While folks are swept up with the excitement of online video, others plow countless hours into videos viewed by only a handful of prospects. The fact is, video is just like any other sales tool: Using it improperly delivers catastrophic results.
But it doesn’t have to be this way! Avoiding the painful slideshow mistakes can mean the difference between failure, and riding the crest of a video profit wave.
With the deluge of videos crossing your desk every day — and the limited time you have to view them — its hard to view them as anything more than wasted time or light amusement.
However, videos are a powerful tool to boost your business. You just need to know which ones hold the secrets to your own success.
So, with that idea in mind: Time to present my Top Video Discoveries of 2009!
This isn’t the usual parade of surfing elephants piano playing dogs
These videos aren’t all the most viewed or most popular
Many of them weren’t even created this year.
Its likely that most of them you have never heard about.
However, each passed the two critical tests for any video to boost your business:
They elicit an almost involuntary, powerful emotional reaction
They illustrate powerful, fundamental bedrock profit boosting principles.
I can almost guarantee you will enjoy all of them. And also discover ways you can use similar videos to catapult your own business in the coming year.
I am sure you have probably asked yourself the question: “Can a video that explodes viraly get more than views? Is it possible to leverage the visibility of a great video to take your business where you never thought it could go, more quickly than you imagined possible?”
The answer is a resounding “Yes!” On today’s video, Our Top Video Discovery of 2009 proves it.
Every now and then, you run into a video that has it all:
1. Creative (or even groundbreaking) technique
2. Hugely entertaining
3. Generates tremendous buzz for its creators.
4. Showcases what the creator does best, and positions that talent in a positive, highly attractive manner to a receptive worldwide audience.
This video featured all 4 factors in abundance, and did it so well, its my Top Video Discovery of 2009:
One of the best ways to garner attention for your videos is to ride the coat tails of current events.
Whether its something newsworthy, a pop culture phenomenon (American Idol), or anything else that has caught the public’s fancy, if its done well its almost guaranteed to draw a reaction. And when you can relate it to a program, product or campaign you have coming up, the result can be pure gold!
Here is an example I did late last year spoofing the balloon boy controversy:
“Oh, I could never do video! Its waaay too technical.”
Its amazing how much I hear this. And if this is the way you feel, you are missing a hugely lucrative boat.
Because simplicity is often the key to video success. (See Video Discovery #6 — Beachwalks with Rox). And one of the biggest online video success stories has alot more in common with Gumby and good old fashioned stop motion animation than digital computer effects.
Its Common Craft. And its “in plain english” videos, featuring paper cutouts moved by hand around a board have been seen by millions. In fact, if you signed up for Twitter recently, you may have seen this one:
Its one of the biggest roadblocks people face in enjoying true success from their online video: “I am getting alot of views”, they say. “People love my video. But I am not getting any traffic. This doesn’t work!”
Which is sad, because they may be giving up just moments from their ultimate success.
Video DOES work. If you are willing to do just a few simple, but crucial things to help it along.
And there is one action that can skyrocket the results from your videos more than just about any other.
One of the great things about video is you can make up for lack of technical skills with something much more powerful. In fact most of the folks who have created massive followings with their videos, rely on this one characteristic:
The power of personality.
And one of the folks who have leveraged this to create an online following is Justine Ezarik. Also known as iJustine.
Gogeous. 20-something. But also a confirmed nerd (like alot of us) who shoots and edits her own video (like alot of us would like to). Who would rather spend time at the Apple Store than a singles bar (like alot of us). Who’s idea of hot is Steve Jobs instead of the studs from the latest “Twilight” movie.
Here she does a 2009 Year in Review Video of her doing a dance in every Apple Store she visited during the year:
One of the most powerful aspects of video is its power to create something from nothing. To create celebrity when none existed before. To create a sense of event and millions of viewers from the maze of everyday, humdrum life.
And while you don’t want to do anything that gets you thrown in jail, sometimes creating a scene is an amazing way to attract the attention that leads to sales.
While genius goes a long way to solve your online video traffic issues, its often a crap shoot.
Even if you create one hit, its hard to reproduce another. Plus, if your follow-up videos are sub par, your audience can desert you. Creating a hit video is like trying to strike it rich in Vegas. The house usually wins.
But there is one other factor we have total control over: Consistency.
And creating simple videos, day after day, has vaulted several solopreneurs to online video stardom. Including one whose worldwide notoriety is as easy as a stroll down the beach. Literally.
Roxanne Darling, pontificates on the world, business and personal growth – and captures it all on video – with her fabulous Beachwalks with Rox series:
As if there wasn’t enough to worry about … customers are now using online videos to voice grievances. And some are getting famous for it!
Perhaps the most notable example was when country musician Dave Carroll, observed United Airlines baggage workers mishandling (and eventually breaking) his prize Taylor guitar, as it was being loaded onto his plane.
When the airline refused to pay for the damage, he did what he does best: Wrote a song as a soundtrack to a hilarious video that attracted over seven million viewers (and counting):
