Archive for Video
Outsourcing Your Video Marketing
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So you’re not a technical or audio/video whiz, or you’re so busy with your other business management tasks that you know you need to outsource your videos if it’s ever going to get done. It is possible to outsource your video successfully. But like any outsourcing you do, you need to prepare and be aware of who you are hiring.
Here’s what you need to keep in mind when hiring a freelancer for your video marketing:
Know What You Need: If you don’t know what you need from your assistant or your marketing, how can you expect anyone else to know? If you can describe exactly what you need from your assistant then you will have a great chance for getting just that back from them when the project is completed.
Prepare Materials and Logins: If there are specific materials and login information your assistant will need, it will save you a lot of time if you prepare everything ahead of time. If your assistant needs to email you every time they need something, you’ll hold up the process while they wait for you to respond.
Find Reference Examples: Locate a few videos with the look and feel you like and forward those to your assistant. This will help your assistant make sure they’re clear about what you’re looking for.
Ask For Referrals: Asking for referrals is a great way to find qualified contractors. If you see a video online that you particularly like, contact the site owner to ask who created it. You’ll know what kind of quality you’ll be getting when you hire this way.
Be Open to Suggestions: Your contractor is an expert, so be open to suggestions from him or her. Explain your high-level goals, and then let them do their stuff.
Having a great team member or even a full team to handle your videos can be a real load off your mind. Just remember that successful outsourcing requires a careful blend of preparation and clarity on your goals, and willingness to let go and let the experts take over. Once you hit that sweet spot, you can cross one more thing off your To-Do list.
Getting Potential Clients to Take the Next Step After Watching Your Video
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You can produce the most compelling, interesting video online, but without a clear call to action, your video is just pure entertainment. Whether you want a viewer to buy your product, sign up for your list, or take another action, you have to tell them what you want them to do.
A call to action can take many different forms. Do you want the viewer to click on a link, click the “buy now” button, watch another video, or take some other step? Know what you want from your viewer before you even create your video so everything you do points to that desired end result.
Some people believe that if you push your message on your audience, they will resist any kind of “sell” and turn away. While you want to avoid the used car salesman approach, remember that when you have the solution to your audience’s problems, you’re doing them a favor by sharing it with them.
Your call to action can take many forms. Here are some examples:
- Click here to download your free copy of Biz Tips for Entrepreneurs.
- Click here to find out how to boost your business with Social Media!
- Schedule a consultation with me so we can work together to fulfill your business destiny.
- Click here to find out how you can build your business and brand using Facebook.
- Fill out the form below to sign up for our free teleseminar.
The logistics of creating a call to action within in a video will vary depending on the type of video you use, the location of the video and the rules of the site where you are hosting your video. Here are some ideas:
Mention in the Video – You can include a call to action within the video itself. Create the video to capture the attention of your audience, give them the information they need and then tell them what action to take next.
Text Within the Video – Another way to tell your viewers what move to make after the video is to add it across the screen of the video. This text can be a link to your website or an explanation of any other action you’d like them to take.
Clickable Video – By using ‘Flash’ software or YouTube’s video tools, you can create video that, when clicked on, can link the viewer to the desired page.
Make Use of Video Descriptions – You can add a call to action within your video descriptions. If you have uploaded a video to a hosting site, check the rules as to how you can link to your site and how promotional your videos and descriptions can be.
The most important part of your call to action is ensuring it fits with what your audience needs. When the call to action matches the exact needs of your audience, taking your recommended next step will be a natural next step for your viewers.
Promoting Your Business on Facebook Using Video
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If you have a business and a website, then you’ve likely considered video marketing. Then when you combine video marketing with Facebook, you’ve got a winning combination. Once you’re convinced of the power of marketing with video, the next step is to decide how to use videos to promote your business. Here are just a few examples:
1. Testimonials – Ask your clients to give you quick 1-minute videos of their feedback. You can also interview them about your business for a more structured testimonial.
2. Case Studies – If you’re involved in some kind of before-and-after (coaching, website design, fitness, SEO, etc.) case studies are an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise. Seeing an example helps the potential client understand exactly what impact your service or product can have on their business.
3. Product Reviews – Video brings an added element to product reviews, particularly if you’re reviewing a physical product. But hearing you talk about a book or piece of software is effective too.
4. Education – Use video to educate your market on the use of your products. Lead them towards the sale by answering their most frequently asked questions and objections.
5. Entertainment – People love to be entertained! If you can entertain in your video and combine that with a call to action, you’ll have a winning combination.
6. Commercial – Done correctly (meaning compelling with a clear call to action), commercials for your product or service can be very effective.
7. Business Overview – One of the first things many people look for is who they are buying from and what they stand for. Let your potential customers learn about you and your business through a business overview.
When your videos are complete, upload them to YouTube and connect them to your Facebook account. You link them on your Wall tab and Video tab and you can also promote them to your Facebook followers via messaging.
As you can see from the list above, there are many ways to use video to promote your business. The key is to provide solutions with your videos and leave your Facebook followers wanting more of you.
If you’re looking to build your business and brand on Facebook, check out my new 3 part webinar series starting on August 2nd “Facebook 4 Biz: Ready, Set, Go!”, where I will delve into everything Facebook. Oh and before I forget, Facebook 4 Biz is part of my Super Summer Sale and you’ll get 20% off at checkout. With 500+ million strong, there has never been a better time to take advantage of all that Facebook has to offer your business.
Marketing Monday: 7 Marketing Benefits for Using Video As a Solopreneur
Posted by: | CommentsBefore we get into the blog post for today, I recorded a video to accompany it since the topic seemed to beg for it. 
How are you using video for your business?
You’ve heard that using video to market your business can bring incredible results. But do the benefits outweigh the effort it takes to put your video online? In a word, Yes! Shooting a video, editing and formatting it, uploading it to the internet with the right title and description takes a bit of time. But the payoff for video marketing can be tremendous. Here are seven real benefits of marketing with video:
1. Personal Connection – Especially for internet based businesses, the personal connection with your potential market is a huge selling factor. With video, your audience can truly get to know you, eye-to-eye. They get to see that you are indeed a real, live person. They start building a deeper relationship with you and feel as if they actually have met you.
2. Social proof – There’s an old proverb: “Believe nothing of what you hear, and only half of what you see.” On the internet it’s so easy to be a fake and a fraud. People are skeptical about claims they read online, and rightfully so. But video puts a face to your words and makes you more believable and trustworthy.
3. Traffic – People are watching 2 BILLION videos per day on YouTube alone! That’s a whole lot of traffic you’re missing if you’re not marketing yourself with video. It’s free and easy to add your video to a large number of the video sites available online.
4. Emotional Influence – The classic horror movie is a great example of how the audio has an emotional effect on us. The creepy music comes in, immediately cluing you in that something bad is about to happen. Now, imagine combining that audio with powerful video cues to influence the emotions of the listener and create a much more compelling message than with just text alone.
5. Portability – Maybe even more so then articles and ebooks, video is portable. iPhones, Smartphones, iPads and all kinds of other devices allow video to be seen on the go. You can also allow people to download video easily so they can view it over and over again.
6. Demonstrations – Reviews, case studies and examples are great ways to sell products and services. It’s the reason why infomercials make millions of dollars. Now there’s no need for you to be as annoying as the Sham-Wow guy to make money with video, you just need to create videos that show and tell your potential customers why your product will be helpful for them.
7. Engagement – There are many reports available online to show that video boosts response and conversion rates. When someone is watching a video, you have their full attention – eyes and ears. Unlike with the written word, they’re not likely skip ahead or gloss over important information. Most people will watch a video from beginning to end, allowing you to clearly create a message and call to action that engages your audience.
Overall, video is an effective marketing strategy that is only growing in popularity. Since video is here to stay, it’s time to check out the options and see how quick and easy video marketing can be.
Free Teleseminar: Internet Marketing for Your Biz
Posted by: | CommentsTomorrow, September 10th, I am hosting an informative teleseminar with Deborah Gallant who is known as “the business coach who really gets the internet.” You will not want to miss this one so register today at: www.solopreneur.biz/teleseminar
I also created a video about this teleseminar while visiting gorgeous Alaska. Enjoy!
