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As a buyer of what you're selling, I never...

by ZaraK
50 replies
watch your videos. Ever. Never ever.

I turn them down, put them on pause if I can. I scan your sales page. That's all. I can read your sales page much more quickly than I can wait for your video. Even if I have to scroll to Tierra del Fuego at the bottom. I don't have a lot of time and I don't intend to waste the time I do have with you telling me about how wonderful you or your program is in a dark, blurry vid. I may take a quick glance at your video if you are actually showing me your product or how to use it.

Surely I can't be the only one. So....as somebody who is looking to make the transition from a buyer to a seller (although not of IM products, but something completely unrelated), please educate me as to what I am missing, because clearly most of you are very enamored with the videos, as they seem to be on every sales page.

For what it's worth, I feel the same way about flash. Flash me, I'm outta there. Fast.

I don't want videos, I don't want music, I don't want flash, I don't want games, I don't want bells and whistles. I want the information, I want it quickly, I want it cleanly, I want it factually, so I can make an educated decision to buy or to move on.

SO, from your perspective, what is the real, actual benefit? Because if there really is one, I'll gladly use the very same videos I refuse to watch myself

Another point form the buyer POV - you may as well just give me the discounted price up front. Because if I do decide to buy, despite your video and your scrollscrollscrollscrollscroll sales page, and the claim that there are only 3 units left and then they leave the planet forever (on some kind of virtual rocket, I am guessing), I am going to enter the order page and then back out of it so you'll give me the WAIT! Don't LEAVE! price.

Is it possible to sell with, and is anybody having success with a factual, clean, noBS sales page? I admit I am a complete newbie so I'd really like to know the answer to this. I suspect so many of you would not be using the same approach if it were not working, so perhaps I am missing something.
#buyer #discount #newbie #selling #video
  • Profile picture of the author George Wright
    Well,

    When I saw your subject line I jumped in here to say "Then Buddy you are not my target."

    Then when I saw your low posts and recent Join date I was ready to say "How dare you.... bla bla bla.

    Then When I saw your post I have to say....

    I Agree 100%

    Welcome to the Warrior Forum,

    George Wright
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    • Profile picture of the author John Durham
      Originally Posted by George Wright View Post

      Well,

      When I saw your subject line I jumped in here to say "Then Buddy you are not my target."

      Then when I saw your low posts and recent Join date I was ready to say "How dare you.... bla bla bla.

      Then When I saw your post I have to say....

      I Agree 100%

      Welcome to the Warrior Forum,

      George Wright
      Thats what I was saying exactly...dont buy then. That just means you werent my target. But yeah unless I specifically order a video., I pause em, dont watch... hate em on sales pages.
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      • Profile picture of the author Black Hat Cat
        Banned
        Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

        Thats what I was saying exactly...dont buy then. That just means you werent my target.
        Maybe....if your target market is people who will only buy from long, boring videos that can pull dual duty as a sleep aid. Who the heck are these crazy marketers that say "I want to alienate as many people as possible, and only want people to buy who are interested in my lame ass video instead of people who are actually interested in what I'm selling", which, frankly, doesn't make a lot of sense.

        If you're selling something I want/need, I'm your target market. If you make it difficult as hell to buy, I'm going to go buy that same product from someone else.

        By the way, just curious.....has anyone here ever heard someone say(or said to yourself) "You know, I was going to buy, but I took a pass because he didn't bore me to tears with a 40 minute video with no controls"?

        I know I tell myself this all the time. Not.
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  • Profile picture of the author Vincenzo Oliva
    Originally Posted by ZaraK View Post

    Is it possible to sell with, and is anybody having success with a factual, clean, noBS sales page?
    That's the problem, people HATE to be sold. Sales page=selling.

    Video's on the other hand, if done correctly, are informational and have a much higher perceived value. I've gotten some great tips from guru "free" videos bacause most go by the rule of thumb to give away your best info free and they'll pay for the rest.

    People by nature are voyeuristic. They watch way more movies then read or listen to audios. Videos get attention, sales pages say adios amigo.
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    • Profile picture of the author ZaraK
      I think you make some good points, Vincenzo.

      But those very same videos I am talking about are heading up one of those sales pages that scroll for days with blinkies and boxes and wait don't order yet because you're going to get all these free bonuses worth One Beelyon Dollars (in the sellers own mind) and it's CLEARLY not ONLY a sales page, it's a REALLY REALLY REALLY LONG sales page.

      So why are so many using that format? Wasn't it invented in ...1950 or something like that?
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Vincenzo Oliva View Post

      That's the problem, people HATE to be sold. Sales page=selling.

      Video's on the other hand, if done correctly, are informational and have a much higher perceived value. I've gotten some great tips from guru "free" videos bacause most go by the rule of thumb to give away your best info free and they'll pay for the rest.

      People by nature are voyeuristic. They watch way more movies then read or listen to audios. Videos get attention, sales pages say adios amigo.
      This isn't true ... these threads come up all the time and many say they hate videos sales pages. They want to scan the info. They don't want to donate 40 of their time to some boring sales video. I'm on dialup, so I don't watch them, nor do I buy video products that don't have the pdf scripts to go with them.

      But the sellers love them. I suspect sellers love them a great deal more than buyers love them. Maybe they believe they convert better ... who knows, but I do know that when threads like this come up, there are a lot of people who simply do not watch the videos and if video is all you got, you've lost the sale.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Well, understand that you may not represent the majority of that product creator's target audience. As such, he/she doesn't give a flip what you think of their sales page. Don't take that the wrong way... just giving you the seller's perspective. They can't please everyone, obviously, so they aim to please the majority, at least to the extent that they can divine the majority's preferences.

    That last means they probably tested a few different styles of sales page. Better marketers do that. A lot don't. Who knows in this particular case. The point is, what you don't like might actually be working best for them (ie, converting the highest percentage of visitors into customers). If I was that seller and you presented me with your complaints, honestly, I'd ignore them as long as everything I was doing was above board and ethical. That's how it goes.

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author David Hooper
    I agree with you. I'm busy, so just get the point and give me the details about what it can do for me and how much it costs.

    With that said, I've been in the game a while and I'm probably not the target market for most of this stuff, which seems to be for newbies.
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  • Profile picture of the author indexphp
    split test your traffic to a video salesletter vs. a written salesletter

    good direct marketers do what works and take their assumptions out of the equation completely by letting the numbers do the talking

    it wouldn't hurt for product sellers to cater to both and do a video AND a written salesletter. in the end, do what works even if you hate it
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by ZaraK View Post

    I suspect so many of you would not be using the same approach if it were not working, so perhaps I am missing something.
    You're missing very little. For the most part, everyone else is missing something. I'm serious.

    In internet marketing, "so many" marketers are using very similar approaches that alienate large numbers of potential customers, because they all imagine that "so many of you would not be using the same approach if it were not working". Pretty often, when people actually test stuff properly (which is quite rare, contrary to the impression and advice given by many), they drop it like a hot stone.

    It's not only video - though video's certainly a great example of it.

    There are loads of other things to which much the same criteria apply: huge headlines in bright red print With Every Word Starting With A Capital Letter (most of the time, almost anything else will outperform that, but it's what many continue to use), exit pop-ups, light-box pop-ups, fake scarcity, fake urgency, implausible testimonials, illegal income-claims, and more ... all these things normally cost their users conversions and returning traffic every day of the week, yet they all remain in widespread use simply because everyone repeats what everyone else says and does, and the widespread (and often totally mistaken) belief is that all this crap increases conversions.

    Welcome to the forum.

    Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

    I suspect sellers love them a great deal more than buyers love them.
    This is true of many of the "techniques" used by people who don't really test things properly for themselves but rely instead on their perceptions of widespread industry beliefs/experience about things which "must" be right because they're what "everyone's using".
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    • Profile picture of the author Marc Rodill
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      fake scarcity, fake urgency, implausible testimonials, illegal income-claims, and more ...
      Okay, Alexa is very smart and whatever. She'll probably get mad at me for this. But don't ever compare using video, to the above. And certainly don't consider what she said above as "techniques."

      They're outright fraud and lying. Period.

      OF COURSE video converts differently and poorly in some situations. Video is simply a medium to channel your message.

      Video, much like the written word, is an art. And you need to study it just as closely if you are to apply it successfully to your profession of selling.

      Just like you can't slap up some old written review, assuming of course you want to sell something, without following a sales format. The same goes about video.

      Back to the OP.

      He mentioned he won't read video, ever.

      Do you know how many people won't read sales pages, ever?

      THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE CLICK AWAY.

      Yet we keep on making sales pages for that 1-10% of the population.

      GET OUTSIDE OF THE BUBBLE.

      We're in here and we think our customer and other people should be exactly like us.

      Reality is, they're not. They're them. The people around you when you go shopping.

      P.S. To abundance, all scarcity is fake.
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      • Profile picture of the author DogScout
        Originally Posted by Marc Rodill View Post


        Do you know how many people won't read sales pages, ever?

        THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE CLICK AWAY.

        Yet we keep on making sales pages for that 1-10% of the population.
        Was on Amazon last night for a few hours... Bought 5 things instead of the one I was looking for. EVERY page has something to buy on it. I suspect if the home page converted like a great squeeze page, someone would get fired. I never see any large companies even use the format. I suspect those are also the companies that do test. But, it is only a guess.

        Squeeze/sales pages seem to fine for the 7-8 figure income company, but to scale to a billion or more, very intricate funnels seem to be the order of the day.:rolleyes:
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    • Profile picture of the author Goatboy
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      In internet marketing, "so many" marketers are using very similar approaches that alienate large numbers of potential customers, because they all imagine that "so many of you would not be using the same approach if it were not working". Pretty often, when people actually test stuff properly (which is quite rare, contrary to the impression and advice given by many), they drop it like a hot stone.
      Folks in IM have a tendency to find something that works and then export that knowledge to every other marketer around them. So, an idea that works great today may be stale tomorrow because suddenly everyone is doing the same thing. It seems to me that all of the things you mentioned might fall into this category.

      Big red headlines may have worked well when the first marketer tried them; now I skim past and barely read them. Those annoying exit pop-ups used to catch my attention; now they just make me exit as fast as possible and remember not to go back to that site. The first video I saw was cool and I thought "how wonderful that someone took the time to do this for me." Now I just skip past videos for the written material because I'm on the net to solve a problem not waste time watching a poorly executed infomercial.

      The point is that all of these things may still work in certain niches, or when dealing with internet noobs, or anyone who hasn't seen the techniques done to death. For those of us who are more jaded, these same techniques may have the effect of pushing us away from buying.

      So, I think both sides of the discussion have some merit.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Goatboy View Post

        Big red headlines may have worked well when the first marketer tried them; now I skim past and barely read them.
        Sure - as do many people.

        Neuro-ophthalmologists have shown that Starting Every Word With A Capital Letter Slows Down Reading Speeds, which is exactly the opposite to what one ought to do with a headline.

        This one's a particular bugbear of mine, because I have a regularly repeating conversation with clients about it (wanting to increase their conversion-rates) and it's hugely misunderstood.

        Every split-test I've seen has (understandably) shown that style of headline presentation to convert worse than the alternative against which it was being tested.

        Originally Posted by Goatboy View Post

        Those annoying exit pop-ups used to catch my attention; now they just make me exit as fast as possible and remember not to go back to that site.
        Again, you're not at all unrepresentative of the "wider market" in that regard, Steve.

        That one's rather a special case, in that people quite commonly imagine they've "tested" it simply by seeing that people do either opt in to it or take up the exit-discount, without quite thinking it through and appreciating that that's happening at a cost, that people are being lost who would otherwise return, and so on and so forth.

        The moral of the story is that people should test, reliably and properly, for themselves, and not rely on out-of-date, misunderstood, second-hand information some of which was actually never true in the first place and all of which may not apply to them anyway.
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        • Profile picture of the author Goatboy
          Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

          people do either opt in to it or take up the exit-discount,
          I actually had a discussion about the use of exit discounts in a sales class I sat winter. If I recall right, the majority of the students felt the tactic left the marketer looking "desperate" to make a sale.

          Many of us also wondered why the product wasn't offered at the lower price to begin with. The dual pricing structure left us feeling like the intial offering was an attempt to get more money from us than the vendor thought the product was really worth, which led us to distrust the vendor.

          Obviously, the technique will work sometimes, but probably not always. The only way to decide if anything works is to test and test again.

          Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Marc Rodill
    Hey -- here's a contrasting opinion:

    Who gives a ****!

    NO matter what you do as a marketer, a person, or a flying chimpanzee, you are going to be unfavorable to, piss off, or even outrage some segment of your target audience.

    Unless you're a flying chimpanzee who juggles cats. Nobody hates those.

    But seriously.

    Okay, so you won't watch a video. Cool.

    You're aware that many people do watch video, right? So out of 200 million people or whatever (of course clearly a fraction of which are in our market) you must realize you're a relatively small sample of everyone's purchasing habits... yes?

    WHY close off your mind to a proven marketing format? If you don't like video, they weren't "targeting" you in the first place.

    They made a video for people who WATCH VIDEO so they can reach THOSE PEOPLE on a different level THAT THEY would feel more comfortable with (and perhaps even, ENJOY! Ahhh!)

    Brain-teaser: If video marketing suddenly disappeared, would everyone who hates video marketing become magically happier overnight forever, or would they just find something else to hate on?

    I mean, I don't even get the point of this post. Other than to state your hatred for watching videos and you don't have time for such "nonsense."

    Well, since we're sharing, I hate green eggs and ham. I also don't have time to read the book.

    Doesn't mean the world is ever going to stop selling eggs, books or ham to the people who do buy, love and consume them.

    So when it comes to YOUR marketing, who cares what you think? Take your personal satisfaction out of the equation for a moment, step back and look at the bigger picture.

    Marc

    P.S. Good Lord. That was harsh. I apologize. I haven't had my morning cigarette.
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by Marc Rodill View Post

      Hey -- here's a contrasting opinion:

      Who gives a ****!
      Breathe deeply ... inhale ... exhale ...
      Now have your morning cigarette
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      • Profile picture of the author Marc Rodill
        Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

        Breathe deeply ... inhale ... exhale ...
        Now have your morning cigarette
        SNEAK ATTACK

        I censored my own post. Go figure. It's still too over the top.

        P.S. I personally hate watching "normal" videos too.

        I only like the ones with high production value that really grab me.

        And I understand I have lots of conflicting beliefs on this, but who doesn't?

        If a guy has more fun in his life making his lame ass videos, let him be.

        Which in this case, I should take my own advice. Peace.
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        • Profile picture of the author rhinocl
          I am just like the OP I want to learn about your offer quickly and videos are slow. Based on speaking with people in the real world at IM marketing groups, I think we are in the miority but there are enough of us out there that advertisers should offer an alternative.
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          Video, much like the written word, is an art. And you need to study it just as closely if you are to apply it successfully to your profession of selling.
          It can be an art - just as copywriting can be if done well. However, truth is most marketers like video because it's easier to crank out once you know how to do it.

          And many think they are more compelling on camera than the viewers do. It seems to be a knee jerk reaction here to defend video when anyone expresses a dislike for it. Adding a text version takes a bit more effort and some aren't willing to make that effort. They might have to use spell check or hire a copywriter!

          I can read in 60 seconds what I can hear in a video after 5 minutes. I don't watch videos, I don't buy products that are only presented in videos, and a video without controls is an automatic page closer for me.

          Providing informative text might lead to a sale - so why would any seller refuse to give visitors the option of reading and/or watching? Do they think the only way someone would be interested in their product is if they talk it up?

          To me, the stance that "video is the only way to go" is self defeating. Test it to see if some portion of your target market are "readers" rather than "watchers".

          kay
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          • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
            Banned
            Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

            It can be an art - just as copywriting can be if done well. However, truth is most marketers like video because it's easier to crank out once you know how to do it.

            And many think they are more compelling on camera than the viewers do. It seems to be a knee jerk reaction here to defend video when anyone expresses a dislike for it. Adding a text version takes a bit more effort and some aren't willing to make that effort. They might have to use spell check or hire a copywriter!
            I wonder how much testing is actually done on sites offering the offer only through video, sites that have both text and video and sites that have only sales copy.

            And many think they are more compelling on camera than the viewers do.
            ^
            That, combined with the ease of slapping a video together as opposed to creating compelling copy seems more likely the reason for video's popularity with sellers.

            Personally, before I got on dialup here and watched some of those video sales pages ... they bored me to tears, and I didn't find the narrator compelling. I found many of them really lame and turned me off ... oooh ... he's driving ..... oooh ... he's bare chested and has a 3-day shadow .... oooh ... he looks like a surfer dude. lol.

            However ... I have found the written word compelling when the copywriting is great and there have been sales pages that I'm not interested in the product that I've read thoroughly due to the fascinating sales pitch. A couple of times ... I even broke down and bought it just for the heck of it.
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  • Profile picture of the author cashcow
    I'm the same way, I don't have the time to sit through a video (unless I can learn something from it) and I always look for the discount.

    But, it's not about what I want or even what you want ... it's about what the majority of the visitors to that page want. I would imagine it's quite different for every product which is why you need to test different versions of the sales page.

    Lee
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  • Profile picture of the author funkynassau
    I dont like the videos either, they take too long. A lot of them could be condensed into half the time/space and then maybe I'd watch. They dont just get to the point, which is what I am looking for.
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  • Profile picture of the author I.M.Retired
    You asked in your message:

    Is it possible to sell with, and is anybody having success with a factual, clean, noBS sales page?
    There is a very senior member of this forum with a tremendous amount of authority, know how and marketing savvy who has the best sales page I have even seen!

    Much as I too, usually hate and detest all of the marketing ploys you mentioned, and video most of all - I actually watched the video on his brief, and totally amazing sales page. And I'm going to buy his product.

    If a person really has split-tested their sales page, and the video and long blah blah page converts best for them, well, they'd be foolish to switch I suppose.

    However, I don't ever intend to be added to their customer list as 'I'm outta-there' like the famed creature (bat) out of the place that is spelled 'He double hockey sticks!)
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      I would not be surprised that testing two years ago with video would have different results than the same testing today. The "new, fresh" impact of video is diluted with videos on most sites. It's no longer cutting edge - though videos are popular and useful and in many markets may outsell sales text.

      A video sales page can offer the option of text (below the video) to capture all of the market potential. I don't advocate choosing between video and text copy - just think it's smart to have both.

      kay
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      • Profile picture of the author Tina Golden
        I watch the videos sometimes. Other times, I prefer to read the text. There is no one size fits all with this. As Marc said, you won't please all the people all the time - just ain't possible.

        I personally despise exit pop-ups and I won't put them on my pages because if it annoys ME, I'm not going to use it. But some very smart people I know have told me when they tested it, they got triple the subs by using one. So I know that chances are I would do better with a pop-up and someday I may even change my mind and use one...lol.

        And I've slowly learned that you can't go by what the people on this forum say when it comes to what they like and dislike...lol. It's too small a segment of the broader market.

        Tina
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  • Profile picture of the author Big Al
    I like to scroll through sales copy first and if I'm interested I'll go back to the video. Have I turned off videos?

    Yep ... but sometimes it depends on how I ended up there, who recommended it and who the presentor is.

    I've lost count of the times I've checked a sale page just out of curiousity ... scrolled through it and ended up buying. I doubt I'd have done the same with a video.

    But I do appreciate the fact that what works - works and no one method will please 'everyone'. I don't think Lee McIntyre does anything with sale copy anymore (unless you count his emails and squeeze pages -- so I withdraw that statement

    What this does prove though ... is that sales copy is not dead (as mentioned by ppl who love/produce and teach video sales copy).
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  • Profile picture of the author michael_dans
    Originally Posted by ZaraK View Post

    watch your videos. Ever. Never ever.

    I turn them down, put them on pause if I can. I scan your sales page. That's all. I can read your sales page much more quickly than I can wait for your video. Even if I have to scroll to Tierra del Fuego at the bottom. I don't have a lot of time and I don't intend to waste the time I do have with you telling me about how wonderful you or your program is in a dark, blurry vid. I may take a quick glance at your video if you are actually showing me your product or how to use it.

    Surely I can't be the only one. So....as somebody who is looking to make the transition from a buyer to a seller (although not of IM products, but something completely unrelated), please educate me as to what I am missing, because clearly most of you are very enamored with the videos, as they seem to be on every sales page.

    For what it's worth, I feel the same way about flash. Flash me, I'm outta there. Fast.

    I don't want videos, I don't want music, I don't want flash, I don't want games, I don't want bells and whistles. I want the information, I want it quickly, I want it cleanly, I want it factually, so I can make an educated decision to buy or to move on.

    SO, from your perspective, what is the real, actual benefit? Because if there really is one, I'll gladly use the very same videos I refuse to watch myself

    Another point form the buyer POV - you may as well just give me the discounted price up front. Because if I do decide to buy, despite your video and your scrollscrollscrollscrollscroll sales page, and the claim that there are only 3 units left and then they leave the planet forever (on some kind of virtual rocket, I am guessing), I am going to enter the order page and then back out of it so you'll give me the WAIT! Don't LEAVE! price.

    Is it possible to sell with, and is anybody having success with a factual, clean, noBS sales page? I admit I am a complete newbie so I'd really like to know the answer to this. I suspect so many of you would not be using the same approach if it were not working, so perhaps I am missing something.

    The videos are really informational provided they are made interesting. People prefer to watch video than to listen audio or read something. The most important is the starting of any video, if it fails to provide what should be in it then you are gone.
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  • Profile picture of the author ZaraK
    Thanks everybody for your contributions, this has been an interesting stop on my road to learning about IM. I wonder if part of it is generational as well, as it appears to me (from my position as an old curmudgeon) that fewer younger people read than watch TV, play video games, etc., so their wetware is predisposed to the moving pictures versus the black words on white background. A lot of people on this forum have grown up with and take for granted the technology that I continue to marvel at, having seen much change in my lifetime. By cracky.

    Not saying one is bad and one is not, because it all just is, right.

    I have much to learn, and appreciate anyone who helps me to do that, whether they believe they are being harsh or not.

    (By the way, once you get over a certain age, you assume harsh is the problem of the sender, not of the receiver. Harsh away!)
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    • Profile picture of the author Tom B
      Banned
      Sigh... another video thread. I am surprised we haven't seen a long sales copy thread in awhile.


      Yeah, the blind leading the blind. I use video but only because I saw Marc Rodill using it. If he is using it then it must work.

      In all honesty, I just like to use videos. My buyers hate them so I keep using them. I love making less sales.

      Oh wait.... I actually tested it and found my conversions went higher.

      So now we need to worry about everyone we alienated.

      Ok, so if I am only making a 1% conversion then something must not be clicking with the other 99%. Maybe I am alienating them with my sales copy, graphics, use of words or my font size.

      When I switched to video, I got a 1% bump in conversions. We are talking a $100 product here.

      Does that mean I am alienating less people since more are buying?

      I can't imagine people purchasing if they feel alienated. Unless you're in a niche that likes that stuff. Sometimes I think I am in a niche like that. hehe
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  • Profile picture of the author Algo
    Originally Posted by ZaraK View Post


    I don't want videos, I don't want music, I don't want flash, I don't want games, I don't want bells and whistles. I want the information, I want it quickly, I want it cleanly, I want it factually, so I can make an educated decision to buy or to move on.
    There is an important point here which has been hinted at in the thread, but I don't think it has been mentioned directly. That is that as a marketer, what you like, and what you want do not matter in the least!

    What matters... the only thing that matters at all... is what the customer wants.

    What difference does it make whether or not the marketer likes video if the buyer doesn't? or vice versa? What works is what the customer wants and likes, whether the marketer likes it or not.

    This is the point behind Alexa's (and others') points about testing. If a test shows that for a particular product or service a sales video provides a higher conversion rate than a sales letter, then you should provide a video, whether you personally like them or not.
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by ZaraK View Post

    So....as somebody who is looking to make the transition from a buyer to a seller (although not of IM products, but something completely unrelated), please educate me as to what I am missing, because clearly most of you are very enamored with the videos, as they seem to be on every sales page.
    Most salespeople are enamoured with THEMSELVES.

    They simply can't imagine that you're NOT.

    Wait, what?

    You... don't want to sit and watch me talk aimlessly for twenty minutes?

    Really?

    Well, why not?

    What's wrong with you? I'm awesome. I'm amazing. I mean, I could watch me on video ALL DAY.

    Hell, who am I kidding, sometimes I do.

    Yes, I'm serious. Me. Personally. I will literally record myself making some kind of presentation, and just watch it over and over again.

    But sometime during elementary school, I learned that the average human being on this planet just isn't that interested. I like to watch me on video because... well, it's me. And you don't give a crap, because it's not you.

    Just like parents and their pictures of the kids. Ten seconds of your baby sleeping is enough. I don't need to watch your baby sleeping for six minutes.

    Granted, I could watch my baby sleeping for six hours. But it's the same basic idea: I can do it because that's my baby. You can't do it because it's not yours.

    Same with your product. You can talk about it for hours, and you just love to hear yourself talk about it. Because it's yours.

    Me? Don't care. Cut to the chase. Is it what I want or not?

    Long form sales letters work because you can skip what you don't care about. Long form sales video doesn't, because you can't.
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    • Profile picture of the author mcmahanusa
      Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

      Long form sales letters work because you can skip what you don't care about. Long form sales video doesn't, because you can't.
      I agree completely. I used to watch the videos, now I don't. Now it's possible they might be the greatest sales videos on earth, with explosions, car chases, and all manner of exciting things. But I'll never know, because I got sick of videos a long time ago, especially videos of marketers telling me all about their long, hard struggle against tremendous odds, and how they have found the "Secret". Blah, blah, blah.

      So I just skim the sales pitch. And that's it.

      Will I make videos myself? Maybe, if I can film explosions, car chases, and make a video that rivals the best action film that Hollywood offers. If I could pull that off, people would go to my site just to watch the videos. Realistically, will that ever happen? Nah. I'm not that talented.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dean Jackson
    Many marketers have gone nuts because of the big ass red headlines... Myself, I get turned off by them and end up skimming the page.

    BUT

    In saying that, they get attention, they convey what the rest of the letter is about in a few seconds, and a buy knows if theyre interested.

    I HATE video sales pitches which go over a few minutes. If I have to sit there for 15 minutes trying to figure out what exactly im getting, i'm out.

    Remember though, that this is the IM niche. A whole lot of skepticism surrounds everything.

    But for niches like dog training, dance, golf, or anything that's physical would be much better off with a video.

    Don't just judge everything from 1 niche. As others said test everything.

    - Dean
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    • Profile picture of the author tpw
      Originally Posted by Dean Jackson View Post

      Many marketers have gone nuts because of the big ass red headlines... Myself, I get turned off by them and end up skimming the page.
      Dean, What Is Wrong With
      Grabbing Your Attention?

      But seriously, I agree with Dean and Caliban...

      Most of us in marketing are media whores... We will do anything to get your attention, except to dance nude on your computer screen... Well, Caliban might do that... LOL

      The big red text screams at other marketers something very different than what it screams at non-marketers...

      The marketers I have talked to about video swear by video as a tool to close more sales...

      I think Tony Blake put it best when he said that there are three types of prospects that land on your site... There are those who like to watch, those who like to listen, and those who like to read...

      He suggested it was important to present your message to all kinds of prospects to increase your sales...

      Give people your sales message in the way that they want to absorb your sales message...

      Give video subtext to those who want to watch...

      Give audio overlay to those who want to listen...

      And give long copy to those who want to read...

      I agree with Tony on this... And contrary to the assertions of most marketers, they don't sell more simply because it is a video presentation...

      They sell more because those who like to watch will watch... Those who like to listen will listen... And those who like to read will read...

      Three distinct sales messages for three distinct audiences is what allows people to sell more stuff...

      The video will only do so well on its own, without the other two... And audio will only carry you so far without the other two... And long copy will only let you reach so many, without the other two...

      But the combination of sales messages will let you reach all three types of people in the manner that they want to be presented your product or service...
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      • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
        Originally Posted by tpw View Post

        We will do anything to get your attention, except to dance nude on your computer screen... Well, Caliban might do that... LOL
        Might? I have.
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        • Profile picture of the author helisell
          So......................

          Capitals at the start of every word in a head line....slows down the reading speed??

          Good. That was the idea!



          .
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          • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
            Banned
            Originally Posted by helisell View Post

            Capitals at the start of every word in a head line....slows down the reading speed??
            It does.

            And because of that, it reduces the number of people who read the rest of the page. Those are the research findings.

            Originally Posted by helisell View Post

            Good. That was the idea!
            There speaks a man with "ideas" who hasn't actually tested them.
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            • Profile picture of the author Kay King
              Although I'm personally a "reader" I don't dislike good videos. I've often watch sales videos AFTER becoming interested in the product from reading about it on the page. Go figure.

              The problem with some videos I see is a bit like what Caliban posted. I did some theater work a long time ago and I see the same mindset in many videos that actors are warned to avoid.

              It's easy to become so carried away by the quality of your "character" and the brilliance of your delivery....that you forget others may not be as enthralled. The only comparison I can think of is being in a hospital - it becomes it's own little world and the world outside the hospital (or the theater) seems less real.

              The result online are videos where the person appears frantic - he thought he was being 'energetic'. Then there are the unshaven, the unclothed, the toys or laundry basket in the background.....and the occasional slur from one beer too many.

              A few years ago videos like that were praised here as "unique and original and real". Now they just look sloppy and tacky because the art has grown up a bit.

              We see requests here for "copy review" - and for reviews of ebooks. We don't see oeople asking "is this video any good"? Anyone notice that? Is that because you don't want anyone saying your video presence isn't as great as you think it is?

              kay
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          • Profile picture of the author Halli
            Originally Posted by helisell View Post

            So......................

            Capitals at the start of every word in a head line....slows down the reading speed??

            Good. That was the idea!



            .
            Headline is supposed to get attention.There is no need to slow down the reading speed. Why should I slow down to read the headline when the info I want is in the letter itself (or the video that I would personally skip watching)? Whether I read slow or fast the comprehension is almost the same.
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  • Profile picture of the author whawk57
    Who wants to watch a Jerk just talking in front of a cam? The script would be way better, when the video comes in, is when it takes a thousand words to explain , so it will be way more effective through a video, some kind of action on how it works, like screen capturing, showing parts of the product in action , etc.

    Peace
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  • Profile picture of the author Alessandro Zamboni
    Hi Zarak, we are very similar with videos.
    In fact when I see a selling page with only a video (generally 30 minutes of bla bla) I close the page.

    Why I have to stay there 30 minutes for bla bla before I can see the price ?
    It's a big loss of time !
    I'm happy to buy from people that write instead of talk.

    See you,
    Alessandro Zamboni
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    • Profile picture of the author sal64
      Firstly, we are not our customers.

      Secondly, marketing is all about testing. What works for onemarket may not work in another.

      Thirdly, the only long-assed videos or sales letters seem to be by internet marketers selling to internet marketers.

      Fourthly, different people interpret info in different ways... some like video, some read etc. So I put short 45 to 60 vids at the top of my sale spage which quickly outlines the benefits... and they can take it from there.

      Finally, as for 30 minute video sales pages... boring as bat shyte IMO. And if it's one those without a pause button,,, you've just lost me. You see the point is that I'm a direct, cut to the chase buyer. I do my own research, and then make a decision.

      So I don't want to hear about the labour pains... just show me the baby already!

      BUT I never assume that everyone is the same as me.

      Time to open another bottle of red nectar.
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      • Profile picture of the author tpw
        Originally Posted by sal64 View Post

        Secondly, marketing is all about testing. What works for one market may not work in another.

        Thirdly, the only long-assed videos or sales letters seem to be by internet marketers selling to internet marketers.
        I agree in general with what you have said, but not in full...

        I will not watch a thirty-minute video presentation, unless I am given access to the pause button, and I certainly don't want to wait until the end of the video to see the price or the call-to-action...

        I am more of a reader than a watcher... Although I will occasionally watch a video, if I think I want to watch its contents...

        If your second and third points are in congruence, then you have not fully tested this across a number of niches...

        I have seen long-copy work for a lot of niche products, both digital and physical, and for products not sold only to other marketers, but also to consumers...
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        • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
          Originally Posted by tpw View Post

          I will not watch a thirty-minute video presentation
          Have you ever been invited to a meeting at work which consisted of someone's 30-minute PowerPoint presentation about their project?

          The words "agonising," "intolerable," and "stupid" spring to mind.

          Not so long ago, I got to be invited to ALL KINDS of project planning and department strategy meetings. One of my "favourite" (note the quote marks!) meetings was the one that led off with all kinds of background information on the company, the division, the department, and the team.

          After about ten minutes, I interrupted the presenter with "In case you haven't noticed, we also work here."

          Now, here's the thing. Maybe you need fifteen or twenty minutes to warm up and feel comfortable. Maybe you need to talk through all this garbage to get yourself in the right mindset. I understand that. Really, I do. And do you know what makes video so awesome?

          You can chop that bit off!

          Yes, you can speak for twenty minutes about ABSOLUTELY NOTHING INTERESTING before you get to the real meat of the presentation. But when you edit?

          Snip!

          Now your thirty-minute presentation is ten minutes of action-packed hardcore information that people actually want to know.

          And honestly, the last five is probably just rambling crap anyway. Hey, presto:

          Snip!

          And there you have five minutes of "OMFG this guy is awesome and I want to buy his product RIGHT NOW."

          So guess what? No complicated script. No hidden controls. No attempts to FORCE your audience into waiting for the end of your pitch. You can put your "Buy Now" button right next to the video from the very first second!

          Isn't that easier?

          Here's something I haven't tested, but I'll bet it works. At the very beginning of your video, point to the edge of the screen where your "buy" button is going to sit, and say "(when) you're ready to buy. Press the buy button."

          Notice the way I wrote that. Say "when" quietly, then project "you're ready" in a firm and authoritative voice before saying "to buy" in a normal conversational tone. Then project again for "Press the buy button."

          That two seconds of effort in the beginning of a five minute sales video should increase conversions more than it does to hide your buy button until the "right" moment.

          But if you want to know whether it DOES... and, most importantly, whether it does for YOU... split test it yourself.
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        • Profile picture of the author sal64
          Originally Posted by tpw View Post

          I agree in general with what you have said, but not in full...

          I will not watch a thirty-minute video presentation, unless I am given access to the pause button, and I certainly don't want to wait until the end of the video to see the price or the call-to-action...

          I am more of a reader than a watcher... Although I will occasionally watch a video, if I think I want to watch its contents...

          If your second and third points are in congruence, then you have not fully tested this across a number of niches...

          I have seen long-copy work for a lot of niche products, both digital and physical, and for products not sold only to other marketers, but also to consumers...

          Yes, I can see where you're coming from.

          I should clarify that I use long copy for non-IM products also.

          What I was referring too are 20+ pages of copy that we see for IM launches etc. If you want to cover the basic elements of pain, agitate, solution, and story, then you need a good 5 to 10 pages as a minimum.

          I think video has it's place, but I only use myself when it's a short, special message to to my list... rather than to a cold audience. But that's just me.

          I also believe that videos are best used as a pre-sell method. For example, the only long vids I make are as a tutorial / webinar format to pre-sell a product. But from there, I send them to a sales page.
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  • Profile picture of the author feedtherightwolf
    Just wanted to add that visitors that come from video sites, like youtube are in video watching mode and more likely to watch a video.

    The key really to keep your videos engaging and short. (something I strugle with)
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    • Profile picture of the author sal64
      Originally Posted by feedtherightwolf View Post

      Just wanted to add that visitors that come from video sites, like youtube are in video watching mode and more likely to watch a video.

      The key really to keep your videos engaging and short. (something I strugle with)

      This is a very good point! You were typing at the same time as me... lol.
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