Do not commit to Video Sales.........it will Finish You

I agree 100%. I would rather have an e-book with detailed instructions. I recently bought a video course and when I need to go back to get detailed step by step instructions weeding through all of the videos is a pain in the ...

Haha!!

Quit speaking for only you and me!!

As a product seller, many people bitch and moan if I don't also give them video...

Being clinical and detail-oriented with my reports is never quite good enough, if I don't give people the option of listening to me on video, since a lot of people seem to be allergic to reading.

And to be honest, I always write the report first, and build the video based on what is covered in the report. The problem is in doing it that way, some extra details always find their way into the video product.

I would recommend giving your buyers both the written instructions along with the video. I know from experience that I would appreciate being able to refer to both if I run into problems.

Well the easy answer to that is to offer all forms of media via ebook,video, and audio all in one package that way you cater to all you buyers likes. I would of course charge a little more.

I think it depends on the type of information you are giving. For those products where it is just someone talking a bunch of slides or theory then yes, I think a pdf should also be provided. If however the information is very technical and computer based then I think screencast videos are a far more efficient way to convey the information - especially for newbies who want to 'watch over your shoulder'.

Either way I always try to include some form of written correspondence that at the very least, just contains the main resources from the videos so people don't have to go back and sift through the videos to find any resources, urls, or tools I have mentioned.

The thing is, you're expressing YOUR personal preferences here, not a market consensus. You're just looking at what YOU want. Actually, I agree with you. I personally HATE video based training. I would much rather read as I can process it much quicker and jump directly to points of interest, etc... plus I print it out and take notes, etc.

However, as a product creator I can tell you that you and I are in "the minority". Most people do not associate nearly as much value to eBooks as they do to video (at least in my niche and from my experience).

In the end you have to ask yourself if you're creating products for what you like or for what your subscribers like?

As has been said, you cannot attribute your preferences onto the marketplace. It'll always surprise you.

Lots of people prefer PDFs, I see it commonly said on this forum.

The fact of the matter is that for a lot of (but by no means all) product creators, shooting video is easier.

But, imho, all product creators should see that their videos get transcribed. This way those who prefer to read have that option.

I would rather have videos that show me step-by-step what to do rather than have some half-assed e-book copied from someone else.

It seems the older I get, the more I depend on learning visually. May have to do with a new prescription for my glasses, not sure.

That said, I will ALWAYS provide transcripts, eBooks, PPT, etc. with any product I market because it is foolish to provide one source only.

Carol_A..... Your first sentance is pure humour, thank you so much, I'm laughing my socks off (English phase)

That's the point I'm trying to highlight, don't be miss led into tactics that are single chanael

Can I get an AMEN! on this!!!

Well said...I'm with you. I actually cannot stand video.

Wake up to multi chanel Internet Marketing, it's a new Guru concept, not !

Originally Posted by Azzurro
I'm getting a little fed up with the trend of video only products, every video that I've watched has never given all the information that was described in the sales letter.

If you are a marketing person that produce's these video's, please remember that marketers are clinical people and the information they receive has to be concise and informative, some people actually like to read words and take notes…strange as it seems.

So can we please have an option to read your products, because not all of us like to watch…….unless you’re a voyeur…….different niche, wrong email, sorry



Well said...I'm with you. I actually cannot stand video

i rather have both. videos are easier to follow for some things.

I see videos as a great traffic source to direct prospects to my sites with lots of further information related to a product. If you do it right, video can be a huge eye catcher and make viewers hungry for more.

Video is great traffic, and works...end of, simple provide transcrips always, let your custmers enjoy their information

I don't think this is unique to video products alone, otherwise everyone on this forum would be making $345,107 a month (on autopilot! in their sleep! while dating a model!)

My only promlem with the business model.....is does not work.....for me

I go through too much information to sit and watch entire videos. On longer ones I find myself clicking ahead, kinda like speed reading, to get through it quicker. I much prefer the shorter 2-4 minute CONCISE videos rather than the rambling ones. I especially lose patience with those where the person speaking has a horrible habit of repeating phrases "you know?" "you know?" "you know?" or "um" "um" "um" -- you know what I mean?

A pdf copy is much better for busy people but videos are good where motion is needed to show a process or something like that.

I detest the sales pages with just a video with no copy. In these cases the video is usually about an hour long with no pause or fast forward facility.

I simply click the little 'x' in the top corner.

I would never buy a product that does not come with at least a transcript of the videos as I would much rather read than watch.

Videos do have a place in a product, it is sometimes good to be able to watch someone actually do something than read their explanations.

But give me a good, well written .pdf anyday.

Karen

I actually have a great tool that cuts down my video watching time. It's called myspeed and I'm not on my computer right now to tell you who makes it (Enounce). But in short, I speed up the video to about 1.5x and all is good in the hood. Sometimes if I'm lucky I can go up to 2.0, just depends on the presenter (Laura B. Ryan D.).

I produce two types of products. There are the quickie products and there are the enterprise products. The quickie products are called that just because they are quick to make. That doesn't mean that they contain less information on the topic at hand, it just means they were quick to make. My enterprise products are much more planned and put together in a way that is easy to navigate, available in different formats, and usually much more targeted to a sub niche.

Which product do you think costs more? The later of course.

I understand that your preference is to have your information delivered in a wide variety of mediums, but you must also expect to pay more for that. I find it peculiar when somebody pays three dollars for a two hour video that contains everything the person wanted to know about a topic and then complains that it wasn't delivered in multiple formats.

More mediums equals more work, which in turn equals a higher price. I do my best to over deliver, but when people start buggering about their three dollar purchase not being delivered in a Rolls Royce, it is certainly a sign that we, as marketers, have driven the perceived value of what we have to offer way down.

EDIT: This post was not meant to make you think that I don't have the customer in mind. I absolutely have the customer in mind with every product that I create or recommend. If I don't think it will benefit my customer, then I don't have anything to do with it. I just wanted to point out that as a product creator, sometimes it is a difficult balance to please everybody and price your products right. I am always looking to improve myself, my mind, and the value that I dish out in my products. Threads like this help me t achieve that.

Take 2 seconds to add at least a cliff notes type of ebook. If you are too busy and too important to add written material well you have lost me as a customer.

I might be just one person but you better believe I'm telling my momma and my mommas momma not to buy your product lol.

I do agree with you. sometimes I like to watch video, but most time, especially for the tutorial, I prefer the ebook or a post or someting like that.Just as some guy said, it is a real pain for repeat.

But the video also has some advantage, some successful guys use the video to make real proof.

So I think the best choice is that make this two options in one post. Of course it will increase your work, but also it will take benefits.

I think the most people prefer look than read but it will be good to put text too for more explanations
Thanks

Remember, too, that some folks have disabilities that mean they either can't hear your video or see it. To reach the greatest number of people (in terms of both disabilities and learning styles), it's best to offer products in multiple formats (including PDFs that can be read by screen readers). If you think your market is composed only of people without any kind of disability...think again.

I couldn't agree more. People seem to forget that everyone doesn't learn the same way. So while videos help a certain group of students, there is another who prefers to learn via written words, and yet another group that loves to hear their lessons. The best products won't be done one way only, but with a platform to help all types of students.

Yup. I hate them. I know others hate them. Myself, when I create a video lesson product - since I script the video first - find it very easy to take the script, put it into a PDF, and provide a link to download it. Really, it doesn't take too much extra effort - and you get happy customers.

Video products tend to have a higher perceived value to potential customers, compared to just a pdf, guess that's the reason.

There are many types of person in the world. there are people who are visual, audio lingual etc. That's why sites should always cater the possible needs of their client for their own convenience.

This part of your original post is right on the money, but the point that everyone seems to be missing is:


The point about providing PDF documents with the videos is an entirely different point altogether.

If the copy tells you that there are good cliff notes, and there isn't, that is less than honest.

If the copy tells you that there is a PDF Report and the Videos, that is honest.

If the copy tells you that the PDF report supplements the video, the seller has given you no reason to believe that the PDF file is a transcript of the videos, and you should not expect it to perform in ways it was not advertised.

Expecting the sales copy to deliver what it promised is something we all want to happen.

But expecting the product to deliver something that was not in the sales copy is as dishonest as the seller not delivering what was promised in the sales copy.

Some people need to also realize they are not video folks. That's the biggest pet peeve I have. Seems like a lot of people figure video is easier to produce so they slop something together and sell it.

Just because video is the new thing doesn't mean that it's right for you personally. That's another reason offering products in multiple formats is preferrable, imo.

Good to get your input...................Because at the end of the day it's all about delivering what our customers need, whatever the current sales trend is

Azzurro

Actually, a successful marketer will figure out how to deliver what the customer is willing to pay for, which is rarely what they "need".

I'm in the camp of different strokes for different folks.

If someone's business model determines the channel they use to most effectively reach their targeted customer, then it's really nobody else's particular concern.

The medium itself becomes a major part of differentiation.

That being the case, maybe you simply aren't that person's targeted customer.

As a consumer, I prefer text over video. I don't think videos are very good for instruction.

Did someone say voyeur?

I have no idea what that means!

On a serious note *ahem* you are right!

I love video products and as a product owner they make an easy way to add value to a product but agree there should be a written guide to back it up.

It is all down to how you like information fed to you, for me video can be a little slow sometimes and also when you don't quite understand something first time through you find yourself rewinding and searching for the place in the video where they address it...

I think your point about not getting what was promised in the actual product is down to the product, but agree sometimes I actually PREFER the written guide.

Chris

I think that maybe,and this is a big maybe,the person who designed the course loses track of what they are actually supposed to be covering when they use video to transmit the info instead of the printed page or ebook format. Just a hunch.