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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

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! 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

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

Why do I like this so much and want you to watch and study it?

Because I’ve been teaching the SAME things for 3 years!

Watch the video below and then follow along with my thoughts and observations (and leave a comment!):

Click HERE to watch

OK…here are some key points:

1. Notice Andy’s audio quality. Top notch! It’s a major contributor to the “professionalism” factor!

2. This entire video includes music tracks. Notice I used the plural “tracks”. Listen to how each track instantly conveys a very specific “feeling” and changes the dynamic of the presentation. See if you can pick out the “emotions” Andy is trying to convey with each track change and how it ties into the message he is delivering at that moment. This is powerful subconscious stuff!!

3. Within the first 10 seconds, he pulls us in with a compelling “reason to watch”. The “Fastest way to create powerful sales videos”? Heck ya! I want that! It’s the first 10 seconds that are critical to getting your message watched.

4. At :20 we get a nice dose of “social proof” in the way of comments from the first video in the series to further whet the appetite. The video is wrong, there are 1,087 comments as of this writing! Placing this scene here is NOT by chance. It’s there so we will “validate” our reason for watching it and feel like we will be “missing out” if we leave. More powerful subconscious stuff…

5. I believe that Andy probably changed the opening minutes of this video from his original script. And I believe he did that because of the feedback in the comments from the first video. Notice how he listened to what his viewers were telling him they wanted and adjusted the content to even further give us a reason to watch. TIP: ALWAYS keep your eyes open to what your viewers want and reflect that back to them in your content! Using simple footage grabbed from his comments page ended up being simple, quick, and very effective.

6. Oh…and the cool “sideways 3D-looking” effect he used in the scene? You can do this with the Camtasia “Tilt” Pan & Zoom feature. Notice he uses it sparingly for maximum effect but he uses it because it is a visual eye grabber. More on that in a bit…

7. Step 1 talks about using a…<gasp>…script! OMG! Really? Ya. Because if you are delivering a message, what you say, when you say it, and how you say it are important. I create an actual script for literally every video I create. I love his advice here: “The better the script, the happier the viewer!”

8. A sales page contains almost everything you need to plan & script a killer Camtasia sales video. I talk about this planning concept in the Screencast Profits Course in several places. Have you seen the free Affiliate Marketing Module from the Screencast Profits Gold Member level? It’s a good compliment to Andy’s content! Specifically, check out the “Getting Started Right” Chapter in this module.

9. At 3:43 Andy does an easy little trick. Can you tell what it is? It’s a slow Pan & Zoom. He takes the capture (it might even just be a static image) and slowly makes it move. You can do this in Camtasia using the Pan & Zoom feature and just set the Zoom Duration to a higher value like 5 to 8 seconds! This is effective because we are conditioned to seeing things “move”. Watch a documentary on TV sometime. You know, maybe something about history where they show old paintings or photographs? You will never see anything “standing still” for more than a couple of seconds. It will move…because a hundred years of film production experience has shown that movement keeps the viewers attention.

10. At 4:15, the Little Boss FAB technique is solid gold. It’s a variation of the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) method I teach in Screencast Profits only more focused to the most important elements of a good sales message: Features & Benefits. TIP: It’s the benefit that sells!

11. At 5:29, you’ll see a pretty funny graphic. Again, not a random thing! It’s called a “Pattern Interrupt” and is there to jolt you back to the message. This is another thing I talk about in the Affiliate Marketing module in the Product Demos chapter. In fact, I also use a FailBlog.org image just like Andy used to demonstrate the concept!

12. Another concept I teach is at 7:09. “People love to buy but they don’t like being sold to!" Great advice…

13. Andy uses Apple’s Keynote to create his presentation. Arguably, Keynote is much cooler in the effects department than Microsoft PowerPoint! But…I don’t own a Mac (yet) so I use PowerPoint. FYI, the beta for the next version of PPT is out and I’ll be checking it out to see if there are coolness enhancements.

14. I highly recommend all the template, image, and other resources Andy mentions. I use them all!

15. At 10:12 – Using pictures & sound for maximum “emotional” benefit. Pay attention here! Watch any of my videos and you’ll see this concept used constantly. Key point:

Use text and then relevant images to reach beyond logic and help them understand the emotion of what you’re trying to say.

But you’ll never hear me use any Yani…lol.

16. At 17:30 we get to hear about another of my pet peeves. Rehearsal! I’m just going to say this about that: “Kick ass videos are rehearsed. Lame videos are not…period.”  Winging it has a time & place but don’t become an expert in mediocrity by doing it all the time! Thanks for the validation Andy…

That’s it for this video review. Can’t wait for the next one!

Oh…one more thing:

There are download links for each of Andy’s videos on the page that has the video.

Download them!!

I want to hear what you think and what you have questions on! Please leave a comment!

Lon

FYI: The link to Andy’s video above is my affiliate link and I’ll be compensated if you buy. I’ll have my thoughts on what I think of the product after the 4th video of his series.

I’ve studied him for several years now and always marvel at his style (which is very similar to mine I think) and his video marketing philosophy. In fact, at times, I find it absolutely scary how much we think alike in terms of how and why to use video on the internet.

I got to meet Andy in person (finally) at Mike Filsaime’s Affiliate Appreciation event in Vegas the end of January and it turns out that his personality is pretty much the same in person as it is in his videos. I knew this when he gave me a big bear hug! LOL…

I’m totally jazzed to see that since breaking away from StomperNet that he is now coming out with what will surely be the top video marketing information around.

His new thing is called The Video Boss.  I’m sure it will be great ‘n’ all…but probably not for everyone…and probably pretty pricey.

So, why am I telling you about it and why am I psyched?

Because, if Andy is true to form with the launch of this product (and I’m sure he will be), he is going to provide a TON of absolutely incredible information during the process for free.

I highly recommend that you opt-in to watch and study these videos!!!!

CLICK HERE AND WATCH THESE

I can literally promise you…it will be well worth the time.

Post your comments here and let’s discuss the tactics he teaches. You could try to also leave a comment on Andy’s first video page but…there are already 572 of them! Yikes…

Enjoy!

Lon

Disclaimer: Dear FTC, The links above are my affiliate links and I’ll get rich if you use them but I can’t promise you will if you buy anything,

Tags are keywords that describe videos. For example, a surfing video might be tagged with “surfing,” “water,” and “waves.” Users who enjoy watching surfing videos can then search for any of those terms and that video will show up in their search results. Tags help you label videos you upload so that other people can find them more easily but the problem is that YouTube only allows single tag words and NOT keyword “phrases”.

Here are some Top Tagging Tips:

1. Research other videos in your niche that have lots of views.

What tags are they using? Checking these can give you some ideas…but more importantly:

“What combinations of tags do they use that users may be entering in to get specific results?”

Think of these combinations as keyword phrases used in Adwords and Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

So for a surfing promotion, if you went surfing in Waikiki in your video, you could include “surfing” and “Waikiki” in your tags. Users who search for “surfing Waikiki” find your video more easily than users who search for “surfing” or “Waikiki.”

2. Use your Tags in your Description text.

Including them in the text likely makes your video appear more “relevant” and more desirable for YouTube to return as a search result.

3. Do Keyword Research to find good tags.

Another great tactic is to do good ‘ole keyword research for what your market is searching for. AdWords ads can provide valuable info in this area. Why? Because, if someone is spending money to advertise for specific keywords & phrases then you can bet it’s because those words are getting searched…and are profitable.

People search YouTube the same way they search Google.

Here are my favorite tools for keyword research:
PPC Web Spy
This new tool from keyword legend Brad Callen integrates with Firefox and provides outstanding data with the click of a button. I totally LOVE this tool! Oh…and it’s yours – FREE!

Get it here: PPC Web Spy

SEO for Firefox

Another Must Have tool I use is called SEO for Firefox from SEO Tools. Their motto is: “Learn. Rank. Dominate”

Soooo appropriate! This thing has a laundry list of features as long as your arm and I use it on a daily basis to see check trends, PR rankings, backlinks, find potential partners…tons of stuff!

Enjoy and don’t forget to do your homework!

And…for his inagural episode, he wanted to chat with me about using video in internet marketing! Cool! Well, Bob and I go WAY back so it was a no-brainer decision for me…of course I’d lend a hand!

I really like the BlogTalk system and had already used it when Willie Crawford interviewed me back in July. One of the reasons Bob was so interested in getting started with it is that Google loves the content.

I gotta say…I thik it was a GREAT call (in spite of the fact that Bob hung up on me about a minute in! LOL! “Hellloooo?”)

So, here’s the replay:

IM
Success Radio

Please forgive the kinda obnoxious ad in the beginning…it’s actually another cool feature of BlogTalkRadio!

If you’d like to grab the transcript and check out all the other excellent guest expert interviews from Bob, just head over to IM Success Radio

Thanks Bob for a kick butt call! Let’s do it again soon!

;-0

Image via CrunchBase

Google announced on Wednesday that it would begin selling space on YouTube search-results pages to advertisers.

This new feature will allow anyone who has a video on YouTube to promote it on a search results page. Sound familiar? Advertises will be able to bid on keywords and the promoted videos will show up on the right hand side of the YouTube search results page along with a thumbnail image of the video.

Sound familiar?

And just like Adwords, you get charged when a viewer clicks the link, you can set a max. amount per day, and the results are based on highest bidder and relevance.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTffb8OF8_U[/youtube]

We’ve been waiting for this kind of monetization model and Google has been going down the road of figuring out how to profit from the incredible asset that is YouTube. Last month, it added “click to buy” icons to ads that took viewers from YouTube videos to iTunes or Amazon.com

Apparently, they are still figuring it all out since CEO Eric Schmidt said in a conference call in July:

I personally do not believe that the perfect ad product for YouTube has been invented yet…

And Tracy Chan, a Google product manager, at the press conference introducing the feature pointed out that:

There’s the assumption that on YouTube, it’s 17-year-old boys watching dogs’ skateboarding videos…

Well, that might be the “perception” among big companies looking at this model but it doesn’t bother me! I’ll take a few of the eyeballs searching for…let’s see…how about: “17 year old boys racking their nuts on skateboards”

To keep up to date with the Camtasia strategies I’ll be using to cash in on this and all the latest video marketing methods be sure to join ScreencastProfits!

According to analysts Piper Jaffray Research, the site could generate $200 million in sales in 2009.

But for all of us, it means that this is the first step towards throwing other products into the mix. Like products and services that we offer! Screencast marketers may soon be able to use video promotions (which Camtasia videos are perfect for) that include the ability for a viewer to click a Buy-Now kind of function.

According the the Official Google Blog:

This is just the beginning of building a broad, viable e-commerce platform for users and partners on YouTube. Our vision is to help partners across all industries — from music, to film, to print, to TV — offer useful and relevant products to a large, yet targeted audience, and generate additional revenue from their content on YouTube beyond the advertising we serve against their videos.

Lots of open questions on the User Interface and how all this will work, look, and be received but certainly a step that we can all be interested in!

NOTE TO OLD-SCHOOL VIACOM: Hey! Instead of suing to the tune of making only the lawyers rich, how about, oh I don’t know…profiting by advertising?? Duh…