3/2008 at 5:32 PM Accepted
    Kathy,

    I've used Autodemo in the past. They are somewhere around 2500/minute of demo. Most experts agree that online demos should be less than five minutes to avoid losing your audience. So, if you have a four minute demo, that puts them at about $10K.

    I did look at a couple options offshore before choosing Autodemo, but all of the cheaper options looked cheaper.

    The other reason I selected Autodemo was because I didn't have to do any of the scripting. The less expensive options basically compiled my demo while I was responsible for all of the components including the actual script.

    It takes about three weeks from concept to final results for them to create something as long as you are timely in each of the reviews throughout the process.

    Good luck!

    Melissa

  • Posted by Bottom Line Guy on 4/3/2008 at 8:35 PM Accepted
    Kathy,

    With you marcomm experience, comments about Powerpoint and budget, take a look at this tool called Learning Pipe -- it produces a flash presentation which you can author -- and it's a service that costs less than $100 a month with media hosting included.

    www.mentoru.com/authoringtool

    The above presentation kills two birds with one stone -- shows you how it works and also uses the tool to show you the output and the experience.

    My company MentorU co-developed it but you can buy it directly.

    Thanks,

    Jesse Wacht
  • Posted by Susan Oakes on 4/3/2008 at 8:42 PM Accepted
    Hi Kathy,

    We used Turbo Demo www.turbodemo.com and found it easy to use and it has some multimedia options. It also doesn't cost much.

    Susan
    M4B
  • Posted by Inbox_Interactive on 4/4/2008 at 10:10 AM Accepted
    If you were going to add your own audio to your PowerPoint presentation, it seems like this would be a cheap way to convert the whole thing to Flash and host it yourself:

    https://www.flashdemo.net/

    You may not want to post the .ppt file on your server for both security and functional reasons (don't want people to download the file to their computer...some people don't want to deal with the open/save dialog box, etc.).

    - Paul
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 4/4/2008 at 10:29 AM Accepted
    https://www.techsmith.com/camtasia.asp
    https://www.varasoftware.com/products/screenflow/
    Microsoft's Movie Maker
    Apple's iMovie
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