by Jace Vernon | Jun 26, 2013 | video
Google has never been a fan of black hat SEO and that was made clear with the new Penguin 2.0 update. Their focus has changed to content and determining experts in each field. When the update rolled out we stayed strong in some areas of our SEO but were hurt in others. This caused us to rethink our marketing strategy as a whole. It’s no secret that Google loves great content and real backlinks so we decided to find a way to get both. Infographics have been a huge boost to SEO; they carry much more weight than a simple text blog but still not as much weight as video. We’ve landed backlinks by adding a source link to infographics and providing the option to embed them on your site. We decided to see if it was possible to land similar backlinks with video. Essentially, we are giving people the option to embed our video, with a source link attached to it. Okay, so now you understand the concept, but how are you going to convince someone to embed your video?
via Whiteboard Animation Video
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Leverage Video for Backlinks
If you’ve had some success with a video being shared on social platforms you know that sharable content can be a huge boost for your company; but there is no science to viral content. You might as well be rolling a 20 sided die, trying to hit your lucky number. If there was step by step process everyone would have discovered it by now. In the Ted Talk, Human Behavior – Measuring Emotions to Improve Effectiveness of Online Video Ads, we are taught that people will share videos that make them look good. That can mean a number of things – some may want to look like experts, entertain their friends, or appear to be up-to-date on cutting edge technology. Keep this in mind when you are creating your content. However, the target changes slightly when you are looking to get your video embedded. People will share content on social platforms that make them look good, but they’ll only embed a video that is directly applicable to your audience. Your video needs to have the elements of a viral video and be beneficial enough for a blogger to pick it up and write about it, knowing it’s going to benefit their audience. You need to make your video blog worthy. The video needs to instruct, educate, and entertain a specific audience. Think to yourself, why would someone do a write up on this video? What can I offer that is beneficial to large audience in my industry? Would I blog about this?
Here are some other tools that will help you along the way:
How to Write the Perfect Script
Avoid Video Abandonment – Improve Viewer Engagement
+Wesley Bledsoe
by Ydraw | Jan 15, 2013 | video
Don’t Forget!
Dealing with an audience is never as simple as it seems. We often take the things we know and have experienced and assume that the audience has experienced the same things. This can put up barriers of communication and can ruin any video. Complexity is the demise of corporations.
On December 4, 2012 I stopped in Vegas to get a little education at the SMX conference. I had just flown in from Dallas, where I had experienced a great workshop. The speakers were motivational. I left Dallas with a plan and some great ideas. When I arrived at the Aria in Vegas I saw an overwhelming crowd rushing into a conference room. I joined them and found myself sitting in the conference being held by Expedia, imagine that. How exciting for me to be able to listen in on a conference held by a huge corporation. I wasn’t an employee nor did I know anything about Expedia’s culture but I am a customer or should I say- I was a customer. My time in the conference room did not last. I was kicked out after the guy next to me saw I was taking notes on the speech of David Roche, the President of Hotwire.com. The reality is Expedia should have more customers sit in on their conferences. If they did, they just might change their message.
You see, I love seeing successful men get up and present in front of audiences it’s very inspiring. From what I could find on the internet, David Roche is a very successful business man. I set some high expectations for his speech and was looking to be moved. However, my expectations were quickly shut down. His speech was complicated and didn’t make much sense. Words like jargon, confusion, non-educational, and boring kept coming into my mind. He never mentioned one thing about me, the customer, nor did he mention anything about the employees. As the speech went on I became extremely bored, but I was not the only one. The audience, Expedia’s own, was yearning for entertainment and real education, which go hand in hand. He spoke nothing about making customers happy or the employees happy. He didn’t relate to them. No stories, no testimonials, no example- just plain confusion.
Remember that the audience isn’t always in on the story. Don’t make them feel like the third wheel with two friends who only speak with “inside jokes.” Speak to your audience in the way that you would want your product explained to you if it was the first time you’ve ever learned about it. Don’t be condescending either, just informative and patient. =)
by Ydraw | Dec 10, 2012 | video
I have had my eyes opened these last few weeks. It all started with a couple of books and it ended with a class in Dallas, Texas known as the GKIC workshop put on by Glazer and Kennedy. It was amazing and proved to be well worth my time. Hence the reason for this blog post.
Its all about the Sales Funnel
One of the most important parts of any business is sales and marketing, yet most businesses do not spend the necessary capital. If they do, they spend it on the wrong things. Small businesses can not market like large corporation nor should we want to. For us it comes down to leads, leads, leads.
If you do not create leads, you will not survive. If you do not have faithful customers, you will hardly grow. Simple, right? Well, it is easier said then done. Our whiteboard videos are designed and created to capture leads. We want people to call us on the phone or fill out a form on our site to capture info. That way they enter our sales funnel which has a nurturing campaign. Once a lead enters the door we have a series of videos or emails to follow up with the clients.
I learned this technique of survival back when I served a two year mission in El Salvador at the ripe old age of 19. We would spend hours each day knocking doors, talking to people, or asking for member referrals. It was tough to find people who would listen to our message about the Savior. Once we got into the door we would teach the first discussion and move them into the nurturing pool where we would follow up with 5 more discussions making sure to resolve doubts along the way. It was not easy and it took alot of work to get the leads into the pipeline and nurture them. Luckily for us, we do not have to knock on doors 9 hours a day. We have software that systemizes the whole nurturing process until someone is ready to act. Here’s a great quote.
“Most business owners and marketers lead lives of DESPERATION, because they do not know how to create a STEADY and SUFFICIENT SUPPLY of GOOD LEADS.”-Dan Kennedy
How to Capture Great Leads
- Use Video- the first step is to create a video that is fun, educational and has some type of value proposition. We love whiteboard videos, but animation videos created by Ydraw, Epipheo, Demoduck, or Common Craft are also great. Once you have a great video the job is to put it in front of your target audience. If you have no idea who your target audience is, you will waste a lot money on advertising to people who do not need your product or service.
- Create Landing Pages-Landing pages are a great way to capture a lead. You can use CPC ads or banner ads to drive people to a landing pages. That page needs a form on it to capture info.
- Direct Mail- This is something I do not know a lot about, but I am implementing it and will let you know the results. From what I have read direct mail is still the most powerful way to generate leads.
- Monthly Videos or Newsletters- Currently at Ydraw we are implementing this plan. Each month we create a general video that people enjoy watching hoping it will get passed around. The video is more for entertainment and fun than a business pitch.
Those are just a few ideas on capturing leads. Start with one and work your way up to where you have multiple avenues. The more leads you capture the better.
Nurturing your Leads
Once you capture a lead you have to nurture it. We spend so much time, energy, and money in capturing leads, it would be a shame not to get the most out of them. Nurturing leads is an easy step to automate, it just requires a bit of planning and design. Use Aweber, Mailchip, or Infusionsoft to start email follow ups. Be careful with bombarding your lead pool with too much advertising. You do not want to end up in spam folders or trash. One email per week works great. Make your emails educational, and entertaining; using stories, videos, receipts, and a direct mail piece.
Of course, most businesses will read this article and go on their merry way not implementing this strategy. It takes too much effort, organization, and discipline. Don’t be them! Jump in with both feet and become the 5% who actually experience sustainable success.
+Jace Vernon
by Ydraw | Aug 27, 2012 | video
2 Keys of Effective Communication
We all can develop better communication skills. Especially those people who are trying to make a difference in the world. Whether you are giving a presentation, creating a video, teaching your kids, or coaching your employees. Everything requires effective communication. Here are two important keys that will set you apart from 95% of the population.
1. Understand the true feelings of those you are trying to persuade
2. Implant your feelings into the heart or emotions of the listener.
This is not easy to do it takes practice and dedication to master these two skills. But if you do, I promise things will start to fall in your favor quickly. Imagine a world where people actually understood one another and listened. A world where you could actually get others to understand and feel the way you do. It will take some work, so let’s address a few challenges that stand in the way.
Challenge 1: Grabbing Undivided Attention
Any time you initiate communication, whether verbal or written, at the very outset the minds of your listeners or readers are somewhere else. As you or your video enters their presence, their minds don’t instantly stop thinking about whatever they’ve been thinking about. You are an intruder into their thoughts. So the first challenge is to grab their undivided, undistracted attention and bring it into the moment, focused precisely on what you are going to communicate.
Challenge 2: Holding their Attention
Once you gain your listeners’ undivided attention, you normally begin to lose it within 30 to 60 seconds. You are going to have to do something to keep them focused, or to at least draw their focus back into the conversation. If your audience drifts, it is not their fault. You failed to hold their attention. What can you do?
Challenge 3: Implanting Emotions and Feelings
Imparting and implanting understanding and feeling is not easy. If your audience doesn’t understand what you are saying and feel what you are feeling, than your communication has not been truly effective and persuasive. The effective use of emotional words, pictures and music will handle this challenge with ease.
Challenge 4: Get Them to Act for the Right Reason.
Influencing the audience’s will to make the right choice for the right reason is the essence of true persuasion. You can do this by manipulation, threats, or fear, but this can lead to a destructive relationship.
FACT: If your listener doesn’t focus on what you are saying, doesn’t clearly understand what you are saying and doesn’t feel what you are feeling, it’s your fault!
To overcome the 4 challenges you need to use 3 simple techniques.
1. Hooking: The hook needs to grab the audience and get them to focus. You can do this with a strong, captivating statement, an emotional picture, a specific question, a personal reference, or a strong header. That first sentence, or that first pictures has to grab attention immediately. If you understand the feelings and concerns of you audience, you will be able to come up with a hook. Ask yourself a series of questions:
What are their concerns? What hook will stop them dead in their tracks? What answers are they looking for? What problems can I solve for them?
Here are a couple of examples. 1. “If you could have any kind of body you want, what kind of body would you have? 2. “Acne is painful, both physically and emotionally. I don’t care if you’re an adult or a teenager; acne causes embarrassment and anxiety.” (By the way that last sentence sold over 20 million in product). 3. “What is Dollar Shave Club Dot Com?” This has over 6 million views on YouYube.
A great hook is just the beginning your job is not finished. You still have to use trial closes and certain word patterns all throughout your script or presentation.
Here are a couple of my favorite trial closes and word patterns:
- I want you to have more.
- I believe you should have…
- Do you have everything you need in your life?
- I can make a difference in your life
- Is this making sense to you?
- How would you feel?
(Trial Closes by Ted Thomas…)
2. Salting: Salting is all about maintaining attention and implanting a desire in your audience. They perk up and focus on what you are saying. In other words your presentation is given in such a way that the listener wants to hear what you are going to say before you even say it! You do this by making the information understandable, fun, educational and entertaining. You constantly are throwing salt on the meal. The more you throw the more thirsty they become. Hence the word “Salting.” How do you do this? Simply stated, you create curiosity about what you are going to say before you say it. I personally like to use trial closes which tend to bring the audience back. We mention a few trial closes above, but here are a few more: Imagine what your life would be like? How would you feel if you lost 50 pounds? What would people think? What would you do with all that money? Would this product or service make your life better?
3. Use stories with emotional pictures and words: I love this portion because I am all about stories, images, pictures, and creativity. Stories and Pictures work so much better than words. If someone can see pictures and images of what you are trying to say, they will have more power to change.
“I would rather see a sermon than hear one any day”
Pictures and images can breathe life into any communication they also lock understanding and feeling into a person’s memory. It is hard to recall words or text but it is easy to recall images and pictures. Marketing without images has little to no effect.
So there you have it. Try to use these words of wisdom in your scripts, education, presentations, videos, and blogs. They work and will bring you the success you have been searching for. Image what you could do if the world listened and understood what you were feeling. The sky is the limit.
Enjoy
+Jace Vernon
Sources: Ted Thomas Trial closes. A lot of this came from the Millionaire Mentor by Steven K Scott. It is a great book.
by Ydraw | Feb 26, 2012 | Video Marketing
Curious about video marketing? About creating a company video but do not know what to include in the content? These helpful tips from Ydraw are great to consider when creating content for a video.
Inform a Customer: Demonstrate products and services that are provided. Educated and informed customers are much more likely to invest in a product when they completely understand it. This allows them to see how the product or service would be beneficial to their life.
Testimonial Friendly: Always use testimonials from clients and fans. Having individuals rate the company for experience, telling how the company has helped them and changed their lives, and comparing other companies, helps other customers see that is product or service is valuable and works.
Introduce Staff: This can create a great bond with customers, especially if they are cartoon based, like the animations in video scribing, where everything is introduced in a fun environment, making a company seem warm and inviting with personality and a sense of humor. A person is much more likely to go with a company that seems fun and easy to work with rather than one that seems rude or stressful.
Call to Action: Add a process for customers to get to know how to connect with a company for more information, and what the next step would be for them to interact with you.
Relax: Make the video script relaxing, do not make it too complicated, and try to keep it brief. Make sure to have two or three key points in a video, ones that are most important to the company above all else, and keep it simple.
Video marketing is becoming increasingly popular with the online population, and will continue to do so for many years. Creating a successful video marketing strategy is crucial for any small business eager to succeed.
Alecsy Christensen, Ydraw