New video trend from IM'ers is damned annoying!

Sara,

Interesting that these videos convert better.

After about 30 - 35 minutes into a certain video, I felt that I had been roped into an Amway meeting. Killed the video and moved on.

Oh well...

Joe

The great majority of these issues could be solved if the people who create the videos would simply test them. Instead, they assume that everyone is using the latest and greatest version of Windows and IE with a blazing fast connection.

Another ***HUGE*** problem is that some video producers seem to think that we want to sit through 15 minutes of idle chit chat before they get to the good stuff. A lot of podcast producers do the same. I can't imagine the countless sales that are lost because of this.

On the bright side, you can learn a lot by watching crappy videos and making sure that yours don't suck too.

That's what they tell you, anyway. I have my doubts.

Most are doing it because everyone else is. Hardly anyone bothers to truly test these things for themselves. They just follow the herd or what someone in their mastermind group suggested was giving them better results.

Sometimes people will do things that actually reduce their conversion rates without testing it for them selves just because some other guru is doing it.

Just because someone says it increases their results is NOT a reason to assume it is doing the same for you.

Varying niches, warm market vs first contact etc. will all perform differently. Test for your self if you are curious.

Personally, I skip any video that does not offer me controls... so for me as a visitor at least the conversion rate for players without controls are 0...

Now if the video was truly compelling and sucked me in, told me how long it was going to be, and kept it short to the point (no pointless personal history stories or fluffy filler)... I might stick around... but it'd have to be one of the best promo videos ever.

Amen!

I am with the OP. I usually end up closing the page down and going on with my business. I find it hard to believe that they convert better as the few posts I read in this thread seem to find it annoying. O well.

I would have to partly agree with the motivation for this thread.

As with this one:

Please use video controls on your marketing vids

Just a hunch but, I would venture to guess this new trend is just as much from marketers liking to play with their new toys and functions as it is because it converts better.

Exrat does bring up a solid good point though in his reply, check it out.

The theory there though makes me wonder if these marketers are only interested in selling to newbies exclusively and spending more time answering their ticket desk. Wouldn't it also be just as feasible to try and market to everyone as in those who are more experienced and less prone to persuasion and confusion?

pogul,

Nice to get an amen from the congregation! I feel so "Baptist" all of the sudden.

Thanks for the reply.

Joe

If this is the case then you were obviously not the target audience for the product or service being offered. The fact remains, if you have a burning problem that you NEED to find a solution for, you will sit through a video or read a sales letter no matter how long they are - provided you believe they have the solution you are looking for.

Sales letters work. Videos work. Which works better is totally up to the market you are targeting. Through proper split testing they will tell you what they prefer. You can't please everyone and if you waste your time trying, you will never get anywhere.

That his audience likes what he does :p.

MichaelHiles,

That's pretty interesting. But hey, if it works, it works.

I just find it annoying.

Thanks for the feedback.

Joe

that I'm definitely not one of his customers or his target market.

Right.

I personally can't stand watching them (speaking of ADD...) but if they convert - you just can't argue with that.

This rant seems to come up every single day.

So I'm going to make this response as short as I can given the complexity
of this issue.

Naturally, there are marketers out there who just copy other marketers
without knowing why they're doing the things they do. So they have no
idea if the tactic is going to work or not. This is, obviously, plain stupid.

However, there are marketers out there who actually know their stuff. And
if they put out a video with no controls, it is for one of two reasons.

1. They are split testing it against a video WITH controls to see which
converts better.

2. They already know it works better and use it exclusively.

You may have many questions in regard to the above.

How do they know it works better?
What would even make them think to do it if it annoys people?

And on and on.

Bottom line. Take it for what it's worth to you.

If marketer X uses a video with no controls and gets a better response
than if he DID use controls, then he's going to use it regardless of who
it pisses off.

The people who are pissed off are NOT the ones he is trying to reach.

He's already determined that he'll make more sales with this tactic,
provided he's not in the split testing phase. So the people who don't buy
either...

1. Wouldn't have bought in either case.

Or

2. If they WOULD have bought through the video with controls, those
sales would have turned out to be less than the video without controls.

That's it...end of story.

It doesn't matter who buys and who doesn't as long as the maximum
number of people end up buying.

Your PERSONAL opinion, in the grand scheme of things, doesn't mean
squat.

When marketers will begin to understand that and actually split test
various tactics themselves, they might actually start to make some money.

Because let me tell you, and I'm speaking from experience.

The people who bitch about things like this and long sales copy or
whatever it is, are usually broke because they don't know how to test
marketing methods. Hell, most don't know how to market period.

I'll complain about spam and illegal or unethical marketing practices. But
you will NEVER hear me complain about things like this, whether I like
them or not.

Because I know that there is a reason why the people who do this (the
ones who actually have a brain) do it.

Get that and watch your bottom line actually start to move in a positive
direction.

My 2 cents...for whatever they're worth.

I am just saying that emotional reaction might effect long term relationships. A lower conversion rate now might increase your sales down the track if it doesn't put your list or potential customers on the back foot from the start.

Have you split test that?

People still use dial-up? I thought that died out years ago.

Chris

I guess the "split" tests are proving that we are all "ADD" and if we don't watch the whole thing uninterrupted, then we are not "captive" to the message. If there are controls on the video, us ADD'rs can stop, rewind, forward wind, or whatever and miss the complete sequence of the message.....maybe even leave the page altogether.

Also, these videos are combined with the newfangled "timed" buy button.....which pops up as the "surprise" at the end.

Can't wait to see the next slew of slick IM page devices that will be put on sales pages whether they be video oriented or something else.....

I can appreciate the logic in not having video controls, but one I watched the other day was THIRTY FREAKIN MINUTES.... I've bought stuff from this person before...and I bought this time, but for the first time, I hated him after I bought it... I kept thinking to myself.... "I'M SOLD...LET ME BUY THE DAMN THING"

So you're probably saying to yourself "yeah, but you bought his stuff"

Yeah, I bought it...and I also unsubscribed to his newsletters. I'd rather listen to Billy Mays scream at me about OxyClean...

I once heard "A sermon doesn't have to be eternal to be everlasting"... please don't make them longer than it takes to read a long sales letter!