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For Those of You Wondering if People Would Rather Read or Watch a Video...

by aaallday2010
8 replies
It gets asked all the time here, what is better for a sales page: long form sales letter or video?

Well, I just stumbled on something a minute ago and thought I'd share it with you.

As Internet marketers, we can sometimes have a biased towards somethine because we see it so often. Sometimes it's good to get your visitors reaction and see what they think.

Check out this from Yahoo:

Pizza Craving Leads To $1M Powerball Prize - Yahoo! News

It's a video not an article.

Now read the comments below the video.

Now, I'm sure the ad in the beginning of the video has something to do with all the negative comments towards video, but I think this also shows that people would be more willing to read than to watch a video.

If you read the comments carefully, many are specifically angry towards the fact that it's a video, not so much the ad.

I think the most you should get from this at least give your visitors the option for both. Have a video at the top with the text at the bottom.

Just thought I'd share.
#people #read #video #watch #wondering
  • Profile picture of the author Lucy Writes
    I definitely prefer to read. I get more out of it if I'm reading it. I enjoy it more. Video is just kind of a hassle for me. I often see news headlines on Yahoo that I am interested in, but then see that the news story is a video instead of an article. Most of the time, unless it's something I REALLY need to know about just then, I'll skip it if it's a video. Just the fact that it's a video is a turn-off for me.
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  • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
    I dislike videos. But I would never assume that my customers feel the same way. The best thing is for everyone to test it out -- let customers vote with their wallets. Then you'll know for sure.
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  • Profile picture of the author Greg McKenzie
    I don't see any reason for not providing both!

    Those that prefer video will watch - those that prefer to read will read...
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  • Profile picture of the author YasirYar
    Its a choice that everyone makes under different circumstances. Infographics is great but so is reading a detailed account. I think good authors can express more than what a video can show, especially emotions.
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  • Profile picture of the author Flores
    Interesting. People are really put off by that, it seems. I have always been under the impression that video was the best. This makes me re-think that. Thanks for the thread!
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    • Profile picture of the author aaallday2010
      Originally Posted by Flores View Post

      Interesting. People are really put off by that, it seems. I have always been under the impression that video was the best. This makes me re-think that. Thanks for the thread!

      Me too.

      I was under the impression that video was better because it definitely converts better apparently.

      But then again, it's hard to say with this because this is just an article that someone clicked on out of curiosity. They were probably at work and just wanted to quickly scan an article rather than watch a 2 minute video and 30 second commercial.

      But the comments do make you think about it a bit more.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rough Outline
    I say this all the time. Don't choose either video OR writing. Use both, give the choice to your visitors.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jere Kuisma
    I was surprised by the comments. I always prefer video material rather than text. It's just so much "easier" to follow it and stay on.

    Though text might be sometimes better if you need to do something complicated step by step, then it might be easier to follow if it's written in front of you.
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