People are using the internet to search for how-to videos as well as informative written information (like this article). Although written information tends to be more thorough and more permanent - it stays on the page, while videos are fleeting - videos can grab people's attention and hold them on the page a few seconds longer. Here's how you can have a slice of that cake.
You don't need to film yourself (although that has certain advantages) and you don't even need a camera to make a watchable video. Here's how:
You need a piece of software such as "Powerpoint". That's probably the best known, but not the cheapest. I have something similar in "Open Office" called "Presentation". You create a series of frames or "slides" which are played back in sequence - just like the slide show on your photo watching software.
Spend time working out what you're trying to say. Bear in mind that this not like a page of information, because you can control what people see and the order in which they see it. Just as in a courtship, the sequence is crucial - begin by intriguing the viewer, then get them to like and trust you, then show them how your advice or your product is going to improve their life. Finally persuade them to take action.
Once you've worked out what you want to say, you just type out your message a sentence at a time - about one sentence to each slide, that is - occasionally adding effects (such as words whizzing into place) (if the effect enhances the message). Don't use effects if they don't enhance the message.
Use simple graphics (which are freely available) if they make your point easier to grasp. Don't use them if they're just going to distract or irritate the viewer, though.
When you have assembled all the slides and tested their effectiveness, rehearse reading out the text while the side show plays. The usual technique is to depart from the written text occasionally, in a casual, chatty way, to add a bit of friendliness to the presentation.
When you're word perfect, speak into a microphone and record the audio and visual elements together with screen recording software such as "Cam Studio" which captures what's on the screen.
Edit the presentation (cut off the start and finish, if necessary) on Windows Movie Maker, then save it using "tasks" on the toolbar. The finished presentation can be uploaded directly to Youtube from the Youtube site. Then you can use it on your website, blog, facebook page or whatever you like.
Don't forget to make your "call to action" easy and obvious, otherwise all your efforts will have been in vain!
Why teachers are well-placed for Internet Marketing
You may not know much about marketing yet, but generally:
- teachers are intelligent and receptive
- teachers are good at instructing and simplifying
- teachers are good at persuading
- teachers are aware of the power of words
- teachers are not easily fooled
- teachers can find time in the holidays
- teachers are good at staying motivated
Have a look at my e-zine article which deals with each point in greater depth. Find out about YourNetBiz.
Saturday 4 December 2010
Effective selling on the internet - four big money-making secrets
There's a fortune to be made selling on the web - and you can have a slice of the cake if you know what you're doing. In this article I will share with you four big selling secrets that will get that cash flowing in the right direction.
When someone lands on our website, how can we turn their interest into a sale? There's much more to it than charm and trust: we need a whole armoury of tricks and techniques to persuade the visitor to part with their cash. Here are four classic ploys that are so effective they're practically industry standards:
Immediate call to action
Make it obvious what you want your customer to do: if you want them to click on a button, make sure that the button is prominent and unmissable! Get them to take action immediately, not some time soon or next week, as they may never visit your page again.
How do you do that? Indicate that the product is in short supply - in fact time is running out fast: you're only going to take on a limited number of clients - you can't allow too many items to be sold... If the customer doesn't act now they're going to miss out on your hot product that everybody wants. No one wants to be left out, especially if it's smart to buy your product. If they don't act now they'll miss it and they won't be smart!
Stress the benefits, not the features
Your product may have any number of special features, but what counts is the ways in which it will make the customer's life better. People don't want to know what's in their breakfast cereal - but they need to be shown that eating it is their gateway to happiness, and belonging to that happy smiling family. They don't want to know the horsepower and thermal wattage of their electric drill - they just want to know that it will deliver the perfect, effortless hole (which will give them more time to enjoy the good life).
To emphasize the benefits, use pain
If you don't use that toothpaste, you'll have tooth decay and gum disease. If you don't use that disinfectant, the nasty germs will get you. If you don't buy the product that's cool to buy, you won't be in the "in" crowd.
Make it clear that if the customer doesn't buy from you, they'll be missing out and the pain will remain. If they do buy, their pain will be eased. It's even more powerful to play on possible pain than possible gain. When they buy from you, their worries will be banished forever.
When someone lands on our website, how can we turn their interest into a sale? There's much more to it than charm and trust: we need a whole armoury of tricks and techniques to persuade the visitor to part with their cash. Here are four classic ploys that are so effective they're practically industry standards:
Immediate call to action
Make it obvious what you want your customer to do: if you want them to click on a button, make sure that the button is prominent and unmissable! Get them to take action immediately, not some time soon or next week, as they may never visit your page again.
How do you do that? Indicate that the product is in short supply - in fact time is running out fast: you're only going to take on a limited number of clients - you can't allow too many items to be sold... If the customer doesn't act now they're going to miss out on your hot product that everybody wants. No one wants to be left out, especially if it's smart to buy your product. If they don't act now they'll miss it and they won't be smart!
Stress the benefits, not the features
Your product may have any number of special features, but what counts is the ways in which it will make the customer's life better. People don't want to know what's in their breakfast cereal - but they need to be shown that eating it is their gateway to happiness, and belonging to that happy smiling family. They don't want to know the horsepower and thermal wattage of their electric drill - they just want to know that it will deliver the perfect, effortless hole (which will give them more time to enjoy the good life).
To emphasize the benefits, use pain
If you don't use that toothpaste, you'll have tooth decay and gum disease. If you don't use that disinfectant, the nasty germs will get you. If you don't buy the product that's cool to buy, you won't be in the "in" crowd.
Make it clear that if the customer doesn't buy from you, they'll be missing out and the pain will remain. If they do buy, their pain will be eased. It's even more powerful to play on possible pain than possible gain. When they buy from you, their worries will be banished forever.
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