Free Video Training from Andy Jenkins

February 8, 2010

When it comes to making great marketing videos, Andy Jenkins is (IMHO) pretty much the best around. In this second installment of a 4 video launch series, Andy provides 20 minutes of pure gold content. Nothing for sale in this one…just one of the best brain dumps I’ve ever seen on HOW to make effective marketing videos from one of the best brains in the business.

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.

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Posted in Video Marketing