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Billy Mays vs. Internet Marketers

by Christian Moore
10 replies
Its no secret that videos do sell.

And when done correctly, videos sell EXTREMELY well.

Being a student of marketing, I spend a lot of time analyzing the
videos of other marketers to gain some insights and tactics for use
within my own businesses.

Having said that...

I just finished watching 2 videos from 2 well known Internet Marketers...

One video took 30+ minutes to pitch an affiliate marketing course,
the other took 90 minutes to pitch an authority and membership course.

Both videos had the dreaded "no controls" and were simply slideshow presentions.

Now, for the record I have no idea how well these videos converted
and I didn't watch the entire video...

But it lead me to thinking... aside from the obvious differences (price points,
markets, production, etc.),

Why does it take Internet Markerts 30+ minutes to do
what Billy Mays was able to do in 3 minutes or less - SELL PRODUCTS?

And do you think a 30+ minute video is necessary or way too long to make an offer?
#billy #internet #internet marketers #marketers #mays #video marketing
  • Profile picture of the author scrofford
    Well in my humble opinion I think it's because people come to the internet to find information, not necessarily buy products. When you watch an infomercial on TV, people know they are trying to be sold. Most people who come online don't really want to be sold and it takes a longer sales letter or video to accomplish this. Although infomercials on TV can also be up to an hour to ninety minutes.
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    • Profile picture of the author Soapyshoe
      If the video is longer than 5 minutes, some fat needs to be cut out.

      Commercials are shorter because of the cost.

      Online, you can spend as much time as you want.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Unless you have a sensational following anything beyond 5-10 minutes is pushing it. The attention span of the average watcher can't be any longer than that.

    All solid points made above. I'd add that Billy Mays was Billy Mays. There's a reason the man became wealthy and famous. He was darn good at what he did and didn't need more than a few minutes to sell you. Again, a different format but the man was talented.
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    • Profile picture of the author TyBrown
      Billy Mays was selling products that were in the $20-$40 range where one could see the immediate value in the product (or not).

      Information products using video to sell are often pricier and need more education to sell because the benefits aren't immediately understood until the education takes place.
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by Christian Moore View Post

    Why does it take Internet Markerts 30+ minutes to do what Billy Mays was able to do in 3 minutes or less - SELL PRODUCTS?
    Because an internet marketer's product frequently DOESN'T meet the criteria Billy Mays had for products.

    There's no easily-demonstrable "wow" feature of the product. It's not easily described in a short period of time. It doesn't "magically" solve a problem most people have. And it doesn't fit into the "magic" price points that people will pay on impulse.

    So the internet marketer has to take a lot more time to explain what it does, what it is, why you need it, and why you should pay this much for it. Because you need a lot more convincing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Online Bliss


    I wish the late Billy Mays had done an online
    marketing commercial.
    He would have doubled the offer
    thrown in a couple more bonuses
    kept the video to 29 seconds
    and I would have been sold on the spot!
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    • Profile picture of the author Soapyshoe
      If you can *show* your product magically solving a problem in 30 seconds, you can make your video that short.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    To be fair, Billy Mays HAS done 30 minute infomercials, but I get the main point.

    You're really comparing apples to oranges, though. That will happen any time you try to compare Billy to anybody else.

    He sadly passed away about 11 months ago, and they are still running his commercials on TV. Why? Because he was the best at what he did. Anthony Sullivan, his business partner, is pretty darn good...but he's no Billy.

    All the best,
    Michael
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    "Ich bin en fuego!"
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  • Profile picture of the author skorpion
    I think it has a lot to do with the market.

    In my opinion, a 30 second commercial is just like a banner ad on a website.

    While an infomercial is more like a "sales video" you'd find online.

    The markets are also different and that matters.

    Thats my opinion.

    -Peter

    PS: Billy Mays here with another FANTASTIC product!!!...classic.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dwight Anthony
    I've seen 30 minute infomercials from Billy and those same commercials condensed down to 15-30 secs and still sell like hotcakes. Maybe IMr's could take something from this?

    Originally Posted by Christian Moore View Post

    Its no secret that videos do sell.

    And when done correctly, videos sell EXTREMELY well.

    Being a student of marketing, I spend a lot of time analyzing the
    videos of other marketers to gain some insights and tactics for use
    within my own businesses.

    Having said that...

    I just finished watching 2 videos from 2 well known Internet Marketers...

    One video took 30+ minutes to pitch an affiliate marketing course,
    the other took 90 minutes to pitch an authority and membership course.

    Both videos had the dreaded "no controls" and were simply slideshow presentions.

    Now, for the record I have no idea how well these videos converted
    and I didn't watch the entire video...

    But it lead me to thinking... aside from the obvious differences (price points,
    markets, production, etc.),

    Why does it take Internet Markerts 30+ minutes to do
    what Billy Mays was able to do in 3 minutes or less - SELL PRODUCTS?

    And do you think a 30+ minute video is necessary or way too long to make an offer?
    Signature

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