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Video Sales Letter

by Eoon
9 replies
Ok, if there already is a thread like this please point me to it since I haven't found one. I was looking for actual experiences of people going from a standard endless sales letter to a video sales letter and what happened to the conversion.

I know I can expect responses like depends on the niche and such, but I am interested in any experience before I invest in experimenting with this.

Any thoughts are welcome.
#letter #sales #video
  • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
    In 2013, there's very few good reasons not to be testing a VSL against a long-copy letter - in any market.

    There's simply too many unknown variables for anyone to give you any meaningful advice other than, "Test it!".

    Sounds like a cop-out answer, but it's really the only responsible answer.
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    Brian McLeod
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    • Profile picture of the author Jreed
      I've found that some of the best video sales letters are videos that don't really promote the product.

      They are very natural and kind of mention the link in passing. Just enough to get you curious enough to click but not obvious enough to make you think that clicking the link was the whole purpose of the video.

      Hope that makes sense.
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      • Profile picture of the author BrianMcLeod
        Originally Posted by Jreed View Post

        I've found that some of the best video sales letters are videos that don't really promote the product.

        They are very natural and kind of mention the link in passing. Just enough to get you curious enough to click but not obvious enough to make you think that clicking the link was the whole purpose of the video.

        Hope that makes sense.
        That's not a video sales letter - it's a presell video.

        Different beasty.
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        Brian McLeod
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  • Profile picture of the author NatesMarketing
    I agree with Brian - test it.

    But, in one of my experiences...I switched between the sales page and the video...and the sales page outperformed the video by about 5%.

    Was it that the video sucked? Maybe?

    Was it that the sales page was just super awesome? Maybe?

    Was a video not a good idea for my product? Maybe?

    And a ton of other variables and variations could be tested.

    Just sharing one of mine...
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Pescetti
    Look at Fat Loss Factor...

    Dr. Charles started out with a long form sales letter that bombed.

    He then went to a PP presentation that converted pretty well.

    Then he eventually went to the whiteboard version you see now that massively increased conversions.

    And like a smart IMer, he STILL tried to beat his own control with a claymation video (that bombed.)

    But like Brian said, he TESTED everything.

    Every market can see an increase in conversions with video. But at the end of the day, effective copy (and proper design execution) will work - regardless of the medium.

    If you ain't testing, you ain't trying. That's my motto.

    Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author Long Beach Nathan
    Video seems to have a tendency to outperform regular sales letters, but this may vary depending on your product.
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    • Profile picture of the author EricRand
      I found that video works great when you can use it to build trust in ways that prose just can't: sound of voice, simple demonstration of product.

      But it always depend on the product(s) --

      So as Brian mentioned above - testing it is the best answer.

      EricRand
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  • Profile picture of the author max5ty
    Not a big fan of most VSLs.

    Never thought words scrolling by or someone quacking on about some product was a good idea.

    I know some will say they convert like crazy...but I ask, compared to what? A sales letter?

    Why not make them like a mini movie or something that will be interesting.

    I think this site has the right idea. I'm guessing it is doing pretty good.

    It's a free movie by some Australian guy.

    Don't have any connection with it...and there's some things I'd change...but then again we'd all probably change some things if it was our own project.

    I consider it a good VSL. Yeah it's longer than most think of a VSL...but I think it does the job.

    Fat Sick and Nearly Dead | a Joe Cross Film
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    • Profile picture of the author Len Bailey
      Virtually all of my clients have found VSLs to convert higher than the same copy in sales letter format, regardless of who wrote the letter. Not all, and not every client, so you'll definitely want to test it. But that's the overall trend.

      As for full video vs. VSL... several of my clients switched their main focus to VSLs because they won in tests. So while they may seem ugly, boring, and a waste of time... none of that matters if they outperform.

      My suggestion is to test for yourself. Test VSL vs. traditional sales page. Then test a traditional video, or any other format you think might work. But be sure to keep the copy and as any other variables the same so your results reflect the true test (the format).

      And once you have a winner... don't forget to re-test periodically. What works today may not work as well six months from now.
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