Ya… It can certainly get confusing with so many “tactics” around and new, shiny video widgets. And even easier is to lose focus of the “big picture” and end up wasting your time making videos that don’t serve a valuable purpose.

Videos themselves don’t mean squat without:

A profitable business strategy to use them!

I know…very unsexy, right?

But believe me, one of the top problems I see every week with what students and customers are trying to do is they focus on the flash and forget the function!

Strategy IS important but it’s hard to find good information on what that should be and how to implement it. There is so much crap out there now from guru after guru and their stupid “Easy Button” solutions.

How about some straight forward, common sense, battle-tested, no fluff stuff you can use?

Last December, I hooked up with a guy named Lee McIntyre and I am so impressed with his business model that I’m dropping almost everything else and fixing my business. Check it out here:

This is good stuff!

Even better? It’s not some $2,000 pig with lipstick on it. It’s one of the smartest and most focused guys I’ve seen doing a brain dump marathon for…$20.

Why so little? Well, that’s one part of the strategy! “Deliver MASSIVE value and create raving fans”…I’m a raving fan.

Even better that that? If you don’t agree with me, get a refund and keep all the videos anyway!

Beware, there will be some upsells / downsells etc…you can see if they are a fit for you but I recommend focusing on one thing at a time. This is actually my second product purchase from Lee and I’ll be buying more but only after I take action of this awesome content.

I’d love to hear your feedback especially if you pick this up!

==> Click HERE to check it out for yourself

We can compare notes and strategies to start working smarter and not harder this year…

Lon Naylor

Check out the original post HERE.

You’ll see a Pop-up video that was created by the developer to “sell” the software plugin. It does a good job of showing all the nuts & bolts, features, etc. of the excellent product BUT…

You don’t actually SEE what the software DOES until 1 minute and 40 seconds into the video!

DON’T DO THAT!

Let’s think about that…a viewer has absolutely ZERO idea of what they are looking at (not to mention What they are going to Get) until 1:40 rolls by??

Folks, you have about 10 seconds to GRAB someone’s attention with a video. Use the time to try to find a way to:

Show The Last Thing FIRST!

Here’s a re-do I created of the beginning of that sales video. Watch as I spend the first 12 seconds grabbing the viewers attention visually and then the next 20 seconds SHOWING THE LAST THING FIRST!

See what a difference that makes?

In less than 45 seconds, I can demonstrate what a customer will get, and make them eager to watch the boring install and configuration crapand get the excited. More importantly…get them to subconsciously visualize their end result and when I top that with the demo of how EASY it actually is?

Yummy sales video goodness! Read that as…more sales.

Lon

If you watch this before 10PM EST on Friday, Sept. 2rd, 2011 you can still get Premium List Magnet for a stupid low $27. It WILL go up after that and they will not extend this 60% discount.

–> Premium List Magnet

I bought this for myself and am testing it because I HATE creating nice looking opt-in and video squeeze elements from scratch! With this plugin, I can quickly create some awesome list building tools without writing ANY code…just fill in some fields and pick a look and function.

I wanted to post this real quick because…it’s only $27 until FRIDAY, Sept. 2nd, 2011 at 10 PM EST

I’m configuring a demo test on this page

in about 5 minutes that you should see in about 15 seconds.

Let me know what you think but I recommend grabbing this for the steal price before it goes up. I’m liking it!

Lon

P.S.

A couple of folks commented about Welly’s video that I used to demo his pop-up on this page.

Well, I agree with the comments of kinda lame music BUT…I wanted to make a more important point so I’ve added a post called, “How NOT To Do A Software Sales Video”

Check it out and you’ll discover a HUGE tip for selling more effectively with video!

They all appear to be sooo…ummm…scamy?

Here are a couple of apps I’m currently evaluating that look like they may have some useful potential to help jack up all the powerful social community aspects of YouTube in a logical, controllable, and more ethical way.

The first is an app called TubeFool from Alex Goad and Mark Dulisse that they first came out with as part of their Dominating Video Course and the feedback from it has been that TubeFool was the single biggest hit of all the content in their very decent training program.

They are re-launching that program on Feb. 1st, 2011 again and giving away this interesting tool as part of their launch.

There will be the typical launch sales funnel deals…several upsells  offered etc. but this tool is the sweet “gift” and they have a $77 special offer in the funnel (I think it will be the second upsell offer?) for a VERY interesting tool called Google Video Sitemaps. I’ll be picking that up to evaluate shortly…

I’ve signed up for the Launch Process as usual and, as always, I recommend that video marketers follow all of these well done video launches to pick up ideas!

Jump in HERE:

TubeFool and Dominating Video Re-Launch

The other YouTube community building thing is called Tube Toolbox. I just got an eval copy and will be checking it out also.

Again, the developers claim that, when used properly, the software and the functions it performs within the YouTube TOS and won’t do anything stupid like get you banned!

Get a trial copy at:

Tube Toolbox

I haven’t gotten all the way through with checking it out because I’m creating new YouTube accounts for each for tracking & testing…so, I can’t make “must have” recommendations yet but I wanted to post what I’m working on to see if others are checking them out and get some discussion started.

YouTube will be a MUCH bigger part of my marketing work (along with Facebook) in 2011 so stay tuned for updates, tips, and tutorials…

If you’ve used any of these tools and have comments, let’s hear ‘em!

Lon

I’ve been able to play with a pre-release copy of the software for a little over a week now and this post will start off my official review!

Here’s a quick little sample promo-style video I made in Adobe After Effects to start putting it through it’s paces:

Since I’m still running a beta copy of the software I’ll reserve really getting into all the meat and critique until I had  final code but I am interested in seeing how the Social Media / Networking aspect does.

I could use YOUR help with that!

One of the sweet new features involves Facebook, Twitter, and Digg integration right into the player itself.

Can you help me test it by, well…doing all those things?

Another fascinating feature is the ability to create a nice little “page” to display any video in your EVP system with Facebook integration.

Check out this sample:

I’d really appreciate your input, thoughts, questions, etc. and especially any “sharing” you could do.

I’d like to collect a good amount of data (yes…EVP keeps awesome video statistics!) that I can test also.

I’ll be posting the results soon…

Thanks and to see what other content is being sent out during pre-launch by Josh be sure  to sign up for the Early Bird messages.

Lon

You can do all that by yourself…OR…you can leverage Joint Venture (JV) partners and make it happen in a hurry. That’s what I do!

The best JV relationships I have all started as a result of meeting people in person. Here are some examples:

Jeff Mills Boost Seminar (Spring 2010): I met marketer & writer extraordinaire Jason Fladlien.

I live about 30 minutes from the venue so I drove in for each day of the event. This particular morning, Jason was giving his presentation (that I said I would be there for) but I got held up and had to watch from home of Jeff’s excellent Live Seminar Video feed.

And when Jason gave me a shout-out from the stage and found out I wasn’t there…check out what he says! OMG.

I also re-connected with some old friends like Susan Schmidt and Larry Loik (who was also presenting). He gives me a nice mention from the stage as well:

The point being: Meeting brilliant, well-connected, extremely successful folks and becoming friends and JV partners rocks!

Having them call you out from a room full of other marketers (and a world-wide video broadcast audience)?

Priceless!

I’ll be attending Jeff Mills last Boost Seminar on Oct 22-24, 2010 in Minneapolis, MN

Ticket prices are $97 for the entire 3 days, and the price DOUBLES on Friday, October 1. So you’ll want to take action today and claim your generic propecia ticket by clicking HERE.

Some of the amazing speakers coming:

• Rick Raddatz (an ex-Microsoft guy like me! Can’t wait to meet him!)
• Mike Hill (met him when I spoke at Ken McCarthy’s System Seminar in 2008)
• Vince Tan
• Daven Michaels
• Paul Lemberg of StomperNet fame
• and others!

Hey…if you can make it, track me down and I’ll buy you dinner!

GET…TO…LIVE…EVENTS!!

See you there?

Lon

target=”_blank”>CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW ALONG

If you’ve followed me for awhile, you probably know that I’m a big fan of big product launches.

Mostly because of the power of high quality video content! So…I study these things.

In the coming days we’ll all see, whether we like it or not, the latest round of in the monster product launch category, something called AffiliateDotCom from Mike Filsaime and Chris Farrell.

This post is the first in a series I’ll be doing to follow the process from a video marketing and Camtasia perspective.

I’ll have a LOT of great tips and techniques to share!

Here’s a link to the I5 Gold Call I mentioned.

And, if you haven’t seen the Google Search Story video, HERE it is.

I also did a tutorial that explains it HERE.

I’m interested in hearing any questions you might have about how the videos in this launch are created by Andy so leave them as comments along with any other feedback or ideas you have!

Thanks,

Lon

as their primary marketing method.

The old saying “Watch and learn…” is completely applicable here!

I watched, learned, and marveled as Andy Jenkins rolled out the Video Boss and commented on the interesting process employed by Frank Kern for List Control…

Today, one of the only other experts in my very small circle of influence (read that as people I follow and listen to) is finishing up yet another sweet example of of what happens when you couple video with a targeted market and tell a compelling story.

Over the last week, Mike Keonigs of Traffic Geyser layed out a pre-launch series of 5 videos decidedly worth watching:

Click to Watch      

You will have to opt-in the watch all the videos and, yes, that’s my affiliate link. To be very clear: Promoting the product is NOT my goal here (but I’m not stupid either!)

Watch And Learn

My only recommendation is to watch what the best-of-the-best do. When you’re done, heck, unsubscribe!

I also suggest that you take advantage of the download links for these videos and save them to your hard drive for future review. That’s what I’ve done…

Here are a few of my observations on this series:

1. While Mike has the advantage of a pretty killer studio and some great video editors and talent behind him, the bulk of the content is delivered as…you guessed it…screen capture video and presentation graphics captured to video.

2. The “flow” of the messages smacks of world-class copy…the Hook, a big promise, social proof, pattern interrupts, etc. – truly a thing of beauty and worth taking notes on.

3. I love the visuals, builds, and transitions! Probably ultimately done on a Mac in a high-level editor like Final Cut but…I’m pretty jazzed about the new PowerPoint 2010 in beta right now and a whole bunch of this kind of work can be done with a little creativity and attention to detail. Lots of great ideas!

4. They are streaming the videos from Ooyala.com where the hosting fees start at $500 a month! Yikes! Pretty serious stuff…

What do you think? What jumped out at you and what did you learn?

Lon

P.S.

Oh ya…there is a product offered here. Clearly, not for everyone but if this model floats yer boat and ‘cause momma didn’t raise no dummy…I’ll throw out a nice bonus for you if it fits your needs:

1. Full access to my new $397 Camtasia Training at LearnCamtasia.com including the current Camtasia v6 content AND the new Camtasia version 7 training in early May.

2. A cool custom-made Splash video clip: http://www.screencastprofits.com/splash

3. Two full hours of online, screen sharing consulting from me to answer any questions you have about making your Camtasia videos, demonstrated, recorded, whatever you need ($175 per/hr).

4. Oh and how about this? If you haven’t upgraded to Camtasia 7 I’ll buy it for ya! Or…if you have upgraded…a copy of PowerPoint 2010 when it ships?

Just clear your browser cookies, be sure to use the link above so I get credit, and email me a copy of your receipt (admin (at) screencastprofits.com)  as usual…

It’s kinda what I do and how I come up with new tips & tricks and continue to expand my Camtasia video skills. I also find that watching what’s going on is essential due to the fact that “what works” and what people want changes SO fast.

In my almost 10 years of studying the evolution of marketing on the internet, I’ve found that most people don’t “get it” …but a handful of people do. And those are the people I study the most.

Why do some marketers struggle to get any kind of significant results and a select few absolutely CRUSH everything they touch?

Well…study them to find out!

Frank Kern is one of those folks I mentioned. If you’ve never followed a Kern launch, I suggest you do so because there simply is none better. I posted about the first step of list generation with a viral video tactic he used recently.

The actual launch phase is now in full swing and you can follow along by getting into the flow and watch the video sequence HERE:

Let me be clear about some things once again:

• Yes, that’s an affiliate link. I guess it would be stupid not to use it.
• I am NOT recommending the product. I have not seen it or used it.
• It’s gonna be expensive and not for everyone.
• I’m not even taking the time to put together a bonus like most of the 10 gazillion emails you’ll see for this.
• In fact, if I were you and was interesting in buying? I’d probably find someone with a huge bonus and buy it from them…

I don’t care if you are interested in it or not and I’m not trying to get you interested in buying it…but I suggest that you study the process.

Hidden in the outstanding free content and strategies Frank gives away in these videos are the actual elements that make this launch flow so effective.

Can you spot them? Leave a comment and let me know what you find and what you think! I’ve listed some of my favorites so far below.

Please, let’s NOT get into any kind of ethical debate over semantics or specific tactics. I get that some folks don’t like anything that has to do with “sales” or persuasion. I concede that Frank is a master at ninja NLP mind tricks…so be it.

I’m focusing on some core concepts:

• The “story”, imagery, and sound MAKE this video series compelling. As video marketers, we can rock like this too.
• Selling sucks and is hard! Instead, I want to draw people towards me and not simply push stuff .
• Success is in the VALUE that you provide.
• Doing this is a lot more work!
  Online Pharmacy Comprar

  But I’m getting REALLY tired of lazy ass marketers…

And, as Frank puts it:

1. Be SURE you know what they want (and that you can actually help them get it).

2. Demonstrate you can give it to them by helping them right from the start.

3. Make an offer that’s obviously a no-brainer for them …and do so kindly – with their best interests in mind.

4. Give them a reason to take action now.

The philosophy that we are “paid in direct proportion to the value we provide to the marketplace” is one that I completely subscribe to and I hope that most of my members and subscribers would think that I follow.

I also love the saying:

“Shock & Awe Coolness”!

And Andy Jenkins recent launch of the Video Boss coaching program was another perfect example of a well executed pre-launch flow using basically the same video flow as the main sales tool.

I recommend this excellent post by Andy as a great example of the strategic thinking behind these two launches:

I’d like to show you how NOT to build a list
by Andy Jenkins on March 6, 2010

I absolutely love the thinking and systems behind these launch examples and can’t wait to put together a sequence of extreme value and relationship building content for my next big launch.

Your thoughts?

Lon

It’s called iFlash and it’s from Jason Anderson & Stefan Billups.

These guys churn out awesome, studio quality videos for marketing
professionals.  I mean, these are online commercials that rival
the quality of big ticket television commercials.

If you’re making your own promotional videos…check out what these
guys at iFlash Video are doing:

Click HERE: iFlash Video

You may never want to make your own promo videos again. I know that sounds strange coming from me but look…even I can’t put a video like these together for myself without spending hours in the mind-numbing complexity of Adobe After Effects.

And they’ll do one 60 second video for me a month for 50 bucks each??? Duh! No brainer.

The videos are:

* 100% CUSTOM…never a boiler plate template
* They all come with professional voice-over
* You just tell them your “vision”, give them an audio script and
the go and do their magic.

They are open for business (and have been for a while)…but this
particular private invitation is for a members only area that
isn’t quite open yet.

Here’s the deal:

They normally sell their video productions for $399 and up but
on February 16th…well…that’s when the new private access service starts.

There is a $149.99 set up fee which includes your first video, and then it’s only $49.99/month to continue.

Because these are all custom made, they are only letting in 500 people for this service. I’ve talked to Jason about this and it’s NOT some stupid “scarcity” tactic. You simply cannot take on too many people and produce this kind of quality work…

Can I vouch for this service?

Well…not yet. But it certainly can’t hurt to sign up for the Notification List to check it out. I was actually invited to take a look at this by my good friend Willie Crawford. In fact, here’s an episode from his BlogTalkRadio show where he interviews the guys on using these kinds of videos:

Bottom Line? I’m pretty jazzed about getting in and trying this out! Maybe I’ll just pay the setup fee for one awesome video at a very reasonable price and then quit…I’m not sure yet.

But knowing that I can get a new one every month has me thinking… I should really come up with a topic and have one made on an ongoing basis and leverage some killer content that I don’t have to create at a stupid bargain of a price…

Let me know your thoughts…

Lon