9 Mobile Banking Demo Video Best Practices

Only use secreenshots and recordings if your app won't change any time soon

Imagine you create a really impressive mobile banking demo video for your launch. Using the exact user interface that users will experience, it shows one or two key operations that can be performed using the app. You launch and very soon you start to get feedback on your app. Like any good business, you respond to this feedback. This results in a change to the original UI. Fine, except for one thing: now your mobile banking demo video doesn’t look like your app anymore.

At the very least, it appears rather unprofessional when your video doesn’t look like your app. At worst it could confuse your audience and cause them to stop using your app.

So unless you want to pay repeatedly for a new video, you need to do one of two things. Either make sure that you won't need to make any changes to the UI any time soon. Or, don’t depict the exact UI during your mobile banking demo video. Instead, you could show loose representations of different sections of the app. Depict the general function and operation, just don’t show what the exact UI design will look like.

What's the optimum mobile banking demo video length

If you’re creating an onboarding video then the length shouldn’t be too much of a concern. Your video should be as long as it needs to be. If your app is particularly complex, then you may need more than one onboarding video. That doesn’t mean you’re free to be long-winded. But you don’t need to be as brutally short since, by this point, people have already shown interest. So you can take the time you need if what you’re communicating is valuable and necessary to the onboarding process.

If on the other hand, you’re creating an explainer video then keeping things under two minutes could be a good idea. Again, always be concise. And there’s plenty of evidence suggesting that people lose interest after the two-minute mark. But I would say that you should treat that two-minute rule as a guide only. 

A script that’s well researched, that strikes a chord with your audience, and entertains them, either with humor or otherwise, won’t have trouble being watched beyond two minutes. The message you need to communicate might require more than two minutes. In which case going under two minutes could be damaging. In another Bullseye blog I cover the length debate in more detail.  

Being clear and simple is more important than ever

Clarity and simplicity are two golden principles for any form of marketing communications. But when creating mobile banking demo videos, it’s beyond imperative. Remember, banks are here to look after people’s money and maintain their image of responsibility. Therefore, anything that people find confusing or complex will make them uncertain about trusting a bank with their money. 

Don’t get too clever with your language. Don’t use complex and poetic analogies when plain English will suffice. And make sure all demos are executed with so much care that even a stupid and/or hungover person can understand them easily.

You need to make people feel safe

This follows on from the previous point about banks coming across as responsible. Tonally, your mobile banking demo video shouldn’t be too far off the straight and authoritative mark. A bank needs to appear as perfect and trustworthy as a judge or a policeman. 

There are certainly some funny bank adverts out there. But generally speaking, a bank’s marketing should make the bank feel reliable and the customer feel safe. Rather than feeling “fun.” So go easy on the humor and stick to visuals that are easy on the eye – this isn’t an MTV commercial. 

Also, addressing any worries or queries that a prospect will have will help. You should already know this from research but to give you an idea these could be concerns over the app’s cyber security, common questions about the app’s functionality, etc.  

This could certainly work if you’re doing an onboarding video. Record the application operations that need explaining, add a voice-over and a few title cards in the edit and you’re good to go. On occasion, just using a screencast can work well in explainer videos too. 

If your app’s unique feature is simple to illustrate and explain, then a recording of the feature being used with a few graphics added could be all that’s needed to hook your audience. If you’re on a budget, then that may be your only option. 

If you’ve got the money though, don’t settle for just a screencast unless you’re 100% sure that you don’t need to communicate anything more. Having a custom-made, professional video will demonstrate the dedication and professionalism that banks should be communicating.

No matter how simple your video is, always follow a proper script

You may believe your video is so simple that you can send some brief instructions to an editor or an animator and you’ll get a perfect video in return. Whilst this may work on occasion, to be on the safe side, always create a script. Even if it’s just a simple screencast with zero onscreen text, the clarity you’ll get from having everything down on paper will make production a lot easier.

Communicate why you're better or different from the competition whenever possible

All banks are very similar. They all look after your money. They offer roughly the same amount of interest and they all offer mobile banking services. This means when promoting a mobile banking app, you need to hone in on all the standout features that your competitors might not have or be ignoring in their marketing. The mobile banking demo video below gives you a rapid tour of the app and gives big, loud demos of the features that other apps might not have.