Your thoughts on Video salespage - personally I don't like them

Usually I prefer them. Mostly because I'm very busy when I'm online, and I can actually keep moving and listen to the audio while I do other things. I currently have a dual-monitor config on my desktop, so I can have the video playing in the right monitor while I continue working in the left.

What he said, if it plays automatically.

If it doesn't, I look to the copy, and if the copy doesn't sell me - I'm gone. I can read faster than you can talk. Your video is slowing me down. You should want me to get to your sales page and give you my money as quickly as possible. Make me slow down, and I'm already mad at you. Make me sit through stupid, badly scripted garbage that you think is funny? I may never visit one of your pages ever again.

My standard answer is: TEST, TEST, TEST

Haha, I wonder if the Guru Mastermind video sales page made you bring this up. The video was more than an hour long!

I prefer the video sales page if it is done right. It is better than reading long sales copy. Then again good copy can be enjoyable to read (yes, I can't believe I said that).

If you structure your video to give out good information on how to do something for free, and lead them to buy something that will make this information easy to act upon, the video sales page converts well.

If it is just a video commercial or a sales pitch before people get to read the sales letter, I would click away, and I guess 90% of the visitors will, as well.

My opinion,

I would shy away from video until Google is able to 'read' your video and index all your 'spoken keywords' properly.

Written Sales copy is great for being indexed, however, you are missing a multitude of opportunities with video.

Moreover, video is actually an intrusive way to pitch your product.
I say if you must offer video, you should ASK your visitor first if they wish to view your video.

In addition, don't auto-load it, don't 'Volumize' it and certainly don't put it above the fold.

You may not like them but some of the biggest launches recently (300,000+) have been video sales letters.. so you may be in the minority.

I think you will only see them more and more and from talking to people they convert extroidinarily.

Frank Kern is launching Mass Control again this Friday with a video sales letter... he will do over a million dollars, it's virtually a sure thing.

Im new to IM, but I think I can contribute something worth while here.

If you make a video, the better the speaker you are, the better your conversions will be. If your not a good speaker it will likely hurt your conversions.

-Example from personal experience -
I had just finished watching a short documentary on a salesman who is a known fraudster. His products never delivered what he promised. However, he was quite wealthy, and in his time, exceptionally popular.

After watching the documentary, I went and looked at one of his sales pages. It was for a new product and used video only. No text.

Now get this, by the end of the video I wanted to buy his product!
I didn't because I'm smart that way, but it goes to show you how powerful a golden tongue can be.

Smart marketers will start allowing the video sales page to be downloadable as a videocast to be played later on iPods, et al...

I find them to be very tedious and a waste of time when I come across them. I can usually skim a sales letter, skip down to the price and tell right away if I'll buy something or not. But no, you need me to sit here for five minutes while you film yourself talking about yourself and how you made your product. No thanks.

Having said that, if they convert then they convert, and need to be used, end of story. But it does probably have a whole lot more to do with the oratory skills of the person in the video than the fact that it's video itself.

The question is too vague to give a legitimate response.

I love video sales pages that are interesting and engaging.
I despise video sales pages that are mundane and poorly produced.

Pretty much the same way I feel about text.

Tsnyder

We had the same dilema with our new site. As it is fairly complicated we decided to go with the Video option.

Now one of the problems I often see regards quality.

Some are really dreadfull, which then leads me to think that the product they will promote are going to be the same. Its similar with those fake sales letters from some newbie, done on a shoesrting that say how they are going to show you how to make $50,000 per month, "just like what I did". Yeah ok, well if you're so successful, why cant you afford to get a decent site constructed.

This bring me to a broader problem and a bit off topic, but it bugs me when folks who promote a page or site treat it like a homework project. I'll do everything myself to save money, seems to be the attitude. They then wonder why they have no success.

If your toilet at home was broken, would you fix it yourself. Well yes you would if you knew what you were doing..unfortunately a lot of people just dont.

Graham

I kinda do,

because unlike the old school pages,
you actually do get to see the person
behind the page, and hear everything straight
from the source.

Igor

Do I like video on sales pages? It depends...

I like good video on sales pages. Video which has a purpose - showing the contents of a package (physical), product demos, even short testimonials - are fine in my book.

Long, rambling, poorly produced videos with no apparent purpose other than having a video turn me off.

Like most of these polls/threads, my answer isn't absolute. Unless it's flat-out illegal, unethical or fattening, I don't "hate" any tactic. What I do dislike is poor execution.

I wonder if most of the people voting yes are actually the views of sellers rather than the views of buyers.

That's just me being cynical folks ...lol No offence

I think if you're unknown to your visitors than the video on your opt-in page should be 95% useful content and 5% about you (your character). If they know you then it sould be 50% content and 50% about you.

For example, Frank Kern makes his pre-launch video 50% funny and about him personally, but not useful in terms of content. The other 50% is useful content. But that's perfect for him, because most of his prospects know him. And they enjoy his 'character' so they'll watch the first half and won't complain. Even more, by doing this Frank's going to build a better relationship with his prospects, ie. make more money.

But that's for pre-launch videos, not sales videos. In sales videos you need to really keep it short and simple. Again, Frank uses product demonstration + some selling (scarcity, social proof, etc.) + some NLP stuff like pattern disruption + some character. And his sales videos are very short and thus people are willing to watch them from start to finish.

So my opinion is that you should use videos, but keeping in mind the following:

[x] if visitors don't know you, make your videos 100% content plus use text on the page not to make them optin, but to watch the video in full lenght.
[x] if the visitors know you, make your videos 30% about your character and 70% about content.
[x] if it's a sales video and your visitors don't know you then use both video and text.
[x] if it's a sales video and your visitors know you, then make it short and simple while demonstrating your product, selling your product subtly and showing your character.

Hope this helps, take care,

~Davor

I prefer video...as a buyer and a seller.

I've bought products from 10 minute+ sales videos because they showed the product, (screenshots etc) and the person speaking gave compelling information. It wasn't just a webfomerical, it educated me, and that's what I look for.

As a seller, well, my niche is work-from-home and flexible jobs, so I prefer making videos just so people get to know me and that I'm legit. Once they realize I know what I'm talking about, they're more likely to buy.

And frankly, I'm SOOOOO SICK of those obnoxiously long sales pages. I NEVER read them. I don't care if you think you have compelling copy. I don't bother. Ever. Those turn me off more than a 4 minute video where I can actually meet the creator, or see people who used the system, or the actual system itself.