Video Squeeze Pages that AutoPlay...with No Controls...for 30 Minutes!

This seems to be a common practice and evidently very effective. The 'gurus' are using this method quite often.

I don't mind the auto play and the length but I would mostly like click out if it. I don't like not given the option. It doesn't suit everyone.

Sorry didn't see the vote right away.

I hate it when people take away my choices!

Sometimes I start watching a video and don't always have the time to finish it, so if I go back later I don't want to start from the beginning again.

Also those video's without controls don't let you jump back to a segment to listen to it again if you want to get some clarification.

I can tell you that these are being used because they work like crazy!

Yes, it's counter-intuitive but it converts and that's why you'll see more of this in the future.

Hmm I know you guys may be suggesting it as some "clever" marketing tactic, however I truly believe many will simply get aggrivated and leave the site (I know I would!).

But then... I have no statistics to back my claim up. Very interesting topic though, I wonder if he actually banished the controls intetionally.

I think it really depends...

If I was watching the video after much anticipation built
with many emails, I may watch it despite how long it is.

But if it was just one time email and I was forced to watch
it, I may just either leave it or open up another browser
and do something else while still listening to it.

the fastest way to make me leave your site is to have audio/video that starts automatically. I *HATE* it. It can be a pain because I often scroll through results and open lots of different tabs while I go. Then someone has feckin music playing and I have to figure out which tab it is. On one the script was broken and it kept playing even after I closed the window. It wasn't until I closed Firefox that I saw the error box and closed it - and the music stopped. Ugh!

Yup, if there is a pause button, I wouldn't mind- I have seen one's which have this- it just plays automatically- no buttons ... but you can also double click to make it stop...lol- however there was NO fast forward- and I found it a bit irritating- because what if a person missed a part- then they have to start all over again?


annoying, and time consuming... maybe make it editable after the person has watched it once? then they can come back and fast forward, rewind etc?

I do the same thing using VideoDownloadHelper (one of my all time favorite addons) and wimpy desktop player... especially when I run into those fake live webinars.

Download and save for watching later at my own convenience.

Whether it "works" or not depends on what the goal is...

I am not a fan of videos without controls and I do not believe for a second that it is a proven or adequately tested response booster.

There are too many video marketing products that come out, use a few limited impact small volume case studies and make claims about the viability of certain strategies.

Most of the time these are coming from people with limited experience in direct response web video deployment and with limited knowledge of other more powerful response boosting options out there...

But more often than not the videos that you see where navigation is omitted... is merely because of lack of experience with player technology and just using the first thing that they thought was cool.

Some do it on purpose... but of those very few again have real solid experience or knowledge of enough campaigns with volume and results to really compare and know what works better. They might compare A to B and because B performed better they go with it... but they likely never experienced C, D, E, F and G some of which may pull better.

Too many people get anal about this stuff because some strong promoted guru with a short history of publishing video on the web and little exposure to what is possible made a claim that some strategy that they added a catch phrase to will generate $11,583 in just 7 days or boost your conversion by 323%.

Any time you see claims like that you can just assume they are hyping up something that they have had limited success with and therefor decided to create a course about. Don't accept it as the gospel. It may provide a boost to other methods but there is almost always a better more effective way.

When you have thousands of clients deploying tens of thousands of video campaigns with your technologies and sharing the results of various strategies that they try you get a much different perspective ;-)

Of course that does not mean we do not cater to those who want such abilities... our job is to deliver the technology... not to force a fool to avoid using it in the wrong way if they are dead set on doing so.

Controls and navigation bars are a very good thing when it comes videos longer than the 3 minute or less promo video.

I vote with my feet and leave

Kim

I'm gone - too long - no way I can "get to the punch line" - too many things on my plate to sit for 40 minutes - or even 20 minutes... or even 10 minutes.

If it's only 4 or 5 minutes - they MAY get me. Otherwise OUTA HERE!!!

Most Americans are "belongers" 37 percent. Most of them will put up with such tactics, even be strongly persuaded by them. Most marketers are not belongers, I suspect we may be " the societally conscientious," 22 percent, who are afraid of being manipulated. Of course most of these replies are going to say "leave!" I would and usually do.

Good point, John, even if someone is very interested, they might have something else to do or might even want to hear a point again.

Nice BENEFITS ya got here, I t'ink ya gotta agree. Shame if ya lost 'em from not ORDERIN' right today, ya gets me? Now where was we, bring up my projector there Guido, slide 85 of 192, look at da EXAMPLE of how this is gonna make yer business great, okay...

It's definitely popular, but is that because it works or because the lemmings like to follow each other to the same cliff?

Well, that's something completely different isn't it? If you know what it is, expect it and are looking forward to it? Even then I'd really prefer a player with controls as John pointed out.

Robyn, you got it. I don't like long sales letters either. When you send someone a letter in the mail, there's no choice but to have line after line, page after page. On the Internet, you could just as well have a testimonial or two that's clickable for the full testimonials page.

Michel Fortin thought this was the future of online marketing and I'm disappointed that hasn't happened.

I realize that the mindset is "don't let 'em do anything but leave or buy." That seems as disrespectful and controlling as the old casino idea that there's no natural light so you can't realize you stayed all night. How old school! The newer ones actually have windows.

If you're like most people in Internet Marketing, an ad that starts "if you're like most people" makes you change the channel! :p

i usually cant stand anything longer than 15 minutes... i think it would be nice if at the beginning of the video the speaker stated how long the video was going to be so i could at least prepare myself mentally.