I could use a little help. Could someone please assist.

[bizideas]

It has been brought to my attention that a there is a rule against making a post about a CURRENTLY running WSO especially when it is in my signature file.

I didn't realize that and I apologize.
Therefore, I am editing this post to take away any association.
For those who've taken the time to help me,

Thank You.

[KenThompson]

Hi Eric,

I'll offer my thoughts about your copy and the overall. Please
bear in mind I'm not trying to be harsh.

The main issues in my opinion:

1. Your copy is not good. The headlines are not convincing, do
not properly address customer needs, and the words used are not
the best for compelling headline copy.

2. Your layout/formatting is really bad, especially in the first ad.
The sentence formatting creates a horrible impression, and I imagine
people extend resultant judgments to your products. There are also
paragraph formatting problems.

Yes, I realize you give examples. But you never know, people may not
bother viewing them if their impressions are sufficiently negative.

3. Your lower end pricing seems reasonable. The higher end prices
are probably more than people want to pay. The marketers who can
easily afford your prices probably already have outsource video
creation in place.

4. Your video is for one niche, so even though most could afford it
there's a good chance many are not in that niche. You are severely
liimiting your market by offering a video in one niche. I guess this point
is for those who can afford the lower end option but are not in that niche.

5. The word that came to my mind when I first saw both ads is 'garish.'
I don't know why, but that's what I thought. I think the large arrow
graphic contributed, and the screenshot layout makes it all kind of big
and imposing.

6. In both ads, especially in the rate card area, I'd left align the copy,
trim it down as it's wordy, and present it as bullet points.

7. The overall is confusing because you have copy seemingly all over the
place; under the screen shots, etc. I understand why you did it, but it
seems to make it hard for people take in everything. Don't make it hard
for people or it will hurt conversions.


The most pressing issue, in my view, is getting people past your headlines.
I think you're really hurting in that area, so that's where you're probably
losing a lot of potential customers.

As an aside...

I did not view the videos mainly because I don't like videos in marketing.
But I have made a few for my own marketing efforts. The screenshots look
very good, so I'm assuming your videos are good and of high quality.

With that said, why don't you make them for yourself and market affiliate
products? I'm not being sarcastic, either. Or you can make some great videos
and video market your video creation services. As you know, most people in
forums don't want to pay a lot even for high quality. There are some exceptions,
though.

Feel free to pm me if you have any questions as I do not frequent this area.

Regards and good luck.

[John_S]

Given the garish ads warriors run, I don't see much out of the ordinary. Not that it works, mind you, just that it shouldn't be a turn off to that extent.

Do you really need two giant red arrows pointing to a video that, in and of itself, is supposed to draw attention? Methinks not.

What it seems like you are selling is video clipart. The underlying assumption, common to ebook cover artists, is creative and polished sells.

I believe this to be tested and proven as a faulty assumption.

Your opinion is, video templates will convert customers. You offer absolutely no proof or credibility for this claim. Pretty much like every graphic artist selling ebook covers, there's not even a hint anybody (anywhere) tested anything.

And, were this assumption even partly true, you'd have your conversions and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

You're selling MTV video cuteness to the infomercial crowd. There's a message to market mismatch there. Everything about the video screams graphic gimmick, nothing about actual conversions.

One fatal flaw the vast majority of video and graphic artists make is getting attention is everything. Most people here understand the formula Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

Consequently the video example you use comes off like a Flash splash page: Yelling "look at me" like a sugared up four-year-old.

Study infomercials -- not MTV, not Flash hyjinx, not goofy effects-laden PowerPoints.

Test, just like a warrior might test, using A/B split run tests which prove out some compelling bullet points...

....What video background color tested as converting 16.7% higher than any other

....Five riveting video openings that reduce bounce rates by 31.7%

....How to produce instant credibility with a visual product demo

....A simple graphic device to "showcase" your video, using it boost plays 7.6%

That's what Warrior Forum Members are buying. It's not what you're selling. You're selling cute and clever fluff. Warriors buy shrewd rat-like cunning, down and dirty.

Don't get me wrong, you'll get "ooohs and aahhhs" and "I'll use you ...someday." What you learn through testing is people will compliment you to your face, then go off and buy what they really want elsewhere. The opening of a wallet is the only thing that matters, not how many people say "oohhh pretty." And contrary to the devout hope of creatives, there is zero correlation between the two.

Yes that flies directly in the face of cherished graphic artist fairy tales. If you want to understand why, click the link What Would Direct Response Graphic Design Be Like in my signature.

Another thing: Call to action in video.

The basic problem is the offer is a mismatch to the market you targeted. Graphic artists, for example, never apply the key ingredients Cosmo and other impulse buy checkout magazines employ. They're PhotoShop jockeys -- not a contributor to the response of an offer.

[Raydal]

Originally Posted by bizideas

Just so you know, I AM NOT writing this to get exposure for my promotion.

Eric

Hi Eric,

I think there is a rule against making a post about a CURRENTLY
running WSO especially when it is in your signature file.

I was banned for mentioning my WSO in a post. So however innocent
you may be about this, the mods frown on this practice.

-Ray Edwards

[bizideas]

Hello Ken and thanks for your input.
In regards to your thoughts,

Originally Posted by KenThompson

The headlines are not convincing, do
not properly address customer needs, and the words used are not
the best for compelling headline copy.

Well no, people are definitely clicking on the ad, and the title matches the headliner.
My general thinking was that by using keywords such as "convert" and "boredom" then I would generate interest. The goal of the headline was to speak to those marketers who've experienced drab videos themselves and immediately clicked away before getting the message.

Originally Posted by KenThompson

Your layout/formatting is really bad, especially in the first ad.
The sentence formatting creates a horrible impression, and I imagine
people extend resultant judgments to your products. There are also
paragraph formatting problems.

Yeah, I agree with you Ken. That's the reason I eliminated the first ad. Why did I do this way? I've studied seemingly hundreds of ads right here on the warrior forum. A great deal of those ads seem to scream at me with big multi colored fonts and wild claims. Some of the most successful ads are doing this right now. They're gaudy yet they get lots of interaction.

Originally Posted by KenThompson

Your video is for one niche, so even though most could afford it
there's a good chance many are not in that niche. You are severely
liimiting your market by offering a video in one niche. I guess this point
is for those who can afford the lower end option but are not in that niche.

Actually, I think this is one of this bigger problems. I haven't successfully explained that I can produce videos across multiple genres, not just fitness. It was meant as an example, but, since it's a large niche someone may still want to use it. My attempt was to avail them the video template cheaply if this turned out to be the case. I think this failure underscores why the ad's direction is faulty. There is no "true" direction.

Originally Posted by KenThompson

The word that came to my mind when I first saw both ads is 'garish.'
I don't know why, but that's what I thought. I think the large arrow
graphic contributed, and the screenshot layout makes it all kind of big
and imposing.

Good point. The arrows really are too much. I looked at many of the long running and successful graphic designers in that section and they use gargantuan graphics so I decided to apply the same methodology. I should have listened to my instinct. The screenshot layout examples provided were, I think, great examples...but misplaced, and like you said, too large.

Originally Posted by KenThompson

The overall is confusing because you have copy seemingly all over the
place; under the screen shots, etc. I understand why you did it, but it
seems to make it hard for people take in everything. Don't make it hard
for people or it will hurt conversions.

I understand what you're saying. Makes perfect sense.

Originally Posted by KenThompson

The screenshots look
very good, so I'm assuming your videos are good and of high quality.

With that said, why don't you make them for yourself and market affiliate
products? I'm not being sarcastic, either. Or you can make some great videos
and video market your video creation services. As you know, most people in
forums don't want to pay a lot even for high quality. There are some exceptions,
though.

I'm not interested in affiliate marketing, however, if I were to do that I would need to know how to do basic sales copy first. It's either that or go ahead and hire a good copywriter...and according to the sticky that I read at the top of this forum, you "might" get one for 2,000 dollars if you're lucky. That's a little intimidating.

Thanks again Ken for your input.
I do appreciate it.

Eric

[bizideas]

Ray,

Thanks for letting me know that man. I didn't realize that.
I could really use the help too. I'm getting some good input.
What should I do now?
Delete my own post or let support know that I made a mistake?

Eric

[KenThompson]

Hey Eric,

Good point about the headlines. My comment was not well thought
out and here's why; I was mainly referring to one particular word - zap.
It's entirely subjective, I'll admit, but it came across to me as a poor
choice. So it's just an opinion, I suppose, and sorry for being less than
comprehensive.

I don't know what to advise re the issue of forum rules. I would imagine
it has already been read by a mod. But of course I don't know. Perhaps
contact a mod and ask about it. Maybe just delete it to be on the safe
side. You have some feedback about it, already.

Take care.

PS - You're welcome and glad to help when possible.

[Raydal]

Originally Posted by bizideas

Ray,

Thanks for letting me know that man. I didn't realize that.
I could really use the help too. I'm getting some good input.
What should I do now?
Delete my own post or let support know that I made a mistake?

Eric

I think if you temporarily remove your signature file then
you would appear more innocent. Again, I am not a Mod.
So you may want to ask one.

-Ray Edwards

[bizideas]

Originally Posted by John_S

Do you really need two giant red arrows pointing to a video that, in and of itself, is supposed to draw attention? Methinks not.

You're right. I agree. It is a bit much. The video in the middle of the screen should be enough.

Originally Posted by John_S

Your opinion is, video templates will convert customers. You offer absolutely no proof or credibility for this claim. Pretty much like every graphic artist selling ebook covers, there's not even a hint anybody (anywhere) tested anything. And, were this assumption even partly true, you'd have your conversions and we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Excellent point. I will need to "find the data" and illustrate (prove) why graphics and videos convert. The part about the template is a non-issue since it just makes it easier for the marketer who is on a really strict budget.

Originally Posted by John_S

One fatal flaw the vast majority of video and graphic artists make is getting attention is everything. Most people here understand the formula Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.

That's good information. Perhaps I need to apply these principles or at the very least be aware of them.

Originally Posted by John_S

Consequently the video example you use comes off like a Flash splash page: Yelling "look at me" like a sugared up four-year-old.

Well one thing is for sure. Four year olds certainly know how to get your attention, sugared up or not. As for flash, it wouldn't be around as a format if it didn't command attention. I just think I personally overused my illustrations a bit in this instance.

Originally Posted by John_S

That's what Warrior Forum Members are buying. It's not what you're selling. You're selling cute and clever fluff. Warriors buy shrewd rat-like cunning, down and dirty.

That one might take a while for me to sink my teeth into. Especially when it comes to applied video.

John thanks again for your time and brief analysis.
I know you guys are very busy.


Best Regards,
Eric