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if you are using video to market - it is 100% lost on me, and my type.

by Rob Anderson
96 replies
I thought that i should tell all of you out there that are increasingly using video only to market to their target market.
i never watch your video. and i probably never will.
i am in africa, a very large city, Johannesburg, but due to the costs of our bandwidth, it works out expensive to continually watch all the crap that seems to fill my inbox every day.
it is not even about the cost, it is the fact that so much bull***t is added constantly to the videos. they just seem to go on and on.
something else you need to note is that i have realised that a fair number of you that do videos should not be allowed to do so. they are so badly done, endless giggling etc.
i think that most marketers have simply just become lazy in their efforts to get a message across to me, befoe they had to put togeather a carefully crafted e mail, or sales page, but now they can simply just record a "quick" video.
now if they actually did just do a "quick" video i would watch that. but no - instead i must first watch them play me a song on their guitar, then talk about the shopping that they did earlier, then bring me up to date on all the products that they have been succesfull with in the past, and then finally tell me that i need to go to a link to find out what i wanted to know. sometimes i must watch stuff for up to 60 minutes and get nowhere.
OH MY ACHING HEART.
so unless it is a to-the-point-marketer-like-chris-farrell then i an never going to watch your video again.
and if you are going to say that it is because i am in africa, remember sites like afrigator have a daily viewership of up to 10 000 people, you are cutting off a huge potential market.
do it at your own risk.
it would probably have been cheaper for me to purchase Russell Brunson's course than to have watched the "free" video.
now this isnt a gripe, hell i dont really care enough. the marketers that i do trust and read their posts, i will make an effort for them, but all the others - sorry.
it was just a thought that i had while clearing out my inbox. i noticed that i didnt even bother to see what i was being offered, if it was a video, while with the others i read what they where telling me, and yes i did go to quite a few of their links from there.
thanks for your read.
(and to the good video guys, like chris farrell and travis, and others - you guys are good)
#100% #lost #market #page not found #type #video
  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    Video can be effective - but it is often used in a way that
    leaves the visitor few options.

    I'm a reader - I can absorb, sort and digest information
    in readable format fast, while with video I am slowed to
    the pace of the presenter. As a video presenter myself
    I know that speaking very fast is not such a good idea.

    I use video marketing. I have skills and I am seldom flippant
    regarding the attention and time my viewer is giving me -
    but if anyone were to ask me what the best way to learn
    a skill I would say read books and do it.

    It's good to know about bandwidth issues in S. Africa -
    I always compress my self-hosted video to about 200
    kbps - so it streams evenly on slower connections. Now
    I have another reason, to be considerate of folks who
    are paying to watch.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rob Anderson
      Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye View Post

      Video can be effective - but it is often used in a way that
      leaves the visitor few options.

      I'm a reader - I can absorb, sort and digest information
      in readable format fast, while with video I am slowed to
      the pace of the presenter. As a video presenter myself
      I know that speaking very fast is not such a good idea.

      I use video marketing. I have skills and I am seldom flippant
      regarding the attention and time my viewer is giving me -
      but if anyone were to ask me what the best way to learn
      a skill I would say read books and do it.

      It's good to know about bandwidth issues in S. Africa -
      I always compress my self-hosted video to about 200
      kbps - so it streams evenly on slower connections. Now
      I have another reason, to be considerate of folks who
      are paying to watch.

      thanks for your answer.

      the good news for us (both you and i) is africa is busy laying 2 or 3 new cables, and very soon the entire continent will become more active online as our prices drop.
      and yes, even when compressed the buffering seems to take forever.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tyrus Antas
    You are an exception. Most people prefer video. It just takes less effort to view.

    That said, I prefer a combination of video and text although that are places where this mix doesn't work very well. Inside membership sites it's the best of both worlds.

    Tyrus
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    • Profile picture of the author jendoe
      Interesting...

      I'm still pretty new to IM (and just joined here, what a great forum!) - but I'm noticing that I'm much less likely to actually watch videos than read emails.

      I have one newsletter that I receive, where the sender ALWAYS sends a link to a video - and very little text. I think I watched the first video - but have not watched a single one after that, and at this point am ready to unsubscribe!

      I prefer to receive actual text as email. I can quickly scan it, it doesn't require me to go to another site (i.e. "roadblock!") to get the information, and I can easily save it to refer to later if it's valuable information.

      There's also a blog that I've recently found that appears to be entirely video entries. I really love the blogger, and the information is great - so I do go and watch the videos. But honestly, I'd probably visit MORE OFTEN if it were text (or even half and half!).

      Because... alot of my blog reading happens during downtime at the 9-to-5 job. It's pretty unobtrusive to pull up a blog or forum and catch up with what people are writing about from a cubicle, but not a video! So, even if I love the site, all those hours at work when I might be visiting - I don't - simply because it's video. (And once I get home, I'm less likely to be "killing time" - because I'm trying to get my stuff up and running!)

      I don't know if I'm atypical, but that's been my experience so far!

      Edit: Meant to add, I'm in the US - so it's not a bandwidth issues. Just convenience!
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
      Tyrus,
      You are an exception. Most people prefer video.
      Cite?
      It just takes less effort to view.
      I don't see it that way. To me, the slow pace of video requires much more effort than reading.

      That's strictly a personal preference, of course. Video does have a strong impact on sales, when used right.


      Paul
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      • Profile picture of the author Rob Anderson
        Originally Posted by Paul Myers View Post

        Tyrus,Cite?I don't see it that way. To me, the slow pace of video requires much more effort than reading.

        That's strictly a personal preference, of course. Video does have a strong impact on sales, when used right.


        Paul

        thanks paul.
        yesterday i watched one where the two guys spent a lot of time joking and laughing and seemed to not take it all very seriously.
        that was all ok, but they came across as a little stupid, and yet i dont think they were.
        point is, they were wasting my time, and i lost respect for them.

        naturally this was a real pick me up, as it meant that even a dimwit could earn money if they stayed awake.
        and because i am a genius, i am gonna become a trillionaire.
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        • Profile picture of the author The Copy Nazi
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          Originally Posted by Rob Anderson View Post

          thanks paul.
          yesterday i watched one where the two guys spent a lot of time joking and laughing and seemed to not take it all very seriously.
          that was all ok, but they came across as a little stupid, and yet i dont think they were.
          point is, they were wasting my time, and i lost respect for them.

          naturally this was a real pick me up, as it meant that even a dimwit could earn money if they stayed awake.
          and because i am a genius, i am gonna become a trillionaire.
          Frank Kern right?
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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      • Profile picture of the author garyv
        There was a time when using video or large flash graphics would drastically decrease your conversion rates, because a large portion of those online were using dial-up connections. But that's no longer true. Now a majority using the internet are using a faster cheaper connection. Your case is an exception. It wouldn't make sense financially to cater to the exception.

        That being said, it's always best to do your own split testing. There will always be scenarios where it's best not to use video.
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    • Profile picture of the author RoodeJ
      Originally Posted by Tyrus Antas View Post

      You are an exception. Most people prefer video. It just takes less effort to view.

      That said, I prefer a combination of video and text although that are places where this mix doesn't work very well. Inside membership sites it's the best of both worlds.

      Tyrus
      And here's another exception! I don't prefer video's and I almost never watch them.
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  • Profile picture of the author waken
    Thanks really.. for letting us know. And still a proportion of the population worldwide is not on broadband yet.. so watching videos that are just 5 mins long might took them quite some waiting hours..

    The point? Create short videos (or break your long one in segments) and to the point.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rob Anderson
      Originally Posted by waken View Post

      Thanks really.. for letting us know. And still a proportion of the population worldwide is not on broadband yet.. so watching videos that are just 5 mins long might took them quite some waiting hours..

      The point? Create short videos (or break your long one in segments) and to the point.
      agreed here to.
      the videos that i can see are only a few minutes, i presume that they get to the point. and watch some of them.
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  • Profile picture of the author Harry Behrens
    I definitely see video as a MUCH bigger drain of effort on my part than a well-written, well-organized sales letter or PDF. Even though I have very fast broadband and can get even the largest videos without any hiccups - doesn't matter.

    With a well-written piece of text or sales letter I can skip around, scroll down to the end to see what the point is, look at the images, skim headers, find the piece that interests me and stop and read in detail there and ignore everything else, I can press control-F and instantly search for the words that I'm looking for, etc. I can make it sell me in the order and at the speed that I want to be sold.

    With a PDF product I can print it out entirely or just the part that I want, I can skim it, flip the pages around, highlight it, take notes on the margins, throw it in my suitcase to bring out when I'm in a waiting room, etc.

    Video? You have to sit there and listen and take in everything that the video wants you to take in, at whatever speed the video decides that it wants to give it to you... period. For someone who is used to processing and viewing information in text, it's a lot heavier of a commitment.

    And never mind when you want to go back to something you already read/saw and just want to review a single detail that you forgot... text vs. video? No competition.

    But of course there's no denying the massive benefits that video also brings into the equation (not to mention the current "novelty factor" where just having a video in and of itself makes people take notice). I would never off-handedly dismiss video just as I would never automatically assume that I *need* video. It's all down to your client's feedback and your own results, if it gets you what you need it to get you, then use it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Audrey Harvey
      Originally Posted by hmbehrens View Post

      Video? You have to sit there and listen and take in everything that the video wants you to take in, at whatever speed the video decides that it wants to give it to you...
      Yep, that's my issue with video too - with two children who need educating, household chores, and dozens of other things on my plate, I never watch videos. If a product doesn't have a pdf transcript to go with it, I'm not interested.
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    And by the way - if text or pdfs converted better than video - TV commercials would be all text.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rob Anderson
      Originally Posted by garyv View Post

      And by the way - if text or pdfs converted better than video - TV commercials would be all text.

      this is true.

      the bad ones are giving all the others a bad rap. and i do agree that the dial up types probably are not the buyers anyway. but here we are high speed and permanently online, but still expensive.
      and it isnt really the cost on my part, more the time while i sit and watch some guy on a stage with a microphome talking and talking and talking.
      phew.
      those long sales pages just seem to send me to the bottom quickly. but with video i cannot do that.
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    • Profile picture of the author Veredfu
      Originally Posted by garyv View Post

      And by the way - if text or pdfs converted better than video - TV commercials would be all text.
      You're right, but don't forget that commercials are generally less than 60 seconds - and that was fine if promotional videos would be also that short. The problem is when marketers tells you all their life's story and give you the list of their recent expensive purchases just to make you think that you will be as rich as they are if you buy their product (what's probably not going to happen anyhow...)
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    • Profile picture of the author TheRichJerksNet
      Originally Posted by garyv View Post

      And by the way - if text or pdfs converted better than video - TV commercials would be all text.
      Did you realize as of late many TV Commercials are "Text" maybe contain a little music but many have been coming out with "Text" that you must read..

      So that must say something, I mean these are the big boys that spend millions on advertising...

      Do I read the TV Commercials like this, well ofcourse I do as I would think it is natural human instinct to do so.

      James
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  • Profile picture of the author khairulazan
    Yes..it is effective..we must use it wisely
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  • Profile picture of the author Harry Behrens
    The issue probably comes down to the fact that while there is a huge abundance of information on what makes a good written sales letter, there's very little advice or guidance as to what makes a good video that will draw people in or be useful. People assume that just the fact that it's video is enough... it's not.

    I mean you can't bring up the example of TV commercials without noting that said commercials are made by people with 6-figure salaries who went to college and spent years and probably their whole lives specifically learning to hone and perfect their art. It's not what one is talking about when looking at videos made by IM'ers up on squeeze pages or inside a how-to membership site.

    I would definitely go in to some type of "video copywriting" product or course that could teach me and others what to do to produce the type of videos that pull in people and drive them to action properly.
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  • Profile picture of the author sikaz
    I love watching videos but they really have to be short and to the point.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marty S
    Originally Posted by Rob Anderson View Post

    I thought that i should tell all of you out there that are increasingly using video only to market to their target market.
    i never watch your video. and i probably never will.
    i am in africa, a very large city, Johannesburg,
    Sadly, when I look at my youtube demographics and regions I don't really pay attention if someone in Johannesburg can't see my video. I always seem to forget about your location and mainly concentrate on Canada, US, UK, AUS and NZ. Big enough market for me, and this goes the same for any of my adwords campaigns.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rob Anderson
      over the next year or so you will see the south african traffic pick up, as the price wars start, and more guys go online full time.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    There are inexpensive programs that will help you turn written articles into video articles quickly. You need virtually no technical knowledge or skills for some of them. Then you just submit each video to a dispersal service like TubeMogul and you have an entirely new traffic stream set up. You gotta think both, not either/or.

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author Irene Houston
    It's a pity that broadband isn't up and running in SA yet. But surely the main point of video marketing is that is so near to a medium we already use ie, Television, that most people are happy enough to sit through a short 2-4 min video.

    Remember too, we all learn in different ways. Some of us like to read, some of us like to listen to audio files, others (like me) prefer to see a video than read a long, boring e-book. It's a case of 'horses for courses' don't you agree?

    One things for sure - video is here to stay on the internet!
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  • Profile picture of the author Rich Struck
    Originally Posted by Rob Anderson View Post

    now if they actually did just do a "quick" video i would watch that. but no - instead i must first watch them play me a song on their guitar, then talk about the shopping that they did earlier, then bring me up to date on all the products that they have been succesfull with in the past, and then finally tell me that i need to go to a link to find out what i wanted to know.
    I hate this too. A lot of Podcasters are guilty of this. I really don't need 20 minutes of random chit chat before they get to the point.
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    • Profile picture of the author John Durham
      There a more variables involved for the viewer when using video. Reduce variables is my motto.
      Maybe my speakers don't work? Maybe I don't have broadband? Maybe my browser wont load for one of 100 reasons...

      Too many variables.
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      • Profile picture of the author Rob Anderson
        Originally Posted by kadensnga View Post

        There a more variables involved for the viewer when using video. Reduce variables is my motto.
        Maybe my speakers don't work? Maybe I don't have broadband? Maybe my browser wont load for one of 100 reasons...

        Too many variables.

        in fact you are 100 % correct there, but the fact that my speakers really do not work- i use headphones - this fact only affects my addiction to very heavy rock music really loud.
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  • Profile picture of the author SteveJohnson
    Video isn't lost on me, but if you screw me around you can bet I'll never listen to another word you say.

    Video sales pitches are ok - as long as you make it quick and to the point. If all you're doing is reading your 32-page sales letter into a video ( you know, the kind where they wait all the way till the end to tell you the price ) you are definitely going to piss me off. You'll make it to the top of my cowpie list.

    You make vids like Frank Kern or Howie Schwartz, you'll have my attention and I'll likely buy your stuff (to paraphrase Irwin). Mike Filsaime's are even ok.

    Give me a reward for sitting through your vid - it can be meat or it can be a bigass discount - because if you don't make it worth my while the first time, if you waste my time, it's over between us.
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  • Profile picture of the author mcnotony
    in most cases the video is the reward and you have to give in return for watching
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  • Profile picture of the author TheRichJerksNet
    Originally Posted by Tyrus Antas
    Most people prefer video.
    This is not a correct statement, most still prefer text and for much of the reasons mentioned here.. What was not mentioned is those that are deaf or older with bad hearing.

    AP has video and text instructions both so the members can choose which one is better for them. Both of these are being updated soon but the point is it gives the member the choice to read or view, which ever they prefer.

    Personally I would take text over video anyday.. Bandwidth was mentioned here and some seem to think many are on fast high speed cable now and this is not the entire case either, many are still on dialup. What was left out though is videos take up system resources no matter what you connection is. If I am busy building a website or tweaking a product or something and I decide to take a break to view a video then I do not need that 20 minute video which gives you 3 minutes of useful information to take up all my resources on my computer so I have to restart.

    There may be a great deal of benefits to video but there is also just as equal if not more benefits to text...

    James
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    • Profile picture of the author Karen Connell
      I just can't stand the audio or video that starts automatically when you go to a webpage - and usually loud - without the option to stop the darned thing.

      It certainly livens things up if you're sitting in a coffee bar with your laptop! I don't visit that site again.

      I got a sales email today, a video. I was interested but when I tried to watch it, all I got was a stilted, stop start video. I gave up not knowing what the offer was.

      Me? I would prefer a choice - the sales pitch on a video for those who like that AND a text sales page for people like me who give up if the video doesn't download first time.

      Karen
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    We're marketers, aren't we? I think it's foolish to ignore a segment of potential customers based on your own preferences. And it's a fact that video marketing does work. Now that it's easy to produce your own, you can quickly turn your written articles into visual/audio works and tap into a growing traffic source (YouTube, Revver, etc.). Why leave money on the table just because you personally prefer one mode of presentation over another? Seriously, there are extremely easy and inexpensive programs now that even complete novices can use to turn articles they've already spent the time writing into video presentations. If you're successful as an article marketer, refusing to get into video marketing when it's easy and cheap now is like refusing to sell to people who walk on the other side of the street from your store's location.

    IMHO, of course.

    John
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    • Profile picture of the author Marty S
      Has this seriously turned into a video dissing thread? In the Warrior forum? All I can say is, carry on.
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      • Profile picture of the author Martin Luxton
        If the videos are good, I'll watch them to the end.

        Unfortunately, a lot of marketing videos I have seen are not good/too long/filled with fluff.

        The advantage of text is that people can scan it quickly and find little nuggets that make the time invested worthwhile.

        That doesn't work with video. Lose 'em at the beginning and your brilliant tactic at 53 minutes 6 seconds will never be seen.

        There are two costs to be factored in. As the OP mentioned, bandwidth, and your time.

        When I was on what passed for broadband here a few years ago, I had a membership where the bandwidth to download/watch stuff was costing me twice the membership fee.

        And then you have to decide how much an hour of your time is worth and whether the video will provide at least that much return on investment.

        Martin
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        • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
          As someone who uses video and makes videos there is one thing you can seriously get from video marketing that you can not get from written content, straight audio content and pictures.

          TRUE CREDIBILITY.

          There, I said it. I have seen written content that was faked. I have see photo's that were faked. And I have heard audio from a supposed diet guru who was morbidly obese but claimed to be light as a feather.

          And no one could believe the TRUTH until there was video.

          When you see someone on video you know who is speaking and there is no where to hide.

          There is a credibility you can obtain that is certain.

          I put my face out there and there is no hiding who I am.
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  • Profile picture of the author Veredfu
    I believe both text and video have different uses.
    Videos are great for showing you "how to" (guides for doing different technical things), text is better for all the rest.
    When it comes to promotions I generally would prefer text, and maybe printed screens if there is something to show me. I certainly get upset with marketers that waste my time before (or without) giving me useful information. If someone wastes my time there's no way I will give him also my money....
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  • Profile picture of the author RogerH
    Video is my bread & butter (as it were) but I agree with the general sentiment: most online video is crap.

    In my opinion, online video is not meant for delivering text-only slide shows. When I create videos for clients to promote their business, I work very hard to craft their message into a story: heroes, villains, the whole bit - all in less than 3 minutes.

    I want to make something worth watching because I hate wasting my time watching crap videos too.

    As for video vs. text, I recently created a video mini-course intended for businesses who do want to use video as part of their marketing mix.

    Even though it's clear this course will be delivered by video, I have PDF and MP3 versions of each lesson available for download on each lesson's web page. That's because I have also wanted to go back and get a specific piece of information from a video, but a transcript was not available. The text format makes it easier to scan and find tidbits you're looking for.

    So I will join you in bashing crappy video that wastes your time, but some of us in the video space are trying hard to meet a higher standard and make it worth your time, and even make the video content available in other formats for those who choose not to watch.

    Let the bashing continue!

    -Roger
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  • Profile picture of the author kennethtang
    Commercial or non-commercial, nothing beats a piece of good writing. Take away the video but leave the writing, you can still sell. But take away the writing and leave just the chatty-chatty-chatty video, hmmm.

    It's just like Ken Evoy said in one of his ebooks: take away the writing but leave the graphics. That site is never going to sell anything. Videos, especially with the quality of videos these days, are just glorified, moving graphics.

    But that's just me (What do I know, I'm the guy who loves poetry...)

    Kenneth
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  • Profile picture of the author Rob Anderson
    hey all.
    your replies have mostly been spot on.
    and my original gripe was correctly disected, and that is that marketers should use video properly and get to the point.
    those marketers that i mentioned as great at keeping my attention are using the medium correctly.
    clearly a lot of you that posted use video as your income source, and i am sure that you guys are not waffling randomly on and never get to the point.
    also i do agree that most professional sites offer the pdf and audio options, which is brilliant. it gives those like myself a choice.

    i enjoyed stirring the pot here. and this all started by me clearing up my e mails.
    i got one bad video in my emails, and then one good one, and it got me muttering.
    i know that video is here to stay.
    in fact pretty soon i will be doing my own.
    hopefully most of you will not get the chance to see my early ones.
    or i will have enough money to pay one of you professional guys to help me.

    i want to thank you all for your posts here.
    thanks.
    rob anderson.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    I live in the Us ... rural US. I have no broadband alternative other than Hughes.net satellite. Snoozenet limits my daily bandwidth to 200 MB per day. I work online full time and my daily allowance does not allow for watching ANY videos if I am to accomplish my daily online tasks.

    So if you are using video to market a product or if your product is video or your bonuses are video, I will not be buying. There are a lot of people on Hughes.net as well as dialup and video marketing or products are pretty much eliminating them from purchasing, not to mention the countries with poor broadband service.
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    • Profile picture of the author Justin Jordan
      Well, the thing is that you probably shouldn't JUST video market. I don't like video, because unless I actually need to see what you're talking about, which is rare, you're wasting my time.

      You're wasting my time because I can read what youy have to say a lot faster than you can say it, unless you're the dude from the old Micro Machines commercials. If all you have is a video, I'm nearly always going to click away from your site.

      There are still loads of people you could be selling to that either don't like videos or can't easily watch them. If all you're doing is videos, you are definitely leaving money on the table. The reverse is also true - just using text will leave some people behind.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Did you know that YouTube is the #2 most used SEARCH ENGINE now? So, let's see... what would I as a marketer prefer: high rankings for relevant keywords at Google and Yahoo, or high rankings for relevant keywords at Google and YouTube?

    Case closed.

    John
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    • Profile picture of the author Justin Jordan
      Originally Posted by Zeus66 View Post

      ? So, let's see... what would I as a marketer prefer: high rankings for relevant keywords at Google and Yahoo, or high rankings for relevant keywords at Google and YouTube?



      John
      I'd prefer to have all of them, myself. No real reason not to have text and video - transcribing a video is a pretty nominal expense. You should make that up with one extra sale.
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    • Profile picture of the author The Copy Nazi
      Banned
      Originally Posted by healymedia View Post

      I wouldn't close the case quite so quickly. This is based on query numbers only, not query type.
      Yes, YouTube has surpassed Yahoo for # of queries, but the key is the difference in what those queries are.

      I have no stats to back this up, but I think it would be relatively safe to say that when people are looking for information, that Yahoo is still more than likely significantly ahead of YouTube. However, if you're selling something that relates to Rick Astley, American Idol, people embarassing themselves, old music videos or funny outtakes, then sure, maybe YouTube is of more value to you as a marketer.

      I'm not saying YouTube isn't valuable, but what I am saying is that YouTube is still essentially a place where people go to watch clips and pass time clicking from vid to vid, not a first stop for information seekers. IMers sell to information seekers, so I'll still take Google and Yahoo over Google and YouTube, for now at least.
      I think you're wrong here. And I think that's where Google could see the value in YouBoob. I think you'll find that people ARE using YouTube to search for all sorts of things - not just the crap YouTube has built it's base on. As our friend above pointed out - YouTube is now the #2 Search Engine. Yahoo? Don't make me laugh. Google has 67% of the Search market as against Yahoo's paltry 16%. And the other Search Engine which bears watching and is rapidly gaining presence, and you may not have heard of, is the Chinese one - Baidu. Google has a stake in it. Yahoo - I shake my head - did they drop the ball big time or what.
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      • Profile picture of the author The Copy Nazi
        Banned
        Originally Posted by healymedia View Post

        The problem is you're reading "YouTube is now the #2 Search Engine" but what you aren't registering is that this is based purely on number of queries.

        That means that when someone puts up a new video of their dog sneezing and it goes viral and gets 2,000,000 searches, those all count towards YouTube being the "#2 search engine".

        If you read my post instead of skimming it you'll notice that nowhere did I say people are NOT using YouTube to search for information. They obviously are because marketers from this very board use it to make sales. What I did say though is that the vast, vast majority of YouTube use is still essentially 'time wasting'.

        comScore Releases May 2009 U.S. Search Engine Rankings - comScore, Inc

        As you can see, YouTube is only very slightly ahead of Yahoo for number of searches, but I'd bet my last dollar that when people are looking for information to solve a problem, they're still far more likely to go to Yahoo to find it then YouTube.

        YouTube DOES have value, I never said it didn't.

        I simply offered up these points to refute Zeus' "case closed" statements, because the fact of the matter is, YouTube may be becoming more of a place to find information, but as of right now, it's still a place that the vast majority of it's users go to kill time.
        WOW. Seems like I touched a nerve. Calm down cowboy. I'm not having a go at you. But I still think you're missing the mark. YouTube is a lot more relevant than what you think. And with Google behind it, it will only get stronger. Yahoo have "lost the plot". Voila - I've said it. Ever tried using their PPC? Laughable. Clunky as. Way off the pace. And they're just slipping further and further behind.
        BTW you been to YouTube lately?
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        • Profile picture of the author The Copy Nazi
          Banned
          Originally Posted by healymedia View Post

          Lol? Touched a nerve? I think not. I just don't like it when people put words in my mouth.

          I'm not sure if you clicked the link I provided though, but if you did you'd see that YouTube is only marginally ahead of Yahoo!

          And I'd have to ask, have YOU been to YouTube lately? Unless I missed something on my last visit, it hasn't changed much.

          YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

          THat link will show you the 100 most viewed videos for this month. Scroll through the 5 pages and take a look at a sample of what the majority of people go to YouTube for.

          YouTube is getting more informational, but the fact is, it is still a site where the vast, vast majority of its users go to waste time. It is not somewhere your average person goes to search for information.

          Period.

          Maybe someday. But not now.

          I don't know what other kind of evidence I can provide you with.

          DOes that mean it doesn't have value to IMers? Of course not. It certainly does. I'm just trying to point out that citing YouTube as the "#2 most used search engine" is NOT evidence that video is better than print in any way, especially for IM, because the fact of the matter is, your average YouTube user, BY FAR, goes to YouTube for bloopers, Susan Boyle, music videos, funny news clips, etc. etc.

          They don't go to YouTube.com and search for "How to make money online" or "how to clean my registry" or "how to lose 10lbs". However, people searching those in Google (or Yahoo) will still see those results come up. And I'd recon that's how most IMers get the majority of their YouTube video views, by ranking for keywords in OTHER search engines, rather than from internal searchs on YouTube.

          So the real value, IMO, of posting videos to YouTube, is that Google owns YouTube and YouTube videos tend to rank quite well with Google. That isn't a consequence of video being better though, it's a consequence of Google owning YouTube. It's this that makes YouTube good for IM, because your video has a great chance of ranking highly for a keyword in another search engine.
          "marginally ahead" but going gangbusters and soon to leave Yahoo in their wake, I would have said. YouTube "hasn't changed much"????Surely you jest. Listen, I was with YouTube from the very beginning. Day One. My vids under my old account "wallyworld" had millions of views. I was featured three times. I've seen it change from what you think it still is to a very sophisticated operation. Just like Google - it's very innovative. Yes I know Vimeo and blip and some others are perhaps more sophisticated and have better content but the fact remains there's YouTube and...daylight. Just as there is Google and daylight. You want a link to read? Here you go - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/bu...ping.html?_r=1

          It aint over 'til the fat lady sings. Google are very clever. "$1.5 Billion! you kidding me?" we all went. They saw the way it was going. Now they have the #1 and #2 Search Engines. Who cares what the searched content is? The fact remains they've cornered the Search market and they move further and further ahead. "Maybe someday. But not now." Laugh out loud. Yeah right - maybe like tomorrow. That's how fast things are changing. And you sir, obviously didn't watch my video.
          I can't believe I'm reading this - "They don't go to YouTube.com and search for "How to make money online" or "how to clean my registry" or "how to lose 10lbs".You kidding me? That's the whole point - they are. I'm 105 and even I do that. And if you can't grasp that you're just gonna be left behind - scratching your head and going "Wah...what happened...they're not supposed to search on YouTube for those things".
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    • Profile picture of the author Veredfu
      Originally Posted by Zeus66 View Post

      Did you know that YouTube is the #2 most used SEARCH ENGINE now? So, let's see... what would I as a marketer prefer: high rankings for relevant keywords at Google and Yahoo, or high rankings for relevant keywords at Google and YouTube?

      Case closed.

      John
      You write as if we are all against the use of video marketing. I don't think anyone here is against it (although some appreciate more the written word). Some of us, or even most of us (including those who are using video marketing and video products) don't like the misuse of this media.

      The problem is (unlike a book or an ebook) that you have to watch it till the end in order to figure out if it's a total crap, while with a book or on an ebook you can figure it out in 2 minutes or less, just by looking at the table of content and a few more pages.

      And it's true that marketers may use youtube to get a better ranking, but is SERP the only meaning of marketing efforts? If marketers make a low quality video and content, then maybe people come more often to their website (dew to their better SERP), but will you trust someone who wastes your time while giving nothing of value in return, even if that guy is ranked high on SE? After all whether you market with video or articles, you want people to trust you and buy from you. How a bad video is going to serve this purpose?
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      • Profile picture of the author Jim Phillips
        I use video sites for my searches.

        Great how to video's are being created and added to sites like youtube everyday. I can see exactly how something is being done.

        It makes it easy to understand the process when you can pause, go back and forth with video.

        Personally I like watching video's on squeeze pages and salespages...

        If it is giving me the information I need.

        There is so much valuable information given away by video now a days. Great real life money making tips and tricks. Screen shots are good but with voice over describing in detail what is happening makes it so crystal clear.

        Of course not all video is created the same. The same goes for poor copy written sales pages.

        Video is just another tool in my marketing belt, along with many other tools. It just happens to be one that I find myself using more often than not.

        Best Regards,

        Jim
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Yes, I understand. And I'll take my video about something in IM showing up in the SERPs ranked highly at Google (along with the article I wrote about that same topic also being in the Top 10 in many cases). Ditto Yahoo, Bing, etc. You get twice the potential bang, and again, because article-to-video production is so easy and cheap now, there's just no reason not to get into both forms of marketing your words. I truly do understand why some don't personally like video, but to extrapolate that into a notion that it's worthless or superfluous as a marketing vehicle is pure folly. You're leaving money on the table, bottom line.

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Fullman
    Most people prefer video?

    If video wasn't effective, every TV ad would be a PDF?

    (sorry for the paraphrase, it took me a while to get down here, and I've forgotten your exact words...)

    One, most is a pretty sweeping statement. I'll bet you meant to say "I".

    EDITED OUT: A Poor Argument...

    The two circles dissect VERY rarely. Certainly not enough to draw comparison.

    Just tell me what you're selling, what it'll do for me...and why I need to buy it now.

    That's enough for me.

    EDITED OUT: A Poor Argument...
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  • Profile picture of the author charlesburke
    Well, what the heck - I'm on bbroadband, but it's only nominally so (read slo-o-o-o-o-w), so it might as well be dialup.

    When I moved from Japan to Thailand last year my Internet access took a huge hit. So videos are not necessarily the best choice when marketing to this part of the world. And there are a lot of people with money to spend aroiund these parts.

    And it's not only Thailand. A couple of weeks ago while on vacation in Malaysia, I discovered that access in Penang is about the same speed. Now I'm told that much of South East Asia has this problem because the main trunkline provider can't be bothered to upgrade their infrastructure.

    Somebody suggested that people on dialup lines are probably not buyers. How lightly you dismiss "everybody else." You MAY be right, but I somehow doubt it. I've always been a buyer, even when I lived out in the sticks in Japan and had only dialup. Over the years, and mostly while on a dialup account, I bought nearly every product offered by one of the people who posted on this thread.

    So just a word to marketers. Don't be in such a rush to adopt all the dazzling new technology. You run the risk of making yourself a one-dimensional marketer.

    All of the above is totally apart and separate from the consideration that most people can process and input text far faster than you can talk. I too get awfully frustrated by the silliness, the hums and haws, and the lame efforts at personalizing.

    In my experience, the only effective use of video I've seen is for teaching complex onscreen procedures that would not be as clear in an ebook. For that reason, I've virtually stopped watching videos - especially all those "free" ones that are clogging my inbox these days. I just delete 'em.

    For a while I was trying to keep up - watching all the free videos, reading all the free manifestos and blueprints - and one day I realized it was costing me too much in productivity. They weren't free at all. They were expensive as hell.

    Cheers from warm and smiling (but slow) Thailand,
    Charles
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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    Originally Posted by Rob Anderson View Post

    I thought that i should tell all of you out there that are increasingly using video only to market to their target market.
    i never watch your video. and i probably never will.
    i am in africa, a very large city, Johannesburg, but due to the costs of our bandwidth, it works out expensive to continually watch all the crap that seems to fill my inbox every day.
    it is not even about the cost, it is the fact that so much bull***t is added constantly to the videos. they just seem to go on and on.
    something else you need to note is that i have realised that a fair number of you that do videos should not be allowed to do so. they are so badly done, endless giggling etc.
    i think that most marketers have simply just become lazy in their efforts to get a message across to me, befoe they had to put togeather a carefully crafted e mail, or sales page, but now they can simply just record a "quick" video.
    now if they actually did just do a "quick" video i would watch that. but no - instead i must first watch them play me a song on their guitar, then talk about the shopping that they did earlier, then bring me up to date on all the products that they have been succesfull with in the past, and then finally tell me that i need to go to a link to find out what i wanted to know. sometimes i must watch stuff for up to 60 minutes and get nowhere.
    OH MY ACHING HEART.
    so unless it is a to-the-point-marketer-like-chris-farrell then i an never going to watch your video again.
    and if you are going to say that it is because i am in africa, remember sites like afrigator have a daily viewership of up to 10 000 people, you are cutting off a huge potential market.
    do it at your own risk.
    it would probably have been cheaper for me to purchase Russell Brunson's course than to have watched the "free" video.
    now this isnt a gripe, hell i dont really care enough. the marketers that i do trust and read their posts, i will make an effort for them, but all the others - sorry.
    it was just a thought that i had while clearing out my inbox. i noticed that i didnt even bother to see what i was being offered, if it was a video, while with the others i read what they where telling me, and yes i did go to quite a few of their links from there.
    thanks for your read.
    (and to the good video guys, like chris farrell and travis, and others - you guys are good)

    No offense Rob. You're the exception, not the rule.
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    • Profile picture of the author anton343
      Originally Posted by MichaelHiles View Post

      No offense Rob. You're the exception, not the rule.
      Where do people get their stats from. I have seen many different threads regarding videos and many people saying they don't like them, there are quite a few in this post

      I'm with Rob, I love Video Tutorials for learning but put one on a sales page that starts as soon as I arrive and I'm off.

      I recently ran a poll on here regarding Video Salepages and 36.59% said they didn't like them. If you want to take away a third of you market carry on.

      Offer Both but let the visitor have the choice of watching the Video
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  • Profile picture of the author ken_p
    honestly, most of the marketing videos i have seen are boring, except for those narrative types, where they use stories as metaphor to success, or hardwork, etc.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin Riley
      Sorry, but with the sales my video-heavy sales pages are generating, I'm going to have to stick with video.

      I do agree, there is nothing more annoying - or unprofessional - than some marketer playing his guitar, talking to his dog, or joking it up with his buddy before getting to the damn point, and I quickly shut off such inconsiderate-of-my-time videos.

      I keep my videos to the point (by actually scripting them and not just winging it like some lazy morons), so they stay pretty short. IMO, that's why they are successful.

      I've also mixed video with text for very good results.
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      • Profile picture of the author VegasVince
        I gave up a long time ago....trying to figure out why OP's like this that bitch and whine about this or that type of marketing. Buy or don't buy......but STOP crying about it.

        What do I know for sure? Those who continue to bring up this debate.....obviously are not marketers..and most likely don't sell anything at all other then Woof Tickets!

        Let me break this down another way.....

        The great marketers are great because they sell stuff.....usually a lot of stuff. Capiche!

        They sell via the most productive methods available...aka the methods that generate them the most ROI! Simple.

        Currently....the medium of choice appears to be video. So what???

        Who in their right minds are going to target people via methods that don't give them the best opportunity to make the most money????

        So those of you out there...who get your feelings hurt cuz "video doesn't speak to you".....get over it.

        Better yet.....go sell something!

        Business is business...not a popularity contest.



        xxx Vegas Vince
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        • Profile picture of the author Kevin Riley
          Originally Posted by VegasVince View Post

          I gave up a long time ago....trying to figure out why OP's like this that bitch and whine about this or that type of marketing. Buy or don't buy......but STOP crying about it.

          What do I know for sure? Those who continue to bring up this debate.....obviously are not marketers..and most likely don't sell anything at all other then Woof Tickets!

          Let me break this down another way.....

          The great marketers are great because they sell stuff.....usually a lot of stuff. Capiche!

          They sell via the most productive methods available...aka the methods that generate them the most ROI! Simple.

          Currently....the medium of choice appears to be video. So what???

          Who in their right minds are going to target people via methods that don't give them the best opportunity to make the most money????

          So those of you out there...who get your feelings hurt cuz "video doesn't speak to you".....get over it.

          Better yet.....go sell something!

          Business is business...not a popularity contest.



          xxx Vegas Vince
          LOL, I see we're gonna have some fun on Sunday night.
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          • Profile picture of the author VegasVince
            Originally Posted by Kevin Riley View Post

            LOL, I see we're gonna have some fun on Sunday night.

            Vegas Vince and The Master of the Hampster--Kevin Riley....LIVE baby!

            No video or copywriting needed to sell that show.

            Bring your A-game brother...cuz unlike your boy John Taylor...I can hold my whiskey and still deliver gold!

            Christie Love...you know Vinnie loves you girl...and great copywriting rules...for sure.

            My point is this...do what ever you have to do to make the sale.

            If that's video...cool. If that's a long copy...cool. If it's a cardboard bandit sign you hold up on a street corner hustling stolen swag watches...cool...if it makes the sale.

            I just get sick of peeps bitching about successful methods of selling....cuz it "doesn't speak to them." It aint personal.....it's business.



            xxx Vegas Vince
            Legend
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  • Profile picture of the author Marian Berghes
    there are people out there that base 80% of their business just on DVD's with Videos, send videos to their list, do video on their blog and still do a sh!tload of money per year.

    You test video, if it works out just continue doing that, by trying to please everybody you are only going to get yourself stalled and unproductive.
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  • Profile picture of the author Debbie Allen
    I avoid most videos - simply because I would rather read things for myself...I retain the facts better that way. But as marketers I think we should offer both video and text versions because there are so many variables. Some are based on logistics of loading time and/or cost, etc. and others include learning styles and personal preference. After all, the goal is to appeal to as many as possible, right? But if I had to choose between videos or text only, I would go with text version every time - which might be short-minded of me.

    I personally have not started using video in my marketing efforts yet because of my unrealistic fear of technology - I'm trying to overcome some of that, lol, but I hope to start very soon.
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  • Profile picture of the author gjabiz
    It appears to be a personal choice. I'm not sure why people make statements like "most" people prefer or those kinds of statements.

    In marketing, it is always about testing.

    A savvy marketer has a way to get his message across to every preference, so video for those that like video, audio, pdf, html or pictures. Use whatever works and test against your controls.

    I don't have time to watch video. If YOU do, that is your preference, but for the sake of marketing, understand what the OP said...

    find a way to get your message to those people who do not have or use video capablilities.

    gjabiz
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  • Profile picture of the author EndGame
    Rob,

    I loved this post, because although I don't have the technical issues you are having, I have to admit, I don't have the time or the inclination to sit and watch some one I have never heard of prat on for 30 minutes before telling me anything useful or worthwhile. I especially loved the reference to some one playing a gutiar or talking about their shopping!

    There is one marketer who gets away with the above acts though in my eyes. A one Mr. Frank Kern. I don't mind watching a bit of tom-foolery, because every video he does, teaches you something about the way he markets. Another guy who falls into this watchable category is his friend Jason Moffatt, who cuts to the chase in his videos very early on, but does so in an entertaining way.

    I have just started creating a little series of 6 podcasts for my website, so I am going to be mindful of what has been said in this thread and cut to the chase when delivering the content. Thanks again for this thread, its been a good read this afternoon!
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  • Profile picture of the author Thamisgith
    I rarely watch video - when I do it's usually for entertainment rather than some marketing video.

    I recently saw one guy's pitch page which was a 36 minute long video. No written info, no price. Did I watch it? No.

    On the other hand - if you can produce good video then you'll be in a very small minority and will probably do very well indeed.
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    • Profile picture of the author jcaviani
      Let's face, a few gurus have once again (oh, they never do that do they) made some over reaching statements about video and here we are - video is being used in places where it is not the best solution. Misused video has gotten as bad as some of those $2000.00 flash intros I used to skip through as fast as the skip over link was presented - useless artistic self aggrandizement.

      Unless you also have some written materials in your courses, I will NEVER buy them. Nothing puts me off more than listening to some monotone voice drone on and on at about a quarter of the speed at which my mind works. Moreover, there is little chance of skipping around with accuracy, so fagetabowdit.

      People need to start thinking for themselves and become less like parrots. As the inernet matures and normalizes into just another marketing channel for all business, your ability to sell willl be the key. If you confine yourself to video and sales letters, you will be missing out on a huge swath of business. Sometimes people just need to talk to someone and ask questions. Sales letters and videos do not allow you to address those different needs on the fly.

      Many people in the desperation markets will continue to churn and burn and commit fraud as they are now. Sure, they will make some money but their business will be built on sand.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marian Berghes
    While you guys continue to say stuff like that, marketers out there are using exactly what you hate to make thousands of dollars everyday.

    So you can continue with that or you can watch what they are doing and see if you can do it better.

    Even if you don;t like it, that doesn't meant that your market will dislike it also.

    1 thing that I can GUARANTEE to everyone, is that you won't make alot of money online with $37 ebooks or even a $197 500 page ebook or something.

    You need to make some videos, you need to let the people in your list actually SEE YOU FOR WHAT YOU ARE, if your just gonna write it do you think it will have the same impact?

    Video is very powerful if used properly, and especially at building trust and a relationship with your list.
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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    Anyone who doesn't think that video can sell must not have been around for the entire technology cycle of television, and they must not have heard of YouTube or iTunes.

    If you don't think video can sell, fine, you're entitled to your opinion. But I have hard numbers that say otherwise.

    The masses are lazy, and largely functional illiterates. Go look up sales statistics in the book publishing business. People don't read anymore. They don't have to, nor do they want to.

    I read some rants and rationalizations about gurus this or that, but I see industrywide statistics that simply refute the claims here.
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    • Profile picture of the author Justin Jordan
      Originally Posted by MichaelHiles View Post

      If you don't think video can sell, fine, you're entitled to your opinion. But I have hard numbers that say otherwise.
      You know, not a person in this thread, including the OP, has said that video can't sell. So this....

      Originally Posted by MichaelHiles View Post


      . People don't read anymore. They don't have to, nor do they want to.
      ...would seem to be entirely correct.



      I kid, I kid.

      But it's true - two or three of the (let's call it) pro video folks have chimed in acting as if that's what's being said, but nobody is saying that. If all you do is video, there are some people that would maybe buy your product that will never see it. The same is true of text only stuff.

      The only question is whether or not you're missing out on enough sales to make you actually care. There's no reason not to include a text option with video.
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  • Profile picture of the author GeorgR.
    personally, it is less effort for me to read a PDF/book than drag myself through a video. I am one of the types who has a hard time with videos since i am extremely unpatient.

    However, i am aware that (supposedly) many customers WANT videos

    and that marketers use videos to add value to their products

    a "course" with 20 videos can be sold higher than a PDF.
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    • Profile picture of the author Lyn Woodring
      At the moment most videos waste my time. I have cable broadband but my computer is somewhat outdated and most videos I have to stop them and adjust the sound and picture to match about every minute.
      That of course is my fault and am buying a more recent model. Even at that videos that give me a 30+ minute sales pitch that for something that I've spent 20-25 minutes watching and then find it is not a product I want ticks me off.
      I pay close attention to details. For instance in the offline world I will not do business with firms that do not treat their employees well. My reasoning? I figure their employees are somebody's customers and I think that reflects their attitudes towards customers in general and someday on me.
      So for those marketers that seem to lightly dismiss the concerns of those who for whatever reason can't or don't watch video it seems to me your disdain of customers in general is showing.
      That's my take.
      -Lyn
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  • Profile picture of the author The Copy Nazi
    Banned
    I can't believe I'm the first to do this. LOL.

    YouTube - Is Video Getting in the Way of the Message Now?
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    • Profile picture of the author Rob Anderson
      Originally Posted by Metronicity View Post

      I can't believe I'm the first to do this. LOL.

      YouTube - Is Video Getting in the Way of the Message Now?

      aaahhh - brilliant, i have been keeping a bit of a low profile after stirring it up a bit.
      but i have been reading through all the different posts and opinions, and grinning all the while.
      hell i am quite enjoying myself, and then i got to the inserted video, and had to go and watch it.

      thank you, a very "clear" and concise video getting straight to the point.
      perhaps a little unclear - but being so far away over here in africa, it could just be the seawater getting into the cable again.

      the best laugh i have had for days. thanks again.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jill Carpenter
      Originally Posted by Metronicity View Post

      I can't believe I'm the first to do this. LOL.

      YouTube - Is Video Getting in the Way of the Message Now?
      WoW! That Special effect was amazing!






      ROFLMBO
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  • Profile picture of the author Jesus Perez
    Dear Rob,

    Hi there. Since this is text, I'm sure you'll read it. I wanted you to know I don't care about "your type". For every person out there that "hates" videos, there are approximately 2,000,000 that don't. These weird " video-lover types" click...and they buy. Ofcourse, I don't have the statistics to back this up...but neither do you. So this entire argument boils down to "I don't like cheesy marketing videos, stop marketing to me unless you're farrell or travis". Ok Rob, I'll stop marketing to you. Just you. The other 2,000,000 can keep buying.

    I used to start threads like this a few years ago. Nowadays, I just try to help.

    P.S., whatever you do, don't watch this video. It will waste your time like all the others. My Favourite Things on Vimeo
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  • Profile picture of the author Gunter Eibl
    Don't get the point. Video is something you do additional to all other methods, video doesn't replace anything. You do article marketing for those who read articles. You do video for those who watch videos. You do Squidoo pages for those who are on Squidoo etc.

    Gunter
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  • Profile picture of the author Christophe Young
    I have to agree with Rob. I'm VERY impatient online and when I go to a site with a video, the first thing I do is look at the length. If it's less than ten minutes I might watch it. More than that... I'm gone. The ONLY long videos I've watched are Eben's. I like his stuff and his style so I have sat through his 60 minute vids.

    I prefer text and I'm thinking a lot of others do as well. Especially after reading the posts in this thread. I agree that videos are good for "how to" type presentations.

    If I'm going to watch a video, they have to get to the point quickly. I also don't like all the goofing around and mindless chatter. Makes them look unprofessional. If I see someone grab his guitar, I go for the back button. Geez, keep it quick!! I have other things to do.
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  • Profile picture of the author jakesellers
    Sorry to be a technical chauvinist but the majority of the traffic I monetize are on broadband connections using latest browsers. I've found video and flash animation keeps people on pages longer, and the more time they spend on my lander (reading the copy or watching the video) the more likely they are to act.

    That said the web makes it simple to create content that degrades gracefully. There's no reason that there can't be pictures to look at for users that can't play video, and text to read for web clients that can't display pictures.
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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    LOL.. YouTube now offers sponsored video placement for search, which means I can enact a PPC campaign for my videos on the site.

    They are also currently in beta with micropayment solutions for downloaded videos for content producers.

    As marketers, you absolutely MUST come to an understanding of the implications of these things.

    The internet & video is portable now--- it's called mobile. People can watch video anywhere, and rely upon the major distribution networks like YouTube and iTunes for the majority of their stuff.

    People aren't going to read sales letters on their iPhone. Period. I don't think the text is even legible.

    How many ipods & iphones have been sold? (I use ipods and iphones to describe mp3 players and video/web enabled cell phones across the board)

    The platform is shifting and convergence is mobile.

    I don't disagree that a lot of the web is still text... but in 5 years, I would suggest that a phenomenal amount of shift has taken place, and the web as we know it may be very different.

    The thing about guys that do video vs. text is that those who are first to adopt any new communications platform for content tend to be the winners.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      > Relying on polls and responses to "I hate video" threads to determine the characteristics of the population at large is like using the opinions of a political party caucus to determine the results of a coming election. Just ask President Nader...

      > Speculating that people go to YouTube just to waste time and go to other search properties for "information" just doesn't jive with the facts. Want an up-to-the-minute illustration? Look at the top 100 or 1,000 most popular search terms for any engine. Are those people the ones that buy what you're selling? Or is it a subset that doesn't show up on the most-popular lists?

      > Poor execution can kill the response to a pitch, even if it's presented in the "right" medium. If you read the intelligent, thoughtful entries in this and all the other 'I hate...' debates, what you find is that people hate lousy videos, lousy sales letters, lousy sales funnels, lousy offers...lousy marketing. And they're exposed to enough lousy marketing that their minds have taken the short cut from "I hate lousy video" to "I hate video". It's a defense mechanism as old as "if it looks like a sabretooth tiger, and growls like one, RUN."
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      • Profile picture of the author Harry Behrens
        Originally Posted by healymedia View Post

        Well said, and TRUE! But that isn't what I'm trying to demonstrate. I'm simply trying to demonstrate that YouTube is still vastly considered to be an entertainment source search engine, whereas Google, Yahoo, etc, are far more considered to be informational search engines.
        Hm, this certainly lines up with my own use of YouTube (and I use YouTube a whole lot, when I'm not working), but I think it may be different for non-internet-using people.

        For me, I'm very used to what I get from where. Which webpage to go to, etc. But for someone like say my aunt who wants to preview how a laptop looks and works before she buys... I think she's much more likely to go to YouTube, or at least *as* likely, as to go anywhere else.

        I don't see the internet turning into a "controllable TV" in the next 5 or 10 years, but I can certainly see it falling somewhere close to the middle between that and where it is now.
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      • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
        Originally Posted by healymedia View Post

        The point being that if you browse through the top 100 trends you see that people are using text based search to look for information on topics. They're using it to learn.

        If you look at the top 100 for YouTube, you see a vastly different picture.
        If you look at the trends, you may find some current events searches, especially for hot topics.

        If you log into one of the 'stream of consciousness' tickers that show search terms as they occur, you get a far different picture. If all you saw was those tickers, you'd believe the late night talk show clowns who portray the majority of Internet users as porn seekers. Unless there is breaking news, most of the searches are for porn or celebrity gossip/photos. Unless you're in the adult or celebrity fields, those searchers would also be of marginal value to marketers, at best.

        I'll even grant your point if we're looking at the IM/MMO markets.

        Here's a real-life example...

        I'm a fanatic fisherman, but the demands of business mean I don't get out as often as I want. So, when I want to mentally get away for awhile, I go to YouTube and watch fishing-related videos.

        Yes, I'm doing it for entertainment, but if I'm watching a video by a local fishing guide and I like what I see, he's got a leg up the next time I'm looking to book a day on the water. Yet that fishing video will never show up on the top 100...
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  • Profile picture of the author moodykitty
    I rarely watch the videos, I would rather read.

    However, if it's a 'how to' video where I visually need to see how something is done I will definitely tune in.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
    Guys,

    Keep one thing in mind while discussing video marketing (Youtube?):

    IM marketers are not video professionals. Far from it. So give it some time. In some years we'll see some video gurus teaching everything, but right now we're just a rock n' roll band trying to learn whats the guitar for.

    And btw, Youtube viewers keeps increasing every year (don't ask me for data, i am just a rock n' roll drummer).

    Fernando
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    People make good money selling to the rich. But the rich got rich selling to the masses.
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  • Profile picture of the author MichaelHiles
    well... i just got this dropped into my email inbox.

    I am not promoting this product as an affiliate... this is the direct url.

    The statistics & case study discussed by Keith completely trash the idea of text being anywhere close to video.

    Easy Sales Formula
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  • Profile picture of the author riverchase
    Short right precise to the points in video does it for me. A sales page with key points without lengthy spill...with the
    video above gets my time in the page a bit longer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Christie Love
    Well, you've certainly voiced your opinion. However, what I've found, as a copywriter, is written copy is still in demand. There are just a lot of people who still prefer to read than watch a video, especially if the person isn't pleasing to the eye ;-)

    Thanks for your honest perception though. It's people like you who keep me in high demand.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin Riley
      Originally Posted by Christie Love View Post

      There are just a lot of people who still prefer to read than watch a video, especially if the person isn't pleasing to the eye ;-)
      Ouch. Wait a minute, I hope you're not talking about my videos
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      • Profile picture of the author John Durham
        Originally Posted by Kevin Riley View Post

        Ouch. Wait a minute, I hope you're not talking about my videos
        I think she is.
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  • Profile picture of the author AndyBlackSEO
    I think videos like anything else are a good thing if used in the right way. I use videos on some of my sites / pages but NOT to play a slaes pitch as such. I use videos purely to illustrate something or show how a system or software works so visitors can get a closer look at something. Videos used in the right way can be very effective but they shouldn't be the only means to promoting your website.
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