CAN YOU OFFER COUPONS ON A VIDEO?

Video As Content, Video SEO and Optimization, Who Uses Video, You Tube for Business


Frequent deals and special offers can entice customers to shop at your store instead of competitors’ sites. Coupons are effective at creating repeat customers when included in a customer loyalty program. Coupons bring a higher chance of conversions. A discount or freebie can inspire a person to try a new product or a brand other than the one they usually buy. The goal of any offer or coupon is to encourage the consumer to try the product or service. The truth is the consumer needs an incentive to depart from their current habits and try something new.
5 Benefits of Using Coupons
• Bring in new customers.
• Strengthens brand recognition.
• Customers will benefit from knowing when to buy.
• Offloads older goods with assistance.
• Minimize your marketing expenses.
But, if a company is using video marketing, can they offer coupons as well? The answer is YES
At some point during the video, mention that there is a coupon offer coming up. Then, either or at the end, simply show a QR code that takes the viewer to a printable, or downloadable coupon on your website. You could also require that an email address be entered before showing the coupon, but be careful of asking your prospect to jump thru too many hoops to get that reward.
Videos On Your Website can help businesses offering coupons. If you’d like to explore using coupons inside your video, just contact us. We will create the QR code and insert it into your video for you.

–That’s a wrap.

Ron Harper is the founder of Videos On Your Website, a Cincinnati digital marketing firm specializing in video web content for businesses. Get a FREE Video Buying Guide at Videos ON Your Website – Cincinnati and Dayton Video Production Guide.

For People Who HATE Being On Video

Behind The Scenes, DIY ?, Video As Content, Video Web Series, , , ,


I produce video for small business. Sometimes I have to be on camera myself, but I don’t really like it.
I meet a lot of folks in the same boat.
That’s why I’m offering a new series: A masterclass for people who hate being on video.
It’s a series with multiple parts, so watch each one (new ones are added on a regular basis) and see if these techniques help you feel more comfortable and help your performance.
Let me know what you think. Here’s the link to the YouTube playlist where all episodes will be added:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIm6yWYuxCfE1x7VCUjCanKzznQ3VvQad

–That’s a wrap.

READ THIS BOOK !

Behind The Scenes, , ,


I had breakfast this morning with Terry Dean of DeanOfSales.com
He has written a book “Exceeding Expectations In Sales And Life”. I just finished reading it. It’s a One Minute Manager sort of book with some extremely valuable information that can make a difference is what you do and how you live.
For example,
• The 4 step sales process that anyone can do
• The importance of “3 words to describe your business”
• What achieving your goals really depends on
• The good part of procrastination
• Making effective lists
• The 4 M’s of Marketing
Do yourself a favor and read this book; it’s the best advice under ten dollars you’ll find.
There’s a digital version and an audiobook version too. Grab it at https://deanofsales.com/

Ron Harper is the founder of Videos On Your Website, a Cincinnati digital marketing firm specializing in video web content for businesses. Read more at Videos ON Your Website.

I KNOW A GUY

Behind The Scenes, DIY ?, Video As Content, Who Uses Video, , , ,

I know a guy
One of my website partners referred a longtime client to me. Of course, he wanted a video, BUT he was having a friend put something together for his business.

Then, he sent that to me.

In the entire video, his business name wasn’t even mentioned. There was also no call to action – the video simply ended. To top it off, his friend had found some stock footage of a man searching for something on his laptop. In that piece of stock footage, you could see – reflected in the man’s glasses – what he was searching for. It had nothing to do with the client’s business.

One of my products, #NoContact Video, Uses stock footage along with client-supplied photos to create a compelling 60 second video. The price is ultra affordable, so I sell a lot of those to companies where I can’t travel to shoot.

While my client had sent me some photos, I used those in a montage instead of inserting them directly into the video. Then, after a couple of hours searching for other footage I could use for his very specific industry, I rolled that in with some animated graphics that spoke to his features and benefits. Finally, I added a directed call to action.

My small business client loved it, and wanted to use it immediately. We’ll keep track of the number of views it gets and the amount of business it generates.

So just because you “know a guy”, it always pays to check in with a professional. The savings in time and hassles could be worth it.

–That’s a wrap.
Ron Harper is the founder of Videos On Your Website, a Cincinnati digital marketing firm specializing in video web content for businesses. Read more at Videos ON Your Website.

That Time I Had To Tell My Client, “NO”

Behind The Scenes, copywriting, LinkedIn, ,

Sell The Problem You Solve
Joe and Monica have a small business serving seniors. Mostly, they deal with families who are concerned about the care that their loved ones need.
Joe would be taking part in a presentation at a meeting of a group of healthcare professionals who could turn out to be solid referral partners. He and Monica were given a 30 second spot where they could play a video message about their business, so they contacted me for help.
I knew that a 30 second piece would have to be as compelling as possible.
I’ve written thousands of these kind of messages during my radio career. A 30 second spot is one of the hardest projects to write, because of the short amount of time you have to capture someone’s attention and hold it without them getting bored. #0 seconds to establish an emotional connection and try to trigger that buying signal.
Joe and Monica sent me a video that was done by another one of their franchise partners. The man was standing in his backyard spouting off features and benefits. “Could we just do something like that?”, they asked.
“NO”,I exclaimed. “It’s trite, and it says nothing about THE CUSTOMER. It’s just a list of services you offer.”
In the next half hour, I talked with them, asked questions about why they chose that business, and the kinds of customers they were hoping to connect with. It became apparent that both had had the experience of trying to find care for their family members in the past. They told me about their frustrations with that experience.
“The thing is,” Monica said, “nobody ever tells you how to take care of your parents or grandparents.”
“THAT’S IT”, I said with a smile, “That’s your opening statement”
We built a script on that to show their passion for what they do and why they do it. Then we shot the video at their kitchen table, because that was where they most often met with clients. In post-production, I added some B-roll of seniors in different situations.
The final version was a hit at the presentation, and they can now use it on their social channels as well.
–That’s a wrap.

Ron Harper is the founder of Videos On Your Website, a Cincinnati digital marketing firm specializing in video web content for businesses. Get a FREE Video Buying Guide at Videos ON Your Website – Cincinnati and Dayton Video Production Guide.

Marketing Is Not A Pinata

copywriting, Uncategorized, Video As Content, , , ,

hitting a pinata
Marketing is not a pinata. You don’t just keep swinging until you hit something.

Your message has to be targeted. If you’re selling more than one thing, or more than one service, your message must be about ONE thing. Otherwise, it will get lost.

Tell a story about that one thing. Show how your customer has benefited. Get away from talking about yourself. Stories sell. Granted, targeting a message can be hard. I once read an excerpt in a marketing book for entrepreneurs that said, “You should always write your own advertising. No one knows your product like you do.” But time and time again, I’ve seen small business owners completely miss the story they are trying to tell. They miss the emotional connection to their prospects.

Once, in a networking meeting, I was listening to a business owner talk about his concierge services, and all the different things he could do…book and pick up event tickets, find dinner reservations,etc. so that his customers wouldn’t have to spend hours in their car or on the phone. Afterward, I told him, “Just say you sell free time.” His mouth dropped open. He completely got it, and used that line from then on.

Often, someone outside your business can cut thru the fluff, and give you a message that will resonate with your audience.

I do that with video. I may talk to a client for an hour about his business, but the magic comes in the video editing, and constructing the story.
Are you just swinging and hoping you’ll hit someone with your marketing message? How’s that working for you?

–That’s a wrap.

Should You Embed Videos From Other Companies?

DIY ?, Video As Content, Video SEO and Optimization, You Tube for Business, , , , ,

Embedding Videos
Problems with embedding videos from other companies

If you can’t produce your own videos for your website, why not just find some others and embed them? Simple, right? Well, not exactly.

Many businesses have a dedicated “Videos” tab on their site for relevant content. Often, someone will curate video content from other sources and believe this is a valuable practice. But just as often it is fraught with problems. The image above is taken from a company website that has many videos embedded from YouTube under their “Videos” tab.

Can you see what’s wrong?

Somewhere along the way, the original content creator has removed the video, leaving blank spots with no content on the page.
Here’s why it’s not a good idea to use other folks’ videos:

    1. You have no control over their content. And if their videos are monetized on YouTube, they could be showing an ad that is counter-productive to your business.
    2. The videos may have a call to action or a link that takes visitors away from your website.
    3. The practice really does nothing to help your Search Engine Optimization and get you found more often.
    4. The best course of optimizing with videos is to have relevant content on all of your pages, especially on your About Us page. Videos under a dedicated tab may be overlooked by your visitors.
    5. Google loves original content. That means videos specific to your business and your message with a few lines of text that compel the viewer to click and watch.

Business websites that use a “Videos” tab are often not updated frequently, so problems like the image above are missed for a long period of time.
Original, professionally produced video content is affordable and gives your business an advantage over the competition. Remember – if you use video, and they don’t: You Win!
–That’s a wrap.

Ron Harper is the founder of Videos On Your Website, a Cincinnati digital marketing firm specializing in video web content for businesses. Get a FREE Video Buying Guide at Videos ON Your Website – Cincinnati and Dayton Video Production Guide.