ATTENTION: I’ve edited this blog post and removed my link to Jay’s product. It really wasn’t fair for me to write a post like this, put the blog reader into a totally bad frame of mind about a particular type of video, and then send them to exactly what I was just bickering about.
The point of this blog post was not meant to be so much about the specific product, but the practice, the effectiveness and the feelings from the community. You.
I was really interested in multiple testing statistics. And boy did I get them. However, I SEVERELY skewed those statistics by writing this blog post and then directing traffic in the manner I did. And because my blog kicks ass, I rank really well in the search engines for all kinds of terms related to his product.
Therefore I’m gonna delete any mention to his product because I just don’t think it’s fair for someone to see this post first, and then see his sales pitch. Seems like a dick move. And I really want the best for him.
Truth is, I’m really pumped that he took the time to make that video. It took a lot of balls. A ton. And guess what? It really did work like Gangbusters! More so then he ever expected. What’s a guy to do? Take down a video that is lining his pockets with a ton of cash? That’s what we are in this game to do if I’m not mistaken. Of course this goes without saying a worthwhile product is being delivered.
And in the whole mess of controls, or no video controls, content, no content and frustration we kind of lost sight that Jay is selling a product and method that has worked really well for him, and he’s willing to share.
I have much more to say on this topic. It’s been extremely interesting, educational, frustrating and profitable (for many of us). I really have some amazing ideas about this whole topic and mind set, but not sure how to formulate it all. I do look forward to discussing it further.
Okay, here’s the post today (with a few edits) that started the barrage of comments. Thank you everyone who chimed in. I only ask everyone keep an open mind, and ask yourself… “why” as often as you can.
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During the last 6 months marketers have been exposed to a new kind of video that not everyone is fond of. Even I hated this tactic when I first saw it, and to this day I’m still not overly excited about it.
However, being a marketer and a astute observer of human behavior I’m able to set aside my personal preferences at times and see through the eyes of others who may think differently than myself. I also keep a close eye on the profits generated from a particular tactic.
Here’s where the controversy kicks in. A large amount of people HATE these types of videos and here’s why…
1. There are no controls except for a pause button. You can’t rewind or fast forward. (I know, it’s a bitch)
2. They are basically just slide shows that don’t present a whole lot of information or content. Instead they tell stories, show earnings, tease you with desire and bait you into wanting something that you can’t yet have.
3. You can’t see the price until the video is nearly done.
4. And a host of other things.
I hate to say this, but if you start educating people too much about your product in the sales process you’ll lose a lot of orders. Instead of focusing on the product features and all the bells and whistles of the products, many smart video creators do something different.
They future pace the experience you are going to have once you buy and implement the product. They display the life that you “COULD” have. They force you to imagine what might happen if you just do what they did or said in the video.
And guess what? It works. In fact, it works better than showing people exactly what they are getting in most instances. Lame, I know. But hey, I’m not operating on emotions here. I’m simply observing.
Think about all the late night infomercials you see on the television. Do you ever actually know what you are getting? Of course not. All you know is you’re getting “The System” that has worked for so many others. (Or at least that is what they tell you).
Anyhow, there are a bunch of lessons to be learned from these types of videos. Whether or not you’re willing to sit through 30 minutes of slides shows and a well orchestrated voice over is another matter in itself. If you do, I suggest you take notes.
Here’s another reason I believe these videos work so well. They literally force you to sit through the sales process. A wise direct marketer will take you through a series of steps to warm you up to the sale. Many call the process AIDA. Most marketers or copywriters are familiar with this process. It’s…
A = Attention
I = Interest
D= Desire
A = Action
This is nothing new in the marketing world and the formula has been used for a long time. The point is, when you are forced to sit through these videos the producer now has a chance to address each one of these steps without losing your interest. You can’t skip around the salesletter to view the testimonials. You can’t click the order button to see how much it is. And you can’t find out how much longer it’s going to be available.
You’re essentially held hostage if you want to find out more info. And this pisses some people off.
Personally I think it’s silly to get mad. No one is forcing you to watch. However, once you invest 10 minutes, you sort of want some type of reward for spending your time watching. You want something. Anything. Especially since the video usually promises to reveal something big, yet you have to wait forever for it.
So I’m curious. How do you feel about these type of videos?
Have you ever seen one? If not, email me at profitmoffatt at gmail and I’ll show it to you.
Have you ever used one yourself? What were the results? Ever promoted one as an affiliate? I’d love to hear how that worked out for you as well.
While I’m not a huge fan of being forced to watch a 30 minute video, I am considering using this sort of video in the future. I think I’ll make my video only about 15 minutes and I’ll include more pictures and entertaining video as opposed to just slides. I think that will do a bit better then just a powerpoint presentation. I could be wrong though.
Anyhow, would love to hear your opinions on these videos. Let me know in the comment sections below.
Cheers,
Jason
Check out the video if you haven’t yet.
Yo people this is about selling… if no controls, except pause, increases sales (it does in my testing) then thats what you do. You must get your visitor invested in the process…. I always use video that must be clicked to be played.. (no auto start) because the viewer has to click to start the video and that one simple action is an investment by the visitor in the purchasing process. taking away the controls and making them stay all the way until the “standing room only end” gives me a primed prospect… 20 – 45 minutes invested..
any one that does the call to action after that much investment is a way better prospect than someone jumping around my videos and missing all my emotional triggers, points of agreement, us v. them, rags to riches, reluctant hero story…
after all it ain’t about us. it’s about visitors making purcahses….
PS. Of course all of us marketers hate these no control videos, it’s way easier to spy on ech other when we can fast forward.. but these videos aren’t made for us, they’re made for real prospects…
PPS. if you really must have controls get this free video downloader for firefox
http://www.sothinkmedia.com/web-video-downloader-firefox/index.htm
then download the no controls video to your computer to play in player where you do have video controls…
I think even your buddy Frank Kern does this. I can’t really say if I hate this, but if it works, then fine.
Jason
I’ve been following all the sales letter spam from you, and all the other people who family tree with Rich Jerk, Frank Kern, Amish Shah and a few others for a couple of years. I’ve never had the money to buy any of the programs because of their cost. You guys always have some free video with a few good things people already know, so I’m grateful for some of that but most if not all of this stuff costs money I don’t have. Believe me I’ve been keeping my affirmations positive.
I see you guys promoting each others stuff, and I am envious about the money because I am a highly intelligent human being, yet I have yet to get 1 sale fgom clickbank, or amazon. I’ve tried all the tips and maybe it’s because I just don’t get the con game with these insult to your intelligence sales letter websites with run on bullshit blabber or secret voodoo juice seo courses.
I’m thinking the game is really about selling courses, and not really about selling anything that really works.
Is it really about just scraping together some hustle about false hope in riches “if you buy my course TODAY (create ugency here) because time is running out. Guess what next month you’ll do it all again and for a limited time, I can again buy false hope in making millions on the net.
Hey Jason!
Just wanted to toss in my 2 cents here. I agree with most people about being unhappy with the lack of controls on the video’s. I think you’ll notice though, that the people who hate the lack of controls seem to be for the most part, the people who have been around IM for a while. Where as, the people who are watching the video’s all the way through, buying the products, and creating those high conversion numbers seem to be more or less “newbies” to the world of Internet Marketing.
With that said I believe it shows that these types of video’s, which seem to convert well with a particular group of people, can be used effectively, as long as you target the video’s to that one particular crowd.
The extremely strong disdain for these types of videos from the more experienced Internet Marketers, as seen from the comments on this post, also shows that if you opt to use this type of marketing effort, you really need to watch who you send to it. I think you run the risk of alienating a large portion of your more experienced subscribers by “pissing them off” if you make these types of offers to them.
So in the end, it seems that this type of offer can be utilized effectively, as long as you are careful to restrict it to your “newer” customer base and not your more “experienced” customers, who you may end up driving away altogether.
Great topic Jason! Certainly gave me something to think about and some ideas on how to use this type of marketing tactic.
Thanks!
Mike
Unless the video does an extremely good job of keeping my interest I will most likely click away. The thought that immediately comes to mind when I see that there is no controls is that I am being manipulated and that the marketer doesn’t think that he really has a compelling offer so he is going to make me watch every second of it in the hope that I might be convinced.
If he really thinks that the offer is not that compelling-just give me a chance to decide without taking a lot of my time and pissing me off.
Hey Jason,
This is the 3rd time I’ve come back to this post to see what people are commenting on about this type of video.
I also dislike this type of video without the controls, not because I feel I’m being manipulated, but because I’m frustrated about having to watch the whole thing over again if I miss something.
(I usually screen record it when I’m done working and can control it then. That way I can still see what happens on the page when the video is done playing.)
Like you said in your update – I try to ask why things are being done a certain way, rather than just bitch about it and get upset.
I can understand why people don’t like this type of video – but they need to remember – this is a business, and you shouldn’t worry about pissing off the *tire-kickers* who are only in it for the freebies.
(Yes I believe in giving quality free content too.)
If you’re offering a quality product that people are happy with, do you really think they give a rats ass they had to sit through a video to get it. NO! And chances are they’d do it again.
Some of these people say their time is just too valuable to watch that type of video, yet they have the time to read your blog, it’s comments, and then leave a lengthy response? WTF???
If a type of marketing works, the product fulfills it’s promise, and people are happy with the purchase, why the hell would you want to change what you’re doing based on some unhappy “non-customers”.
Just my $.02
I dont like them. I am still on a huge learning curve, and interested in the “new stuff” that is being promoted…however, I do not like that I cannot ‘pause the video to write down a thought, or a key sentence etc.
I do feel annoyed at the lack of being able to experience the video at my own pace.
On the contrary, I just got a email/video from Jonny Andrews. Sure, he is building up to a grand finale of sorts, but in the meantime, he gave a few key points on his info/video that I really wanted to cement in my head. I was able to “pause” the video, write down my thoughts, and push play again.
I really like that option.
All in all, you can slow down the ‘pitch and learn from it.
Also, I suppose it varies on just what it is your selling..or trying to sell, or educate someone about.
If it is a pure ‘video sales page’..then, I suppose the controls are not that important…
And, just for the record, I didnt sit thru all of Jay’s video because at the time I was interupted, and didnt want to re-watch all of the video just to get back to where I left off………
As for Jonnys video, I was also interupted while watching. I was able to push ‘pause….and I came back and finished watching.
I have felt annoyed before about these control-less videos… and felt the same annoyance when watching Jays.
I was surprised to see your post about this …. and I think it is a good idea to poll your audience about their reactions.
From Newbie to expert, I think the majority do NOT like this type of video sales pitch.
Regards,
Valerie Mosso
Excellent article Jason.
I dislike those control-less videos too but understand their effectiveness and will be using them in the near future. I think the order button that pops up at the end is brilliant. Obviously a casual video for your list on a blog is probably not the place to use them and would probably piss off a lot of people.
I dont like if there is no pause.. I saw few vids like that.. and also if its too long..
But as a tool to make attention it can be used.
This is very annoying. As a marketer It’s very interesting to see how many people are doing this now, but as I guy on the other end…
I maybe on 60 – 120 seconds and say enough and close the window, although many obviously don’t. There just has to be another why. The whole thing just kinda seems slimy to me.
Guess it’s a money talks thing for your business I guess? I can see why you asked the question.
Great post and comments. Give us mums a break! We’d love to sit still long enough to watch some of the ‘good stuff’ but … we don’t get THAT much peace and quiet time..
..we need a pause button at least, otherwise the kids have our undivided attention and the ‘guru’ is lost to us 🙂
I don’t use this method in my marketing because I don’t like “forcing” my customers to do anything!
Which is essentially what you are doing when you remove the video controls (forcing them to watch with no clue of duration, end result, etc.).
Just because something “works” doesn’t mean you should do it.
I remember not too long ago people where using deceptive ass landing pages and deceptives ass forced continuity offers because they “worked” – but we see what those strategies ended up doing – one was banned by google – the other banned by credit card companies.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to who your customer is and what you are willing to do to get the sale.
Wow awesome comments!!
Yeah, no kidding! Quite a lesson in just the comments themselves.
Hi Jason,
This type of ad has saved me a lot of $$$$
I don’t believe in kidnapping the customer,
and so I don’t watch past the first minute.
I’m sure many people have felt ripped off
after losing a half hour or more of their
lives.
I guess we should all stop watching TV as well because it’s done to you on there all day every single day.
Unless, of course, you have Tivo 😉
J-Mo, you should start a blog post about some random tv commercial
or infomercial just to see if everyone will come and cry about that
too.
From what I gather, the people that are complaining aren’t the
target market of the presenter.
Don’t take it personal guys and gals, I’m just making an observation and
throwing in my 2 cents.
However, one thing I noticed with these videos is the refund rate for products being sold this way tend to be higher, sometimes double or triple what it would have been had it been sold a different way.
(*DISCLAIMER* – these are based on my stats from promoting these offers as an affiliate. Affiliate results may vary and some affiliates may see higher or lower refund rates for the same offer. I have no way of knowing for sure if the claim I just made about refund rates are accurate because the video offers I promoted were not tested with full controls or a long form salesletter.)
Thanks,
Jason
Hey Jason,
I was thinking the exact same thing with commercials. Of course we now have DVR’s and such, but people have been held hostage by commercials most of their life.
This is an interesting post as I actually had the same thoughts when I was watching the presentation you are talking about. I started doing some other work whilst this was in the background. At the end of the video I felt like I’d heard half his story three times, knew his brand name but knew practically nothing about what the product included and certainly nowhere near enough to justify a $499 price tag.
When done in the right way I think these videos are OK. Ryan Deiss has been making some really good videos using this method because he keeps you engaged with interesting content amongst his pitch and stories (Yes, I have actually bought from his sales pages using this technique).
Oh and generally speaking long videos of this type, unless I’m instantly drawn in, I will only liten to the audio and start doing other things at the same time.
Ideally I’d prefer to skip back and forth but can understand why people may want to remove controls, especially if including any disclaimers or important continuity notices within their videos.
Ditto’s to Ray “Unless the video does an extremely good job of keeping my interest I will most likely click away”.
I did not watch the instant-income video. This is a general response.
Viewers: … at least one can click away, can’t you.
Marketers: … you get the customers you deserve.
I liked Jason’s comment about refund rates. However, if you convert high enough … it is and will remain a numbers gain. The squeeze pages has lived through some mutations, the videos are doing the same now. Not a big deal.
In general I see a lot of potential for testing and improving: structure of content, length, launch sequence, … and testing different traffic sources with and without v-controls, etc.
Make a compelling video that hooks and delivers and you are set. (I read from the comments that this particular video was NOT compelling. 🙁 ) As long as the user has the off button there shouldn’t be a reason to complain.
(Funny that non-buyers with no money always find something to bitch about. Maybe they would buy to have video controls for $, a retweet, TAF, …)
Show us how it’s done, Jason.
Hey friends,
I truly believe that when something works,, that is what you use. Every method may not work for some and work for others.
If you have someone posting a video of which you know that person is consistent with delivering useful information, the only draw back that I can see is having the time to watch it over again if it’s lengthy, and even then I will find the time eventually, if that person is doing things successfully then I am going to listen to what they have to say. In a face to face conversation , it would be considered rude to interrupt and say “get on with it, I’ve got stuff to do!”
It’s called marketing foreplay, sometimes you need to seduce them slowly and make them need the result. ha ha. …just saying.
Great inof at our website if you want to make extra money without all the BS.
Tom
Hi Jason,
The problems I’ve had are, I’ve had the video stop at times for no reason, and I have to go back to the start, after listening for 25 minutes or however long.how frustrating is that? Also if I don’t have time to finish, and need to come back it would be good to start where I left off.
That said, If you shorten it & mention at the outset how long it is, that is helpful.
Gordon
Not a fan of these types of videos but they can be effective. Usually only with newer less educated people. You had said if you educate people too much about a product during a sales pitch you will lose a lot of sales – that depends on your clientele, in the long run I think it is more effective to educate the customers on the product it can be a very successful sales tool and you will have better customers.
I can’t stand videos without controls.