Videos: Working Wonders or Wonder Why?

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I really try not to rant too much in this blog. When I do, it’s usually because I’ve just something that I find disappointing. I will let you in on a secret: when I visit someone’s website, I always look for the “footer” that is a link to the web designer.

The one I visited today did really pretty work. They just left off the page titles from their own site. That’s the title that shows up in the top bar of your browser, and it’s really important. But the real kicker was that the web firm also produces video. They have one on their home page. It’s titled “Our Commercial”.

(facepalm)

It actually WAS a commercial. And it gave no reason why someone should hire them. They also thought enough to include the line, “having a video couldn’t hurt.”

(facepalm)

I can’t stress this enough: People Don’t Search For Commercials.  Commercials are not suited for the web. Why would a web designer put a commercial on their home page?? Why not a video about how a well designed site brings a return on investment?  Or video testimonials from clients? Even a series about marketing best practices.

Content that people want to watch. That’s where video works wonders.
What’s on your website.

–that’s a wrap

How To Use Videos To Sell Products

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You have a website that sells products. It could be three or three hundred. Most e-commerce sites operate the same way: a database of products and a page for each product. But when videos are added, sales skyrocket. Here’s how it works.

VIDEOS ON HOME PAGE  Here’s where you can capture new customers and hold on to old customers too. Offer new products, stage demos talk to staff, or feature customer shot video. It will engage and you’ll keep visitors on the site longer.

VIDEOS ON PRODUCT PAGES   Show different views. Show how the item works. Show testimonials.

MAKE IT SOCIAL   Don’t forget to cross-post your videos to Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to grow the brand.

NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS USE YOUTUBE   You can host your video there and share it or you can host anywhere else. But, yes, upload to YouTube. It’s still the number two search engine. It will positively impact your visibility and search engine rankings.

BLOG    Every time you post your video somewhere new, it counts as fresh content. Google ranks video higher than other content.  Put video on your blog sang give visitors a reason to come back.
— that’s a wrap.

YouTube? You Should!

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Every January, Las Vegas hosts the Consumer Electronics. Show. The CES is where new and just thought of gadgets make their debut. It is also a lively conversation on current trends. Here are some facts about YouTube that came out of a session at this year’s CES.

>>YouTube now reaches more adults than any network. ANY network. So says Neilsen whose job it is to measure things like that.

>>100 hours of new content is uploaded to YouTube every minute. That’s more than four days every sixty seconds.

And the most watched videos? Authentic. Content that is about something very specific. If you have a niche, you should be telling your story with video. And you should also put that video on YouTube.

It’s watchable, it’s searchable, and its shareable.

Yes you should YouTube. Because if you don’t, your competition will.

–that’s a wrap.

Client Spotlight – Bed Bug Shield

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Product demos are one of the most effective uses of online video. Customers can see the product in action, learn best practices, and see effective uses while they seamlessly slip from discovery mode to buying mode.
I have been fortunate to have worked with a number of inventors and innovators with Videos On Your Website to produce targeted and compelling demos that work. Bed Bug Shield is one of my favorites.

This area has long been on the top of the list nationally for bed bug problems. There are scores of exterminators who deal not only with primary infestations, but also with folks who inadvertently bring the little critters home from a trip. Bed Bug Shield deals with both of those problems.

When they first contacted me, one of the issues we had to solve was location – since they wanted to show the product using LIVE bed bugs. Of course, there would be absolutely no risk, since bed bugs cannot fly, and we would have a little “corral” in which to shoot them and the product at work. As it turned out, that was the least of my worries. The morning of the shoot, I developed an abscessed tooth, and made the drive to the location in more than a little pain.

After a quick set up, we started shooting footage. We got great shots of the product, closeups of the bed bugs, and easy to follow demonstrations of how it keeps bed bugs from hitching a ride on clothes, or in a suitcase during a trip.

They recently contacted me with an update on their progress:

We have picked up a contract for 8 surrounding counties with the Area on Aging not to mention a few large name exterminators refer to us on a regular basis, so things are going well. We would always like to be busier but we have tripled our volume just in the last 6 months. The video is on our website and people love it!!! We have had a good response to it

It’s always nice to hear things like that. Videos DO work, whether it’s product demonstrations, customer testimonials, or answering customer’s questions.

Here’s the Bed Bug Shield video.Bed Bug Products – Business Video

–that’s a wrap.

7 Mind Blowing Things You Can Do With Video

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First off, you and I both know there are way more than just 7 in this list. For example, it’s mind blowing to me that videos can touch someone so personally that they get choked up. There is one piece particularly that no matter how many times I see it, I need a tissue at the end. It blows my mind that almost 30 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every MINUTE!

So let’s get to the list. And be sure to tell me what you think.

1. VIDEO CAN OFFER COUPONS.
It costs a few hundred dollars a month to get coupons included in that blue envelope that gets delivered in the mail. You can do it for free with video AND change them anytime you like. With YouTube annotations, you can control where the coupon code is placed in the video. Remove or change the annotations whenever you want.

2. VIDEO CAN MAKE AUDIENCE SPECIFIC MESSAGES.
I did this in radio all the time, and now it is possible in video. Create a custom open and close – also called a wraparound – and address a specific audience, need, or event. This works great when you have multiple targets, or multiple locations. The body of the message stays the same, but each one has a unique feel to it.

3. VIDEO CAN PUT YOURSELF IN ANY LOCATION.
Want to be in a beautiful, modern studio or in front of the Eiffel Tower or even miniaturize yourself to show someone the inside details of your thingamabob? Do it with a green screen. The same technique that the TV weatherman uses to stand in front of the map can put you almost anywhere.

4. VIDEO CAN DEVELOP YOUR OWN REALITY / DIY / COMEDY SERIES
Ten years ago if you wanted to get your message in front of a mass of people, you had to have a major publisher or network behind you. All that has changed. The gates are wide open for anyone to produce whatever content they wish. YouTube has spawned its share of stars: folks who are actually making a living writing and producing these little videos. You can too. What would you do with your own network?

5. VIDEO CAN KNOW HOW MANY FOLKS ARE WATCHING.
What can newspapers, radio, television and even direct mail never do that online does very well everyday? Tell you who’s watching. Print and electronic media know how many people they reach, but not the engagement. And when someone clicks to start a video, they are choosing to consume that content. Many analytics can tell you the communities those folks are from.

6. VIDEO CAN MAKE SMALL BUSINESSES LOOK LIKE THE BIG GUYS.
It’s not a budget statement anymore. With the right video, your only limit is your imagination. Remember the Coke and Pepsi challenge?
You can pit yourself against your competition all day and show how you’re better, safer, cleaner, greener. Tell your story to the folks you want to reach. Make them care and they will share.

Any one of these techniques has the power to blow your mind when applied properly. And if you’re not using video at all, your competitors will.

–that’s a wrap.

Why I Don’t Do Commercials

Behind The Scenes, Video As Content, , , ,

On the very very first project I did after opening Videos On Your Website, the owner of the company introduced me to her staff: “This is Ron, and he’s going to record our commercial today.”

I still remember the twinge I felt at the time, but I opted not to say anything since I wanted to focus on getting the shoot right. I told myself that the idea of doing video web content was so new that most folks didn’t have a reference point. Hence, to them it was a commercial.

Broadcast TV, Cable TV, radio is still a major factor in communicating sales and brand messages to consumers. Commercials and Infomercials are part of the landscape. Broadcasting terms still abound which is why I am asked about creating “60 second videos” when maybe the right length to tell the story is 110 seconds.

I produced broadcast commercials for over 20 years. The hardest thing in the world is to put your message, features and benefits inside a 30 or 60 second window AND make it entertaining knowing that your audience is conditioned to focus their attention elsewhere while that message airs.

But putting videos on your website, your blog, or a social media profile page means your audience has to click to engage. They WANT to hear what you have to say. It’s much more fun to talk with someone who is actively listening than with someone whose attention you may lose after five seconds.

Who’s listening to YOU?

–That’s a wrap.

IF I COULD JUST GET IN FRONT OF…

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I heard it again today: “If I could only get in front of ( such and so) I know I can close business. Folks who are having a tough time getting to the decision maker say this a lot. One of my clients told me that one thought was the entire idea behind the video I shot for him.

It was actually a brilliant move, because his company, with many larger competitors, is doing quite well.

You may have a great product or service, but if you can’t get anyone to listen to you, how much will you sell?

Video – whether it’s on a website, in a blog, or just an upload to YouTube that you can share by email or social media – is one of the best ways to **get in front of** those difficult prospects. The key is the content. No one wants to watch a sales presentation, but they will listen and watch someone who understands their problems and proposes solutions.

The client mentioned above wanted to show off his factory. There was no direct sales pitch in it, but because we were able to show the process of how the products were made, the client was able to allow his prospects to feel like they were in the factory instead of hundreds of miles away.

Who do YOU want to get in front of?

–that’s a wrap.

Three Deadly Mistakes Videos Make When Selling A Service

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I’m in marketing and advertising. I’ve been doing it for the past thirty years. And I’m a sucker for a good headline.

Yeah, I’ll click on your blog post and skim it to see if there’s any new information. I’ve kept track, and actually only 8% of the time will I find something new, compelling or share-worthy. And when there’s a great headline that announces “More To Come – just click on the video”… my itchy trigger finger goes to work on my mouse. Unfortunately, I usually soon run into a roadblock or two.

It’s always a video for someone selling a service. They’re usually so passionate about what they do (and for the most part, that’s a good thing) but in reaching for that compelling factor and trying to build suspense for the point where they turn you from a viewer into a customer, you’re going to find one or all of the following deadly mistakes:

1. Poor Audio – What part of **Don’t stand across the room and think your camera’s microphone is sufficient** do they not understand? It’s hard to listen to someone trying to convince me of something when they’re talking from the bottom of an echo-y barrel.

2. Too Long – After I click on a video, I watch the timeline to see how long the thing is. THIRTY MINUTES?? Nope, I won’t be staying around. Why not break it up into manageable chunks? With three or four videos, you can break them into chapters and provide a description of each chapter. That will help not only your viewers decide what to watch, but also your search engine optimization for those videos.

3. Death By Powerpoint – I’m watching a video. I don’t necessarily want to read. Honestly – is there really anything THAT compelling on those slides? Why not strip the audio out of it, make it downloadable to someone’s iPod, and offer to send them a link to the slides. Hey! And now you’ve harvested email addresses for future marketing!

Marketers and business coaches are especially guilty of these. Watch for these deadly mistakes next time you click on a How To or an explainer video. And if you find anything like that on your own site, give me a shout and I’ll show you hot to fix it.

–that’s a wrap.

How To

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I’m really amazed at the number of videos out there that are not taking advantage of the words and phrases folks are searching for. If you want your video, and ultimately your website, to be found by people who are searching for what you do, then use one of the most powerful phrases in search engines: “How To…”

Whether you are creating new products and services, or updating existing ones, make it easy for your customers by showing them How To… select the proper (fill in the blank), How To Use… (your product) Correctly, How To Troubleshoot….(what they currently have). The list is endless, literally. Then, be sure you have that magic phrase in your title, in your tags, and (if you’re embedding the video on a separate page) in your page title.

If people buy from people they trust, you can turn yourself into a ally with compelling and credible “How To” videos. Just remember to keep it simple, use numbered steps when possible, and aim for a recap at the end of your video that wraps everything up neatly. Studies have shown that it takes just three videos for a website to raise their credibility score to Expert by their viewers.

— That’s a wrap.

Advertising Or Engagement?

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Last week I was talking with a small business owner when the subject of videos for websites came up.
“We’ve talked about doing some videos, but we don’t need to do any advertising”, she said.

Website visitors and customers already understand what advertising is and what it isn’t. Unfortunately, most businesses do not. For example: some fervently believe that their website is advertising, and they pay for it out of their advertising budget. But even Amazon – one of the largest e-commerce websites isn’t advertising, for they also inform and entertain as well as sell. This is engagement.

If your website is nothing more than an online brochure for your business, then you’re losing the battle.

Business coaches advise that it costs more to get a new customer than to keep a customer. If you can convince an existing customer to buy more, your profit margin is higher. You can do that through engagement. Actually, you can also qualify and close more new customers that way. And there’s part of the difference.

While advertising implies a direct offer, engagement is more about establishing and building a relationship – one that, over time, will lead to sales, brand loyalty,  and a perception of expertise in the marketplace.

Video is the quickest and the most affordable vehicle to drive engagement.  Video for websites should not be advertising. People don’t search for commercials. Your visitors want to be engaged. Those businesses that provide that engagement will win. I hope you’ll be one of them.

–that’s a wrap.