Case Study: "The Endorser!" Video Marketing Super Hero!

I've been reviewing some of the projects I have come up with over the last year that actually made me money and I wanted to share with you the following IM Success story.

First of all, I should tell you that I am a radio and TV personality. I talk and joke for a living. I am AV all the way...writing, not really my thing.

Second, Billy Mays is my hero. (The TV Pitchman, not the Welsh 'Footballer.')

So, I decided to do what Billy does only I would do it online. I created an online persona fro myself...THE ENDORSER!

As a Radio host I have done "live product endorsements" for several years, so I felt the transition to video would be a piece of cake. However, I also had to make money. here's what I did:

Step 1 - FIND AFFILIATE PRODUCTS
I started with items I actually used myself that had value to me. The first was an "Electric Dog Training Collar" that I used to train my dog to stop barking. Next came a "bath cup" that I used on my son to keep the soap from going into his eyes in the bathroom. For most of the "household" products that I promoted the only links I could find were through TARGET or AMAZON...not much payout, so I quickly switched to digital products available through CLICKBANK. These were great! I made several hundred dollars promoting online ebooks and services. The 75% affiliate commission was much more profitable than the 4% AMAZON commissions.

Step 2 - WRITE AND SHOOT VIDEO
Despite how simple people make it look, all great videos have a script. You have to know what you are going to say before you say it. Then, you have to practice. I didn't have anyone to help me so I shot the video on a tri-pod and flipped the view screen around so I could watch myself. Each video required about 6 or 7 takes to be perfect. Also, I LOVE PROPS! The more props you can use in a video the better (in my humble opinion.)

Step 3 - UPLOAD THE VIDEO EVERYWHERE
This stook me awhile to learn, but eventually I figured it out. When I just started out I would only upload to REVVER because they have an 'embedded advertising network' and a profit-sharing plan. The problem with REVVER was that I couldn't embed the video in certain places (like MYSPACE) and the viral traffic wasn't nearly as great as YouTube or Google Video. Plus, the pennies I was making on each video were laughable. So I uploaded my video to YouTube, and Google, and Myspace. AWESOME!

Think of Video sharing sites as Movie Theaters. If you make a movie you want it to be shown in as many movie theaters as possible! So, upload it everywhere!

Step 4 - PUBLICIZE
Becuase each of my videos included my product affiliate link, it was important that I publicize them. So I blogged, sent blasts to my list, and tried to get the word out online. I also notified the publishers and producers of each product that they had been "Endorsed by The Endorser!" That way they could include the video in their promotional materials. This happened a few times, and it actually introduced me to an entirely separate income stream....

Step 5 - GET PAID TO ENDORSE PRODUCTS ONLINE
My first paid endorsement came as a result of contact a product distributor directly. I produced a video for a "Crystal Salt Lamp" that my wife and I purchased online. I loved it. Not only was the lamp cool, but the company offered and affiliate program so I used it as one of my first "Endorser Products."

After the video was complete I sent it to the owner of the site. She emailed me back ans asked how much it would cost to do another video for some of her other products? I had no idea so I shot her back an email asking for $200. She agreed and shipped me out some products and a CHECK! (By the way, the products she sent me retailed for about $75! Now I was getting money AND free stuff!)

This led me to contact some other companies and in a few months I had about 3 or 4 paid endorsements. Plus, a ton of free swag! Here is just some of what I got:

1. $200 and a variety of Gourmet Dog Treats from "Bark Bark Bakery."
2. $200 and a leather handbag (Reatil price $175) from "Soals Fashions."
3. $200 and a "Crystal Salt Inhaler" from the affore mentioned website...
4. Approximately $1200 in affiliate product sales from various affilaites.
5. $22 from REVVER ad sharing.

Also, I had a few hundred copies of an old book I wrote laying around in the garage. My wife told me to clear them out, so I held a "Video Garage Sale!" I unloaded about 20 books for an additional $200.

All in all around $2000.00.

A pretty decent experiment. As I start looking ahead I am thinking that I can really ramp this project up by doing some FREE TRIAL OFFER videos and targeting some bigger companies.

Anyway, hopefully this gives you some idea of how-to use video to monetize your own businesses and products.

I'm not Billy Mays yet, but maybe one day you'll see me on TV hawking some kind of cleaner, tool, putty, shammy, or slider maker!

You Can See All Of My Video Here: YouTube - TheEndorser's Channel

(There is a NASCAR song and a MILEY CYRUS interview...those aren't Endorser Videos, I just didn't have any other place to put them at the time.)