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.
……….
……….
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.
Dude I’m with James I HATE this crap. Clicked on a link a while back for a Keith Wellman (sp?) video and immediately clicked close. Terrible.
Why not just split test it like everything else man I wonder if Keith Wellman knows how many of us just clicked CLOSE! 😉
This is nice way to figure it out though Jason 😉
Your right J. All the Sales Videos work this way. Why? It works with newbe people, and people love the lie. If you tell the truth no one will buy. The Lie is also called Marketing. If you told people don’t quit your day job and work hard for a year, you might make money. No one would be interested. Tell them how you made 30K in one hour, they will buy. So- the video you speak of is the only way to grab the interest, but in my view , no thanks. I am in the minority, always go for the Masses they love the lie. Carlo
After people get sucked into these long videos a few times and it takes all night to go through their email, these videos won’t work as well. Providing content that is interesting and useful where the prospect has some control, without feeling manipulated, will be more effective in the long run.
I absolutely hate and don’t watch these videos myself, but I make and use them because they work. They Flat Out Work!
I’ve personally tested the button below (works on launch hour only for me),Controls, No Controls, and everything with and without buttons, auto order form pop ups, etc.
The best converting video is the type Jay made and is using, for the exact reasons J-Mo stated. Additionally, most consumers are programmed to watch videos and absorb information like TV. 15-40 minutes videos work.
While I’ll keep using these videos for now, the market will eventually decide when it’s time to evolve again…with their wallets.
Cheers,
Herschy
I’ve watched one video like that and it will be my last. If there is no video control, I’ll close the page. wait a couple hours and head over to the Warrior forum and see what the program is all about…
Thanks for asking Jason,
I actually did watch part of Jay’s video and did not have time to sit thru the whole pitch so close it and deleted the e-mail.
I do not know nor can I speak for every one else in cyber land but those videos will lose my attention and business over ones that give me the control over the video. As to the price at the end, it kind of pissed me off and I reckon that’s why some marketer’s are taking the controls away so you can’t just check out the bottom-line.
I have been searching and struggling to make the IM Biz work for me and personally the more I learn of the guru tactics and about how things work – I trust less of them and have really come to hate the free content to lure you in, get your hopes way up then slam you with a price only the gurus can afford.
You had mentioned we should get pissed off and can just close the thing, but I reckon the thing that pisses me off is alot of these folks forgot where they started and how they struggle and now they say all the right stuff about helping, but really it is to pitch their next thing to keep their living going they they have risen to.
You did ask.
Robert
Yo Jason!
I clicked through to the email from your email and believe it or not I was excited about the “no control” video. So as I kept watching, he was luring me in quite a bit – because my story is somewhat the same now, minus the job.
But after so long I grew anxious waiting on him to “Share” whatever the hell he said he was gonna share. I mean wtf? He never shared it!!
I’m already on this guys list, and he’s one of the guys who rarely gets opened unless he has a good subject line or something. I honestly didn’t know it was him. I only watched it because of you.
I’d watch Kern OR You do a video like that – because I just like you guys. I feel like I know you already and I haven’t even met you yet. PLUS I know that you two understand “moving the free line” (or just giving RIA) – which that video didn’t do.
Overall the video was great. Loved the story. But yea – he coulda gave away at least one damn “secret”. Just saying…
Slim
(Mike to the other 50%)
PS Why are you against it, but agreeing with taking the control away? When you explained how you saw the profit potential, it made me think I should do a vid like this. In fact I already downloaded the vid player yesterday, but now after reading this Idk if I should take away the buttons…
I’m not a big fan of long winded videos… UNLESS it’s something I’m really interested in…
Perhaps the video was targeted at a different demographic than those people responding to this question (seems like the majority are not a fan of Jay’s promotion.)Perhaps those responding are more advanced than the target market, so something like what Jay offered was kind of ho hum to them….
The right target is a big chunk of the battle. If Jay’s offer is converting, he obviously has found the right target, and that’s a good thing!
Hey Jason…
You made some great points.
I have personally used those types of videos to make some serious coin. They work AMAZINGLY well.
I personally allow them to pause but never rewind or fast forward.
It’s funny, I’ve come across some of those videos that literally won’t let you stop the video without closing the window and it PISSED ME OFF A LITTLE TOO!!!
Now, I’m not talking about being seriously pissed and bitching about it in forums or even “unsubscribing” oh my.
With videos that allow you to pause I will generaly pause and leave the page open in one of my tabs planning to “check it out later.”
Later comes when I’m in the mood to sit and watch a 20 minute video etc.
On the other hand, when the video forces me to watch and denies me the option to pause… 9 times out of 10 I end up stopping what I was doing and watching right THEN.
Makes me a little mad but I also know it’s gotten me to watch videos I might never have watched otherwise.
And as a Testing Freak… 9 out of 10 times removing the pause button will increase your profits.
BIG TIP:
If you use the no pause option, I’d recommend implementing a 2 step order process and then in your autoresponder follow-up with the same video but WITH the fast forward and rewind options enabled.
You’ll close a 2nd group of people who didn’t buy the first time around.
Just my two cents.
Thanks for the insightful post Jason!
Hate it!!! It’s insulting to think that we have nothing better to do than watch, wait and wonder how long it is. “They literally force you to sit through the sales process.” It needs to be the viewer’s decision whether or not he/she wants/needs it. If you “force” me to do something, guaranteed it will be the last time.
A couple weeks ago, the video with the diamond ring was going around. I got it from everyone. I lasted 15 minutes and this unknown person was STILL blithering on about this ring. Value – no way. Waste of my time – absolutely. Every person that sent me that video has received a complaint from me. A couple had the bad business sense to send it again, and I have unsubscribed from them.
The problem was not that it was a video slideshow, it wasnt his techniques per se. It was HOW he did it. He just went on way too long about nothing. Way too much teasing, way too slow in terms of each section. Too much teasing, “I will get to that in a minute”
I assume the video did not convert and Jay can not figure out why and talked to you about why it didn’t and this is why you posted this, to get feedback on why it didn’t convert. So I am sure this is meant more for Jay to read to understand what went wrong. As I was watching it, I was wondering how long it took for him to write this script and shoot this video. It was probably a long time. It seemed like he studied his techniques, and did all the right things, he just completely screwed up in terms of dragging everything out way to long and being so evasive and never revealing anything. So if he cut out 70% of each section and then progressively revealed what he was actually talking about or had to sell then it would probably convert fine.
I personally can’t stand those types of videos either. I tried watching that video by Jay and I just couldn’t sit through it because it was so boring and I wasn’t able to fast forward to the part where he actually gets to the point.
I felt like he was just about to get to what he wanted to say and then he throws up another slide that basically repeated what all the others said but in a different way.
I can maybe see these kinds of videos working for people that are newer to IM and believe the hype of these products, but for someone who knows what’s going on, I think most of us would close it out as shown by all the other comments.
Definitely count me as one of those (majority) who DO NOT like videos with no control buttons. However, if the content is good and adds value, I’ll make the sacrifice.
In Jay’s video, I was expecting something a lot more than what he delivered. Very little personality, very repetitive and I thought he was going to provide a “nugget” or two as to how he’s become successful. That wasn’t the case.
Jay, Alex Jeffreys and every other marketer can give themselves a “pat on the back” because they got higher EPC’s and sales because if that’s all they care about, then kudos to them. However, after reading the comments of this blog, they could really provide better value to the mass audience by focusing on value and not worrying so much about conversions. They’ll make their money one way or the other.
PAUSE for the CAUSE!
Jeff
Hey Jason,
Hope you’re having lots of fun on the road. ;o)
And thanks again for being one of my contributors in my book.
I really appreciated that.
I’m actually working on a new launch in the same ‘teaching kids about money’ field but then with a DVD video course, learned loads from you of course on doing video. ;o) Thanks Jason.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that I have been very tempted to do the same with my launch video salespages as you described above except for the fact that I’ve always chosen to live in the country and that simply means no fast internet.
I mean, I have to go to the library or to my sister’s in the city to even upload my own videos for my own websites. ;o)
But I don’t mind, it’s worth it. I love the fresh air, the safe environment for my kids and the peace and quiet you get from nature. ;o)
So what I’ve decided that I want to do instead is try a new tactic, sort of… ;o)
I’m going to see about setting up the immediately streaming video salesvideo without the pause button to get the great conversions but also have a small link under it saying something like:
“If you live in the boonies like I do and you’re on an incredibly slow dial-up connection like me, then you can click here to download the video so you can see it all without all the ‘stop and go’ annoying slow-speed breaks! Hey, I’m with you on this. If you do have fast internet and can view this right now, I highly recommend you do so, I’m sure this will go fast and then I’ll have to take it down and you won’t want to miss out on the cool ways I can help you get your kids to manage their money so they don’t move back home with you when they finally leave the nest! ;o)”
I know that’s long, but I want them to read some humour, warm them up a bit, get to like me, and to feel I’m someone they can trust but still encourage them to watch the video right there if they can.
What do you think? I would love any suggestions you have on this.
I really value your opinion Jason, thanks for all the great help you’ve done for me so far. You’re awesome. ;o) And make sure you let me know if I can help you in anyway.
How’s your dog enjoying the drive by the way?
I’m going down to Yanik’s Underground Seminar in March as Jimmy Sweeney’s guest, will you be there too? Be great to catch up.
Cheers…Amanda van der Gulik…Excited Life Enthusiast! ;o)
I did not stay for the video because I’m not buying anything from anybody at the present time. If this was a subject I’m interested in and was looking for a solution to a problem I may tell you something different.
Do I like these videos, NOOOOOO!!! Do I stay and watch them, NOOOOOO!!!! I manage my time and how much time I spend on email and other stuff like that is limited. I usually download these videos and watch them during the time I have budget for them.
Someone mentioned Andy Jenkin’s and Frank Kern’s videos. If this was my 1st contact with Andy or Frank I would not stay for their videos. But, Frank and Andy gave in bit sizes before giving anything in chunks. I feel as if Frank and Andy have invited me into their homes, served me coffee, tea, milk, gave me a snack and some good advice which made my life a bit easier. For them I would stay out of respect. I’m not going to give a stranger the same respect.
I can tell you that I don’t really like the videos, but I’ll put up with them if they are interesting and actually deliver on their promises. I’ve watched too many where they make promises at the beginning and don’t deliver anywhere in the video, and that’ll turn me away from the product fast.
On the other hand, every person I have talked to who has tested out those videos has seen great results with them (as long as they actually delivered and did a good job on the video) and they apparently kick butt when tested against regular sales letters.
I’ve never tested them myself as I am a complete video dunce and just started doing videos of myself demonstrating stuff…and I don’t even have Powerpoint anymore.
In general, I hate these videos also. But it all depends on the video. As stated by many above, if it’s a great video (Frank, Andy, or you), then no problem. I’m being entertained and educated all the way through. But this video was so slow and boring, that after 10 minutes or so, I turned it off. No clue whether there was a great product involved or even what it was about–so, no sale. If I had known exactly how long the video would be, MAYBE there would be a chance I would have stayed with it.
And I think all the stuff about his story, the great stuff he has bought and done, etc. works a lot better for newbies. I couldn’t care less about this kind of stuff, especially if it happened over a year ago. For all the marketers who show how they killed it back in 2004 to 2008, when things were totally different than today, their proof elements just have no relevancy now. But show me a system you started in 2009 or 2010, and killed it in 5 different campaigns in your first few months, and I’m listening!
As far as not having a pause button, unless it’s only a few minutes long, there’s a good chance I won’t make it through without some kind of interruption and I’m not likely to start over. Also I almost never fast forward through a good video, but I do like having a rewind button (in an informative video) so that I can go back and listen to a segment again.
So the video was a fail for me. And I recently put up my own video and had to decide about controls. I included them, but made the video short, informative, and kept it moving along so nobody would want to jump ahead or leave.
It’s frame of mind.
Most marketers are about the ‘buck’ so the tactics used to get that ‘buck’ is priority number 1, at any cost.
And sometimes it shows.
For some, the concept of the ‘buck’ is more hidden and in a way that doesn’t expose that mind set, at least not overtly. Think Kern. Although his main concern is the sale, his videos are interesting and he leaves it up to the visitor to decide to watch, pause, fast forward, rewind or… leave.
More importantly, with controls you can actually STUDY what the person is saying by replaying PARTS of the video.
Then there’s the person you’re trying to pitch to…
Think of the human element.
I don’t know how long your video is so therefore don’t know if I can dedicate the time to watch it at a particular time… phones ring, grand kids require attention, wife says “time to eat”, etc. And having to restart from the beginning is a big pain in the a$$.
Guess the best way to sum it up is a tweet I sent yesterday… “Marketing emails that lead to a video with no controls suck too! You are not that important, and life exists outside your vacuum.”
Harsh, but true.
I’m not alone in saying that I immediately leave sites with these types of sales videos regardless of who produces them or what they are offering, and don’t feel the least bit concerned that I missed something. Someone else will provide the same tactics another time.
This ‘no controls’ tactic was taught by Keith Wellman quite sometime ago and I didn’t like then either.
I hope it works for you, and you make lots of dough Jason.
Hey Jason. The only way that I will sit through a video without me knowing how long that fu%^&r is, is it better keep my attention like crazy all the way through. I have a little over 50% conversion on the video on my homepage and you can critique it if you want. Just click on my Name. I am using a tactic that you guys are leaving behind. Take care bro’. -vic
Great psychological ploy Vic. I stopped reading and clicked!
Stay Awesome.
Rick
30 MINUTES? In my business, you need a 30-second (maximum) sound bite to grab someone’s attention; it’s what you would say if you ran into the perfect contact in an elevator. (Think magazine ad, not late-night infomercial!)
If I think you may have something I want, I’ll give you those 30 seconds to tell me why I NEED to listen further. Then you have, maybe, 2-3 minutes to give me the facts–what you’re offering, what it will do for me, and what it costs. If I’m still interested, you can expand from there. If I’m not, then (1) it’s a decent product, but I just don’t need it (and don’t need to waste more time finding that out), or (2) it’s a decent product, but you’re a bad salesperson, or (3) you have a bad product, a fact you’re trying to disguise with wear-em-down, throw-the-kitchen-sink-at-em verbiage. In that case you’re just into manipulating people, not really into providing solid value.
The approach that respects your client and the relationship between you takes work, but it can be done. Respect my time (and spend more of yours to get it right). Don’t be so meanderingly and coyly self-indulgent.
BTW, when I click on one of those I’m-so-clever vids, it isn’t only the video-maker who loses my respect. The guy who told me, without any further explanation, “Go look at this! It’s really great!” has spent his good-will and any hard-earned respect he had accumulated. He will find me much less likely to open his emails–much less take his advice–in future.
I’m just saying…
I’ve come across quite a few of these videos. 9 times out of 10 I’ll switch off, so the person who’s put the video together needs to pique my interest within 30-60 seconds max. It would help if we knew in advance how long the video is going to be. It’s irritating not knowing. It’s often the thought that it’s going to be long winded and drawn out that prompts me to switch off. If I knew it was only going to be say 10 minutes I might tune in longer, but the thought that the narrator could go on for 20-30 minutes (which many do!) is the main reason I tune out.
First of all, the example you included (Instant Income System), was a very poor sales process IMO. Talk about using the word “I” … would you do this in a sales letter?
So if one is going to test this type video, the AIDA factor needs to be understood. You, Jason, could probably do this type video and get great results because you know how to write sales copy, you have built a good relationship with your peeps, and you know how to use video in an interesting way. Hell, I watch some of your videos even when I know I’m not interested in the product.
In general, these types of videos that remove any user control seem to violate the trend we see happening in marketing which is building a relationship with your prospects, providing value before asking them to buy, interacting with your prospects, creating a conversation with them … etc. etc. etc.
Even if these no control tactics do perform now, as more people catch on to what this type of video usually does (take a long time to get you to either buy something or opt in so you will buy something), I think they’ll lose more business than they gain.
I equate it to someone who creates an email list, then hammers you with offers constantly, without providing a balance of usable content and valid sales offers. Just doesn’t seem like a good way to build a long term business that considers the life time value of a customer.
Might work ok for someone who’s already built a good relationship with their list and/or those whose reputation is already well established. I for one would be very hesitant to give my email address, much less my money, to someone that hit me with something like Jay’s video right from the get go.
I too have a launch coming up soon as was considering doing a video instead of a long form sales letter. Personally, I liked Andy Jenkins Video Boss videos, but he gave out great free content, was funny at times and the video was done with a lot of creativity.
I found Jay’s boring, I didn’t know what he was trying to sell and like the others have said, the slideshow was almost word for word.
If I remember right the video boss had a fast forward and rewind. If you guys were able to fast forward and rewind would they offend you as much?
Dax. Do the video. Seriously. Do it. Use all the feedback in this thread to craft that video in a way that people will love to see it. And if you have troubles creating kick ass videos, I’ll have Randy do it for you. He’s bad ass! And needs work.
I have come across 2 of these videos recently – the one you mentioned above and one I think from Mike Filsaime. Both times I stopped watching within 30 seconds for a couple of reasons:
1. Absolutely no control over the video. If a video starts playing immediately I’m pissed off, especially if I had no warning there was a video there. To suddenly be blasted out by the audio without having had an opportunity to make sure my audio is an appropriate level is not a good start to a business relationship (I work with headphones on loud a lot for editing audio and I don’t like burst eardrums OR annoying those around me).
Also, without an indication of how long a video is, I’m unlikely to stay around longer than 30 seconds (less if other things are not right – see below)
And I consider it rude that the video maker believes they have the right to control what I do. I’m busy, I have things to do. I might actually be interested but need to answer a phone call during the video – I’m not going to refresh the page and go back if I get an interruption just because they weren’t polite enough to put a pause button on the page.
2. In both of the videos I have seen the presenter has failed to actually introduce themselves. MAJOR FAIL in my book. You don’t just walk up to someone (or call someone) and start speaking to them without introducing yourself or waiting until they are ready to talk to you. So why do it in a video? Any video should start with the person at least introducing themselves (preferably on screen, but not essential)
3. I might be more inclined to stay and watch a video if they were actually interesting. Both these videos are basically powerpoints with a voice (not necessarily an interesting one). Worse, the powerpoint slide essentially say the same as the voice…precisely. WHy not just give me the slideshow and let me flick through at my own speed instead of boring me with saying exactly what I am seeing.
So, in case you are wondering what I feel about these videos 😉 – they’re totally rude but would be a hell of a lot better if they made the effort to introduce themselves, assure me of how long the video is going to be and make the bloody thing interesting.
Lisa
Math. Just math. Opinions don’t matter. What do the conversions tell you.
P.S. – For the record, I didn’t last 5 minutes when you sent me the link to his video. I’m a hater – of this format, that is. 😉
There’s definitely different bits of math to test in something like this. You can’t simply test the math on the front end. You account for back end sales, and also you have to take into consideration “losses” from even employing this type of tactic. Obviously people don’t dig it. And as Kiki mentioned above, people will give you much less leeway “next time” if it rubs them the wrong way. You definitely lose subscribers and maybe even customers with this method. Just check out the first commenter. He bailed from my list from the email.
I don’t think I’ve ever promoted one of these videos like this so I was curious to see the response. Sort of a social experiment. I also believe that Jay has worthwhile ideas that exceed the cost of his program. I’ve seen it in action.
What I meant to so is that math matters, but so does opinions because they factor into the math. Hence why I even started the blog post.
With videos, you are giving a 1 to 1 sales pitch. If you do not respect the viewer (no controls), you can’t sell them anything. Ultimately, it’s all about respect, and selling more than once. Would you want a $1,000 sale, one time? Or, do you want to sell 25 at $100 each, over time?
I want to retain the long-term respect of potential buyers. Now, if I do an “infomercial,” they will know about it in advance, agreed to it, and get content for every minute of it. Their time is valuable, and should be treated as if it were. Forcing them to stay through long videos, with no controls, is a total lack of respect. Yes, a few will still buy, but you burn a *lot* of goodwill in the process.
I’m with the people that say if you don’t grab my interest within the first 2 minutes with some real content, and I’m not talking about testimonials, pictures of your wife, kids, car,or house, or a big story about how poor you were and what it is like now, I’m out of there. I already seen enough of that crap to last me a lifetime. Also I want to find out the price fairly quickly. As for taking away the controls that really pisses me off. The reason is because I have a severe hearing loss and I need to set all the different volume controls and special hearing devices in order to be a to understand the video. If the video starts playing to soon I will miss everything said at the beginning. Stuff like this have been going on so much lately that I didn’t even bother to watch the video you were talking about or other videos by other people. Thanks for the warning.
For me… big crock o’…
My time is more valuable than the next marketers (of course) so I did this..
Real Player has a download video to PC plugin.
I set the video to download, come back in half hour skip through the nonsense and feel thankful I havn’t just wasted that half hour of my life watching it.
I’d have been pissed if I had watched it, I didn’t see anything helpful in there at all.. shame really. the method has potential..
Dave
I absolutely hate this type of video. Supposedly the conversions are great for this type of “salesletter” but I never hang around long enough to see what the product is.
I prefer to read a short (emphasis on the word “short”) salesletter because I can read much faster than the amount of time it takes for a video to play.
Denise, thanks for chiming in. I appreciate it.
JMo,
So far it appears I’m the only one that noticed. Or at least the only one who noticed and is going to say anything.
Read on and I’ll explain how we are all part of a great lesson in marketing…
First things first, I’ll play along. Do I like this type of video? No, like just about everyone else who responded, I don’t. However, if you’re asking do they work, then that’s different question. Because I do think they work.
As long as you have the Kennedy trifecta, Market-Message-Media match, it will work.
In this case, I am not his customer. I turned the video on (because you sent it and there’s built in loyalty), but after a few minutes I closed it and moved on.
Would I have watched the whole thing? If his content/message resonated with me, yes I would have. But it didn’t.
I have not used this type of video player controls….yet. Not that I am opposed to using it, because as a Marketer I know just because I don’t like something doesn’t mean it won’t work like gangbusters.
It’s a BIG mistake to think you are your own customer. So I avoid that temptation. But, like most things marketing, I do believe in testing, tweaking, testing, tweaking, testing…
Now lets get to the heart of the matter.
The whole “question posing email” was an absolutely brilliant way for JMO to get more people to watch and buy, so kudus to you! Judging by the number of replies here, I’d be willing to guess a good number did watch the second time around, and buy.
And for those playing at home who are actually paying attention, this whole shabang is one great marketing lesson from JMO, and a damn fine one at that!
The lesson for today is called “engagement”. And we all engaged with the email question. And, some even engaged with the video and purchased. And that was the point. Crap, I even knew what was going on and still engaged.
I’m curious if you’d share how many purchased from this little engagement exercise? It would just be nice to know since I may use this same technique myself. I just want to know how well it works.
This is why I love studying your every move!
Thanks again for the lesson!
Yeh, I didn’t catch that Jason was trying to sell us stuff. Until you pointed it out. Good insight. But I mean, I’m reading over his email, and I see how he directed us to the blog. I noticed how he got everyone commenting on a blog, which is pretty hard sometimes. I mean, I posted a comment 2 hrs ago, they only had 36. Now its 120. WOW, that really is an amazing number. Not only that, but all these blog comments are from some really good marketers(including you). So kudos to Jason, but I don’t know if his intent was to promote that product. I think it was genuine curiosity just like all of us who watched the video and then left a comment. It seems too tricky, and I never known Jason to be sleezy-tricky. Compelling-YES! Crazy-HELL YES! Sleezy-Nope. But like you, I’m curious to use his ‘tactic’ in my marketing as well. Man, what a GREAT BLOG!!
In a sense I was playing a game. For us all. To participate and learn. For us to profit from in the future. But in the process I’m not sure it was entirely fair to Jay. For me to write this blog post and say what I did, it totally conditioned anyone reading to not be very receptive to what they were gonna see in the video. That’s not really fair for me to do if I don’t want to skew the results. And skew I did.
Hi Jason,
Just wanted to throw my 2 cents in here. We promote a lot of offers and watch conversion rates carefully. We’ve promoted a couple of offers that use this style.
Here are our results:
1) They don’t work significantly better. The fact that people say they work so well is a hoax in my experience. I’ve promoted an offer that was exactly the same as this one, and it converted at 0.34% (same price point). This is worse than average.
2) We sent a survey to 36,000 people and 3 times as many people said they wanted text instead of video.
3) Video doesn’t work for everyone and it depends on a number of factors. Our conversion rates are often lower when we split test it against a text based equivalent.
I wrote a larger analysis of this whole thing here if anyone is interested.
http://www.associateprograms.com/articles/896/1/If-you-dont-do-video-will-you-fail/
Jay
There are a couple of things that never get mentioned that
Hey Jay,
I remeber reading a report you did one time analzying all the KW tools. You reviewed all the KW tools that existed and I think that was 3 years ago. And then, you release a software of your own, SPEEDPPC. I just wanted to thank you for your contribution to the IMA commnunity. You always have great insights, and I just got done reading that article. You’re right, it’s about the sales process. Videos aren’t kind and copywriting isn’t dead its still about the message. Also, when you wrote that line in you kw report, about the Google Geek getting excited about KWs changing everyday, you realize nerds don’t get excited about that type of stats, business ppl do. You made me realize just how presious the internet is. So thanks man!
Hey dude, Speed PPC wasn’t me. Must be mistaken me with someone else. But I’ll still take the compliments. Thanks 🙂
Hi Nam,
Thanks for the props. I appreciate that you remember something I wrote now 4.5 years ago! Good stuff. 🙂
Jason… there are way to many “Jays” as part of this thread huh! 🙂
Jay
This is the type of video that is turning me off IM.
It’s far too pitchy and the “changed my life routine” has been done to death. Taking away the controls is a VERY bad idea. It makes me feel as if I am being manipulated and makes me suspicious. End result I will never trust or buy anything from Jay.
I think that most of the people out there who dislike the lack of controls are in a consumer mindset. And frankly, I don’t like the fact that I have no idea what kind of investment I’m making if I continue watching – both time and money.
But from a marketer’s standpoint. I have a captive audience. Those ADD prospects have to just buckle down and listen to the presentation. No clicking, lack-of-time judgments or jumping straight to price before value has been built.
As a marketer, I recommend this type of video format.
Jarrod
I dunno if I agree. We’re all marketers here. I think everyone who watched it coming from jason blog was thinking in terms of, will this vidoe format work in my market. Your comment on ADD prospects buckling down and listen to the presentation. Base on that statement, i can see why you prefer this format. But, I’m pretty sure 97 percent of internet user has been conditioned to have shorter attention span. I really do think Wal-Mart had it right the whole time when they said: The customers is always right!
Part of the process of writing copy is to understand the DUAL PATH that readers take. Some will read every word – some will only skim and go go back or skim until they find something that interests them and dive into the sales letter from that point.
This type of video totally ignores the skimmer (which I would imagine most people who use the Internet must become in order to survive information overload.)
So, a boring video without any way for the watcher to control the process should convert worse than a good video where the watcher has control just as a good sales letter will outperform a boring one.
For me personally, I don’t like being held hostage by a marketer for my time. And as someone who reads a lot of copy in order to improve my own copywriting skills, I probably read for different reasons than the target market (unless I am the target market – then I’m as big a buyer as the next person!).
Long story short – control, whether it’s print or video – should still be in the hands of the target market.
BTW, I haven’t bothered to go to the Instant Income site cuz I know there’s no way for me to control the process and won’t bother spending 30+ minutes for something that I can’t!
Hey Jason and Everyone,
I watched a little of the very video you are discussing, after about 15 minutes of the ‘bragging’ and telling me ‘I’m not telling you this to brag’, I turned the thing off, in your blurb you say people are ‘forced’ to sit through the sales process. I disagree, I was forced to ‘close’ the window never to come back 🙂 Don’t have a clue what the product is and don’t care. I found myself saying to myself ‘come on dude…get on with it…your boring the crap out of me. (Click) end of that waste of time.
Time to move to another campground to avoid ‘bombs’!
Have a Great Weekend,
Miles
I watched the video..it is kind of mind numbing.. 20 plus minutes of him constantly repeating himself! i could def tell it was home made. He repeats himself so much i wanted to hit him with a bat. I did however watch the entire video. But was very turned off by the constant repetition. He couldve made it shorter less repetitive and more fun to watch.
Hi,
This pisses me off! Because they are putting there profits above the customer’s needs!
If the seller who is presenting an offer or product to a person does not have the consideration of allowing a person the option of pausing, fast forwarding, or rewinding, there sales video then how can the offer or product be taken seriously.
The seller is putting there needs above the customer!
Most people like myself watch the videos in the evening or during our breaks … etc and we have interuptions, like our kids. And the idea of not beable to pause or rewind a video is just not woth my time! Since, the seller does not have the consideration to allow me this option how can I consider their offer or product.
Also, most of us have heard a couple of these video and some part can be easily fast forward through and this ability is welcomed, time is a commodity.
Now, if I am really interested in a video like this, I just down load them and watch them at my convenience. If I cannot down load them I just leave! I have to many obligations to give a seller the ability to steal my time! after all I am doing them a favor by listing to there pitch.
I would really like to know the conversions on this approach because once I down load a video I am out of there sales funnel and they will have to hope I return … I think it would be better for the sellers to keep me in there sales funnel for as long as possible and in my book this means allowing me the ability and choice to pause, fast forward, rewind, there video. If they do not, then I have to wounder why – instead I should be thinking of the offer or the product.
aren’t we looking for the win win … or have the sellers who use this tactic lost there focus?
SDC
I watch or should I say used to watch IM videos regularly, I’m now irritated by the lack of control – if I’m interrupted I don’t bother going back to the video unless it’s amazing info. Initially the lifestyle intros were interesting aka Frank Kern now that most IM video marketers are imitating/cloning/copying !! they waste my time, maybe this style of marketing works for newbies as someone commented but doesn’t work for more qualified potential buyers. Worth considering for IM marketers is it worth gaining some buyers and losing others who are just irritated by the video process. Perhaps someone need to innovate a compromise – time for change – again!
I sat down to watch with an open mind. You can always pick up useful things if you look at how folks are pitching rather than just consuming.
I can certainly see how it works and also how it would piss people off. A lot of promises of giving back and showing how things work, but there was nothing given back or shown.
There are going to be more like that as it works, it’s like the long form sales letter. Most folks hate them, but they are still used because they work.
Like what JaMo did here. By showing the contoversy (Real or Imagined) it’s got a lot more folks to look at the post and the embedded links.
It’s used because it works.
I do like watching JaMo and Franks videos though because they’re more entertaining. They are full of great marketing tweaks themselves.
Cheers,
Shane
They use them because they work on largest number of people.
They don’t work on me because I hate sitting through a video not knowing when it will end, not being able to ‘skip to the good part’, and most importantly, not being able to skim and still get the gist of what’s for sale.
(I usually download the video, fast forward to the end, and go to the buy link to see a recap of the offer on the checkout page.)
But one of the lessons is, they use them because THEY WORK on the largest number of people.
If you send people to a typical salesletter and 3 out of 100 buy, that’s a 3% conversion.
If you sent that same traffic to a video salesletter and 5 or 6 out of 100 might buy, that’s a 66-100% INCREASE in conversion.
Would you switch back to the typical salesletter because a few people (who probably weren’t going to buy anyway) complained that they didn’t like your video?
FYI…
– The video is 33 minutes long.
– Near the end of the video an opt-in box appears below the video.
– After you opt-in you are taken to the payment page, which can be found here…
https://www.InstantIncomeSite.com/go
Unfortunately, there is not information on that page what’s in the product/coaching program whatsoever.
That’s the thing. I would argue they work no better than other sales processes. I’ve promoted to both styles (off a big list) and have seen the results first hand. In my experience, it converted worse, and also hurt my own brand by promoting this style of sales process.
So much of this stuff is about the pre-sell as much as the sell itself.
I know it’s just one example, but a close personal friend of mine who I consult with from time to time used to have a text-based sales letter in the dating niche.
He used to get about 3% conversions.
He saw Keith Wellman’s launch (didn’t buy the product, just watched the launch videos) and decided to test that model… a video sales letter where he walks the viewer through his sales letter in a PowerPoint-type format.
His conversions more than tripled. The traffic sources were the same. The product was the same. The price was the same.
I know it’s a small sample. And, I can’t promise other video salesletters will do the same.
One reason I think his did well and some other may not have done well is that he had a salesletter… someone idid all the things it takes to create a good sales message. And then he turned a good sales message into a video.
If you’re not seeing much success with “video salesletters” it’s quite possible that the creator hasn’t done all the work to create a sales message that converts.
Whether it’s a text-based salesletter or a “video salesletter” YOU STILL HAVE TO CREATE A COMPELLING SALES MESSAGE.
That’s why the skill of Copywriting in SO IMPORTANT.
Not only do I hate these videos, I think they break a fundamental rule of marketing that I learned from John Alanis.
Never make it hard for the customer to give you money.
And when you tell your customer to sit through a 30 minute presentation before the buy button shows up, you’re not making it easy.
What everyone seems to be missing is that an awful lot of people are not going to sit through a thirty minute presentation. This is how they sell time shares, you know. They make a promise, and they make you sit through an interminable presentation. And yes, it works really well, once you get people to come in and sit through it.
But like you said, nobody is making you watch. You can leave. You can just click the little X on the tab, and it goes away. And when you really look at the numbers for these videos, I think you’ll find an awful lot of that is going on.
Unless, of course, you only measure CTR starting when the button appears. Then it looks really good, and your conversion rate is really good too. How many people who sat through your 30 minute presentation clicked the button and bought? A lot of them. An AWFUL lot. Trouble is, hardly anyone sat through the video.
The problem with these type of videos is:
1. Many people watch one that is too long and too borning and never gets to the point so now when they see another person using the tactic they remember the first bad experience and leave.
2. You only have a few short seconds to suck the visitor in and if you don’t pull it off and offer no alternative for them to read copy or find out what the offer is they are gone.
3. Very few people using this strategy are skilled enough to make listening to them enjoyable.
4. Most people using this strategy have not split tested it and are just doing it because “so and so” told them it was cool.
5. Its not a good strategy for dry first contact its better for targeted buyers lists where the person has been pre-sold or is acquainted with the presenter and already a fan.
6. One version of this method used a count down timer at the end of the video that disappears.
The first time I saw it the guy droned on for 45 minutes never getting to the point and so I got up to take a pee only to come back and find that the video got to the end, the count down timer expired, and if I wanted to see what the actual offer was I had to watch the entire 45 minutes over again.. and I had already watched 30 minutes of it!
To make it worse… that experience was from an individual who created that technology and what he was selling was the technology.
Sheesh!
Billy Mays sold Billions of dollars in products by getting to the point. He was the king of the 2 minute infomercial. Sure his price point was lower and his products were actually useful to people…
But I once heard him shut down a guy who wanted to go a 30 minute spot and had lined up one of the biggest sports stars in the world to endorse it along with his entire team.
Billy told the guy if he did not do the 2 minute spot selling the benefits of the product and closing the deal he would not work with him.
Even Billy’s formula would not work with every product but… its definitely a lesson worth considering:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6MEvDzdBfM (skip to 4:03 in that video)
My advice is to test it yourself before trying it…
Btw… this is coming from a guy who developed a players that can do this which have been on the market since 2004 and even today we have another product that takes this kind of direct response video marketing to a new level.
I just believe that anyone should test it for themselves against things like actually telling people what the offer and the benefits are and not just babbling on endlessly taking forever to get to the point 😉
Dude,
I was gonna DM you on Twitter about this, but I feel strongly enough to say it in public, but I effing HATE those long form sales letter videos.
HATE THEM!
It’s nothing less than a 100% negative experience for me, so if that’s the case, why would I knowingly put my potential customers through that?
I wouldn’t … and I won’t … at least not in that way …
I totally respect Ryan and pay attention to everything he does, but this time – I think he’s way off.
Sure, short-term this strategy might make you more money, but if it pisses your subscribers and customers off it’ll hurt you long-term – and that’s just not cool for anyone.
I’ve figured out a better way to do it – I’ll DM you with the info once I’ve got a working demo.
Laters maters
Nick 🙂
Happy to add to the controversy …
Nope – don’t like it.
And I make it a point not to buy stuff that depends on guessing which shell the pea is under – the video tells the hostage nothing.
Yeah, maybe it works, but so does 3-card monty.
On the video technique – no controls, etc. — just won’t sit thru it.
It’s like some guy in 1985 with his life insurance flip chart — who just can’t stop his pitch long enough to take the order. I don’t know how high his refund rate is, but I’ll bet he’s not on his first or even second merchant account.
Herschy did the same video thing and I got off his lists too – (and I’ve bought from him b4). You learn some IM lessons after awhile –
don’t get on a monthly with filsaime;
don’t let brunson get your real phone number;
anyone with those annoying “OK-Cancel” exit pops has nothing new to offer; and,
nine times out of ten, you have something well worth the time.
I hate these videos, even more annoying when they are just part of an affiliate promotion and you have to sit through 30 minutes just to find out what bonus someone is offering, which is often a product just promoted by affiliates and now being offered for “free” thus fleecing the people supplying buying leads.
Have I sat through some.. yes if they were educational
I noticed Andy Jenkins being mentioned.. from memory his most recent vids had full video controls, and were also downloadable without breaking out a video download tool to sniff packets.
If I am faced with such a video that is what I normally do, just get some software to download, and look at the code of the page to see if there is a javascript timer hiding a link on the page and edit with something like Firebug.
If I can help it, I don’t watch video real-time – I download it then play back at 2x speed.
p.s. you don’t need the inflated comment count
Jason,
This kind of tactic reminds me of “forced continuity” which is a load of crap also.
Here is a fact, I work with one of “The Best in the Business” marketers (he’s the Godfather) his video’s have controls, you know pause, stop, play.. they don’t normally last more than 4 to 5 minutes if that and he sells the bejeebers out of virtually anything he markets.
Bottom line, don’t use sleezy or desperate sales tactics even in video, it brands you in an unfavorable light!
-Mark “The Marketing Professional” Brown
I agree with the majority of views expressed here.
If a video has no controls I hit close, I am sure these videos do work but I will not sit through watching it. Even if it is something that I may be interested in I wait around and somebody somewhere will give a precis of it.
Very interesting discussion Jason! I’ve noticed the use of this method and while I’ve never tried it myself, I figured the conversion rates must be high as the method is being employed quite a bit. My theory was pretty much what you stated, that this sort of thing forces people to go down the “slippery slope” when they might usually just skim the offer.
That said, I’m also not a fan of these from a customer point of view. I do though think it is a method that can be modified to work better. (letting the person know upfront how long the video is could be a start).
I watched some of Jay’s video. I don’t know Jay or anything about his methods…but if I’m being totally honest, the video did not feel sincere. It felt formulaic. Like he just copied the formula he’s seen others use and tried to adapt his story to it. I know storytelling sells, but this felt like the story was being purposely laced with all of the “marketing elements”. And it took away from the story because it was so blatantly obvious (at least to me) When he attempted to relate the story to the viewer, it seemed insincere (imo)
Felt to me that all of the right “elements” of the formula were in place but it just wasn’t well done. It was boring as shit too. I know good marketing when I see it and I honestly felt this kinda sucked. No offense to Jay or his methods. I’m sure his product is worthwhile, especially since you vouch for him. I’m just giving my honest opinion of what I thought. Hope it helps.
Know what?
The gurus don’t have to watch this stuff except to get in on a JV.
I sat through the recent video presentation that I admit were masterfully made. He kept me listening for a long time because I felt there was something good to be learned IF I did buy it. I didn’t buy it but I came close. Did a little research first. Glad I did as this product was more than “pricey”.
If this is the wave of the future (no video controls) then you will lose me completely.
Your call.
Jason,
Will you make any money if someone buys Instant Income Site?
When I first read this post I did not see the link provided at the beginning of your article. When I click to go to the article there is an ID at the end of the URL. This make me think it might be your affiliate ID.
If so, your post is just another sales technique. I hope not. 😉
Greg, please read the disclaimer tab at the top of my blog please. In short, of course I get paid if someone buys. I’m affiliate marketer. It’s what I do. Is a sales technique? Of course. No one is hiding that. We are discussing the technique at hand. I thought that was pretty obvious.
Jason,
I appreciate your honest answer.
No problem buddy. I try to be pretty open about everything. Seems better that way.
I thought the video was boring.
I quit, got a pop up and entered my spam gmail account.
It is not interesting to me.
I would rather buy something I can afford that I know what I am getting and is recommended by someone I trust like Jason Moffatt.
I am really tired of getting emails from companies or people stating get a free report and find out it is free when you buy something else.
It’s about moving the free line and not trying to fool people into buying something they do not need or want.
Many marketers are just selling stuff with scarcity tactics without any value provided up front.
I do like the emails like the one that brought me here. Keeping it real, not pushy, not scarcity, just good information.
@ClayFranklin
When presentations like these come up, I just open another tab in the window and listen while I check out another site like craigslist. As they have no relevant visual content, they are really audio products with text in the screenshots. Kinda like they were close captioned for the deaf, right?
In this case, the concept seemed interesting, but there were no useful tidbits given out, and the price point was too high given the limited specifics about the product. I did not buy, even though a product of this type may dovetail well with other stuff I’m currently doing.
I do feel that, as others have said, personality is a big part of selling the whole package, and this one didn’t bring that to the party.
I talked to Jay a bit ago and we discussed maybe doing a live video with the two of us so I could grill him on everything. I actually think it would be a really killer and informative bit. Of course I’d want to pack some serious content in there, not just have a fluff match.
JaMo,
Thanks for asking. I consider this type of video a disrespectful waste of my time and as soon as I realize there is no time frame specified for the duration, and that I cannot pause when I need to answer the phone or the video is dragging on too long, I delete it with disgust. The other really annoying thing is – what if there really is some nugget there which I want to make a note of? I cannot make notes and rewind to ensure that I got it right, which is a huge waste of my time.
The first video of this type that I recall being really annoyed about was when Frank delivered the “State of the Internet Address”, which was really cool, but I was extremely annoyed that I couldn’t rewind a bit to make sure I fully understood the information he was presenting. I was so ticked off that I even deleted Frank Kern with total disgust.
Whether it converts like gangbusters or not, when you are all about “moving the free line” and delivering quality content, this type of video deserves to be deleted upon recognition. Why reward marketers for bad behavior?
Jazmin