Is Video Really That Great...?

The online video revolution is very exciting indeed but if you're a copywriter you should be careful of gettting swept away in this tidal wave of video without keeping in mind the tried, tested and true alternatives...

Check out this report...
"The 7 Hidden Ways
Audio Can Powerfully Control
The Minds Of Your Prospects..."

http://www.hardtofindseminars.com/Au..._Brain_Two.htm

It's a lesson in how to effectively activate more of your prospects senses when you write copy and brings up some interesting points about the limitations of video.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

Some of us just have to face reality and realize we only have a face radio could love...right Ray? (Just kiddin' Ray. Get yourself a big breasted babe with clevage that doesn't end and every IM noob will be watching her and listening to you.)




One of my best friends is a DJ on L.A. area radio station and he would understand. I keep telling him to setup a website to do VOs for guys selling things on the web...since he has a great voice.

Easy to say -- especially coming from a "fantom"!

By the way -- Great link... thanks Andrew!

Jaykay,

But there are some very hmm, well...'physically and horizontally challenged' people on TV and are doing well for themselves. I don't think looks has to do with it, although I've read in several placed nicer looking salespeople outsell others.

I thought the link was pretty GROOVY too.

Must have been written by someone with talent.


I should say I think video online will become bigger than TV advertising in the next decade (unless the nature of the internet changes radically.)

TV advertising is no longer cost effective (except in some unusual cases where VERY savvy direct response marketers are working on extreme discournts or percentage of turnover deals).

Online video on the other hand is highly effective because it's market is highly targeted.

But the danger is falling into chasing "the next best thing" instead of staying focused on REAL copywriting fundamentals.

Advertising is salesmanship in print, or on audio, or on video.

You still have to use good selling principles to sell.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

does this question really matter ... use everything you can .

copy video audio. the more ways you present it the more chances your prosects wil view it .

most peope have a dvd plaer .. most have a cd player in their car . it really depends on the content you provide in either . not everyone will read a letter .

a local business can put together a decen audio cd .. or video dvd .. and mail it out to thousands targeted prospect for a lot less money than placeing a large add in a newspapper or running spot on local tv


ken

Couldn't agree more.

I don't agree. Don't use every you can. Use everything that WORKS!

The April '05 Reese Report talks about a dog training site. They tested all sorts of things on the opt in page. They doubled the conversion when they added a picture. Then the conversion dropped a bit when they added audio. And it just plummeted when they added video.

The bottom line is, proceed wiht caution. Test, test, and then test some more.

-Alex

Exactly. Not everyone is impressed by video. That market may have still been largely on narrow band, so would have been wondering what they were waiting for as the video tried to load.

Jane

Perhaps I don't understand in what setting you're referring to the use of video?

Are we talking in-line embedded in websites? Like on NASCAR.COM? I assure you the majority of viewers hate the inline forced/pushed video on that site. It loads heinously slowly, it doesn't play smoothly, and it makes browsing the site from work a total no-no (the audio causes the "straying" employee to get caught red-handed!). Spend 10 minutes on their forums and you'll get an eye-full of annoyed viewers. I have many racing-fan friends who refuse to go to the NASCAR.COM site now because of their abuse of audio/video.

Now if you are talking in terms of something like podcasts that they can download at their choice? That are universally accessible (format that both Windows and Mac can view, such as within iTunes or on an iPod Video)? In that case, my experience says "cool," except!!!...

Except that you must have a purpose for using video. Don't abuse the medium. If you are selling something that must be visually demonstrated and can only be fully appreciated by being seen (e.g., the beautifully shiny restored paint job on the '57 Chevy), then yes, video makes sense.

But as an iPod Video consumer, I'll tell ya' -- don't waste my time with videocasts that don't show me anything I needed to see. If it is just as well presented in audio-only, use audio.

As a side-note, I also recommend offering a printed transcript with your audio & video items. Not all media players are "stable" on all OS's. And, there are some of us who don't learn squat from audiocasts. We simply need to read in order to assimilate. I bought one of Yanik Silver's products which offered a printed transcript of his audio files, and I was extremely appreciative of this... I can really dig into the PDF, instead of being forced to wrestle my finicky Real Media player on OS X.

Hope this helps!

Bailey