Using screen recording tools in your marketing campaigns can be a game-changer. Instead of laboring over long, hifi how-to videos and carefully-storyboarded product screens that take weeks to spin up (not to mention tons of creative resources), you can create tailored customer marketing with screen recordings.
They’re short, sweet, and visual, so you can ramp up your video presence on different channels without a hefty video production budget.
Screen recordings help you show rather than tell customers what your product stands for. They’re also a way of building rapport, problem-solving, and bringing your content to life. But without effective editing, screen recordings can look amateur and lackluster at best.
In this post, we’ll share tips and best practices so you can create eye-catching screen recordings that entice your target audience to take the next steps.
In this article
Why start using screen recordings in your marketing?
People are visual and are demanding more video content –– 31% of marketers say that their key audience seems to prefer videos over other content types.
At their core, screen recordings are a versatile tool that can help marketers communicate more effectively with their target audience. Given they’re budget friendly and easy to produce, it’s no surprise they’re becoming a staple of video marketing campaigns.
In 2022, 57% of video marketers created screen-recorded videos.
Improve user experience
Screen recordings make it easier to communicate with customers. It’s usually simpler for customers to watch a short screen recording than read loads of text and try and decipher what your product is about.
Short screen recordings can also walk customers through their product questions or teach them how to make the most of new features.
Personalize communication
Screen recordings feel friendlier than formal video voiceovers. They’re a more human form of communication and can help build rapport throughout customer onboarding or during tutorials with existing users. They’re also quick to make, so it’s easy to personalize them to individuals.
They offer a peak behind the corporate curtain and can be an opportunity to humanize your brand and bring some video personalization into your marketing strategy.
Save resources
Nearly all teams face budget and bandwidth restraints. Screen recordings are a budget-friendly way for your team to make on-brand assets without bothering your creative team with endless video requests.
They’re also simple to make––anyone from your sales reps to your customer service team can make on-brand assets.
How to crop and edit your screen recordings
The secret to a slick screen recording is all in the edit. The good news is, cropping and editing your screen recordings is simple with Vimeo. Downloading a desktop app is optional––you can use Vimeo’s online screen recorder through your browser or a Chrome extension and then use text-based editing to quickly edit your video the same way you edit a document.
How to use Vimeo to record your screen
- First, navigate to Vimeo’s free screen recorder for Windows and Mac.
- Click Start for free. Next, you’ll need to log in or create a free account.
- Now you can choose to start screen recording off the bat, download the app, or install the Chrome extension.
- To start recording, click Open Vimeo Record. On the left-hand side, you’ll have the option to create a script or generate one with the help of AI. On the right-hand side, you can choose whether you want to record your screen from your camera or both.
How to trim screen recordings with text-based editing
Vimeo’s one-take video creation trimmer tool gives users access to the text-based editing experience where they can trim or split their video with the timeline and edit footage straight from the audio transcript, making video editing as easy as editing a document.
Here’s how to get started:
- Select or upload the screen recording you want to edit. Choose a screen recording from record or upload a new video.
- Select the trimmer tool. After recording or uploading your video content, click the scissors icon to the left of the video and select Trim Your Video.
- Edit text-based video editing. After users create a video, they can highlight words and phrases within the video transcript and choose to keep or delete the selected parts. When portions of the transcript are deleted, the editor also removes that portion of the video. Vimeo’s video editing software can also help automatically remove word gaps and filler words.
How to crop and edit screen recordings with Vimeo Create
Vimeo’s Video Creator is a free easy-to-use video editing software. It comes with a set of basic editing tools that simplify cropping your screen recordings.
Here’s how to get started:
- Select or upload the screen recording you want to edit. Choose a screen recording from your Vimeo Create Library or upload a new video.
- Select your video orientation. You can choose portrait, landscape, or square. If you’re cropping the recording to publish on social media, consider each platform’s specs first.
- Use the Crop + Fit feature to crop your video. Frame your video using the Crop + Fit tool, and choose the right aspect ratio. Then pinch to drag it to reposition or adjust its scale.
- Preview, save, and share your cropped video. Preview your video so you’re sure it looks just right. Then save it to your desktop or upload it to Vimeo Create.
Pro tip: Learn how to crop a video on iPhone and Android.
6 ways to use screen recordings & why you should
Screen recordings can make your content more visually engaging. Jump start your screen recordings with these six ideas.
1. Product demos
Simple how-to product videos are an effective way of showing customers your product in action.
People often prefer to see how something works rather than trying to imagine it from a written text––96% say they have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.
Tap into this preference by sharing product-focused screen recordings on your site. Customers can then see how your product works for their specific use case.
Screen recordings are also a great way to introduce a new feature with a short teaser video instead of getting your audience to try and interpret a text. For example, social media management platform Hootsuite regularly shares screen recordings of feature demos and teasers on Instagram.
2. Troubleshooting
Instead of relying on live chat, email, or phone support, customer service reps could use screen recordings to give customers visual walkthroughs of how to solve their specific issues. Support reps will likely solve problems more quickly and customer satisfaction will increase.
To help customers solve common queries, you could swap out your written FAQ section for visual screen recordings.
Garrett Smith, the head of local SEO for GMB Gorilla explains that screen recordings help the business provide better technical support. “We use screen recordings in service demos whenever we set up a Google Business Profile for our clients. We do the same for troubleshooting technical requests. It helps to avoid repetitive requests because clients can just review the previous recording about the same issue.”
3. Customer interviews and testimonials
Marketers can use screen recordings to gather customer testimonials, quotes, suggestions, and feedback. These visual interviews have the advantage of letting customers share their screens and turn on their webcams to communicate authentically about how they feel about your products or services.
It’s more personal than a simple survey or phone call––there’s the added benefit that marketers can interpret the customers’ body language and facial expressions.
Teams can analyze the feedback in the video clip, share key information with stakeholders, and even highlight customer wins or achievements in their marketing material.
4. Technical tutorials
Customers that have advanced product use cases may prefer personalized video tutorials to written guides. You can also create training videos for new team members!
Tomas Laurinavicius, a growth manager at SaaS.group explains that visual tutorials are usually more effective, plus they’re easy to repurpose.
“You can write the best text-based tutorial, but it’s just not the same as seeing someone walk you step-by-step through the whole process while talking to you directly. It’s more human and easier to grasp and internalize. You can repurpose these recordings into social media posts or product documentation.”
Tomas Laurinavicius, growth manager at SaaS.group
5. Sales enablement
Instead of generic sales decks or product intro videos, sales reps can use screen recording software to provide personalized videos of the product’s specific use cases.
Emily Brook, a senior marketing manager at The Influencer Marketing Factory, explains that using screen recordings helps the team showcase their offering.
“Screen recording tools are an effective way to highlight our services and share insights in a personalized way. As an agency, we utilize Vimeo in a few particular ways including embedding gifs into cold outreach, internal slack channels, and to amplify the quality of podcast distribution clips.”
6. Content walkthrough
Using screen recordings in your content can help your content appeal to a broader audience. People may not always have time to read a 3,000-word step-by-step guide. Instead, they may prefer a snappier video summary of the post.
For instance, marketers could use screen recordings at the start of blogs as a short visual summary of the written content.
Instead of using a series of screenshots, why not use screen recordings to help bring product-focused content to life?
Berenika Teter, an SEO specialist at Klaus, explains how she uses screen recordings to highlight real-life examples to her audience.
“When I worked at Ingrid (a delivery checkout software), I used to record so-called “checkout teardowns” with a screen recording tool. It really helped me explain real-life examples to our followers since I published the videos on LinkedIn and embedded them in our blog posts when the context was right.”
Berenika Teter, an SEO specialist at Klaus
FAQs about screen recordings
- Can you crop a screen-recorded video?
Yes, you can crop and edit a screen-recorded video. Depending on your chosen software, you may upload the screen recording onto your browser or edit it on a desktop app.
- What software can I use to edit screen recordings?
Vimeo’s Video Creator is a free online video editor that makes it easy to edit screen recordings. All you need to do is upload your screen recording. Then you can crop, edit, and reposition the video directly in your browser.
Putting it all together
Screen recordings can help you create content that sparks action. They’re a way of turning complex topics or dull written explanations into fun and engaging visual content.
From product teasers to troubleshooting videos, screen recordings help put your audience first. They’re also an effective way of maximizing your resources without relying on your design or creative team. Keep these ideas in mind to help answer your audience’s questions, provide helpful how-to resources, and nurture relationships with your prospects.
Ready to record? Try Vimeo’s free screen recording tool
