Categories
Video Marketing

How To Make Your Videos More Persuasive

How Do You Increase The Effectiveness Of Your Video Marketing? Grab The Viewer’s Attention.

Here are some simple and highly-effective ways to improve the conversions you are getting from your Video Marketing:

1. Use the “Pattern Interrupt”:

When someone first clicks a play button on a video, the viewer’s attention is not yet activated into a mode of focus.  A million things could be happening in that moment.  We are all prone to try to multi-task.  If you anything like me, you have a bajillion tabs open in your browser.  Your video message will perform better if you can somehow grab the viewers attention and keep it there.  The Pattern Interrupt does just that.  It can be a visual stimulus like bright flashing colors and rapid animation, an auditory que like a sudden noise, shout or scream, or a very enthusiastic question.

2. Use “Framing”:

A copywriting technique that let’s the prospect/viewer know “what’s coming next” or what your offer is all about, or even teasing a point you will make later in the video because the point you just raised has a very common objection.  Example: “You may be asking yourself… more on that crucial factor later, it’s a game changer.  But first let’s go over…”   Keep these brief, as brevity creates curiosity.

3. Pare down the Waste:

Not every part of a video is strong and useful.  Sometimes things change and what used to be a good idea, or a good Pattern interrupt, becomes stale or does not move the needle.   You can use video engagement tools to measure over time where in your video that people tend to bounce or click out of the video.  Maybe the pacing is slow, or a concept could be explained better.  Your biggest obstacle in engaging the viewers logic and emotions is boring the viewer.  So don’t be afraid to trim it down.

4. Change up the order:

Videos that promote a business or offer often have sections that can be moved around and create better interest.  A good one to play with is when you interject testimonials, evidence presented that backs up your point, your guarantee or mentions of bonuses.

This is also a great way to extend the shelf life of a video.

5. Try different “Calls To Action”

Sometimes Add To Cart is not as good as Learn More, or Get Offer.  Maybe a button works better than a link.  Whatever you use, you may never know what works with your particular audience til you test it.

6. Try using different colors and styles:

This goes right along with the Pattern Interrupt suggestion, as colors really do make a difference.  For instance, Amazon has tested their Add To Cart button extensively. What they use there has been seen by millions of people, and that design choice was not made haphazardly.

7. Offer different multi-pay options:

It’s valuable information to know which one produces the biggest overall net gains in sales over time, which one brings you better customers who refund less, value the offer more, and appreciate the relationship you have built.

8. Introduce scarcity:

Scarcity is a real motivational driver.  A lot of marketers flub this tho, with unbelievable justification.  Don’t say the offer is for a limited time only if you already know it will be unchanged 5 years from now.  To make scarcity work for you, offer something in addition to the main offer, and make it available for a limited time.  If your prospects don’t respond, replace it.  Keep doing it til you find a winner.  That can present you with other options like adding it to the offer as a permanent bonus, or just part of the package.  Or make it a seasonal bonus that you may discontinue and bring back the same time next year.  But do not ever ever ever think your prospects are dumb.  We have all been immersed in the new digital marketing place… it’s better to build a reputation of delivering good products and services and do what you say, than to give a customer a reason to distrust your word.  In this way, our markets police themselves.  So add value to your prospects lives, deliver on your promises, and you will always have a flow of people who value you.

9. Use a deadline to create a sense of urgency.

Along those lines, a deadline with a timer running is a great visual queue to impress upon your viewer that all good things come to an end.

10. Split-test different Headlines:

Maybe your pattern interrupt is a headline or unique sales proposition.  That phrasing could be said or presented another way, couldn’t it?  Make different versions and split test the traffic that sees them, and see if it can be improved upon.  This can often be the very best thing to improve how well the video converts.

Categories
Video Marketing

Use Facebook Video Ads Throughout Your Sales Funnel Effectively

Video is powerful. It’s the most accessible and loved medium going right now for marketers.

Social Media Examiner has a terrific breakdown of Facebook Video Ads you should check out

A common error is trying to go for the sale on your first touch in a social sharing platform like Facebook, where people are more inclined to be social than engage in commerce right away.    The best campaigns in my experience do what that article suggests.

Think about your customer, who they are and the MOOD they are likely in while on Facebook. Most of the time, your potential prospect is liking cute animal videos. It’s important to look at your digital marketing efforts as starting a lifelong relationship.   When was the last time you sold something after 5 minutes of a first impression?  Not saying you can’ t do it, but it is much tougher when the meeting is in a Facebook post, not an eye to eye meeting.  It doesn’t bode well to hit up this person with a direct-response campaign without an introduction. So how do you start off the relationship with some earned trust?

Warming them up first, establish your bona fides with some valuable and likeable engaging advice or a unique and valuable tip.  Weave your story in this helpful information so that the prospect can feel confident in taking action with your suggestion.

Follow it up with retargeting, as the article suggests, and those folks who appreciate your content will once again self select, raise their hand to say “I’m interested” and click your retargeting ad.

Hitting just these two metrics in this way is a great start to your efforts to match your message, your solution to your audience’s problem.

Give it a go, or give us a call at 1-888-406-3484 and we can handle everything for you.  This formula is pretty plug and play, works for every niche we’ve tried it in, as it is built on understanding your prospect, and building a real relationship.  Hitting those goals of relationship building does wonders for any business that wants lifelong customers who will give you good reviews.

Categories
Lead Generation Marketing Video Marketing

Video Channel

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Categories
Local Search

Google’s Using Your Android Phone Audio To Tune It’s Hummingbird

The Sun has picked up on that Google is using the audio we all provide every day into Android phones, to tune and refine the Audio search algorithm

Quoted:

If you own an Android phone, it’s likely that you’ve used Google’s Assistant, which is similar to Apple’s Siri.

Google says it only turns on and begins recording when you utter the words “OK Google”.

But a Sun investigation has found that the virtual assistant is a little hard of hearing.

In some cases, just saying “OK” in conversation prompted it to switch on your phone and record around 20 seconds of audio.

It regularly switches on the microphone as you go about your day-to-day activities, none the wiser.

The Silicon Valley giant states on its terms and conditions that it keeps these recordings for “improving speech recognition against all Google products that use your voice”.

After the Sun Online presented examples of the voice recognition flaws to Google, a spokesman said: “We only process voice searches after the phone believes the hot word ‘OK Google’ is detected. Audio snippets are used by Google to improve the quality of speech recognition across Search.”

You may notice the prominence in your own daily searches of new suggested search terms like “Near Me”, “nearby” “in my neighborhood”.  You might have also noticed search results with titles in the links that are illustrative of a voice search being used.  Such as “the best in Austin”, “top consultant in Austin” and the like.  That is Google Hummingbird‘s work.

Google is well known for using it’s users to tease out data points, and studying user behavior.  One could say that we users are taking part in this experiment, as we search away and peer our attention on the goings on all over the planet.

The Sun article has a handy tutorial in removing your Audio functions from Google, so that you are not being recorded.  This issue of defacto automated surveillance is going to have to be answered to the Market’s satisfaction, as more and more voice search is used by the likes of Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and Google’s Assistant.

Categories
Local Search

Personalized Search and what that means to Local Search

A terrific breakdown of the impact of the Personalized Search was just posted at link-assistant.com
Go here to read the whole thing.

“What’s personalized search?

Personalized search results are the results a user sees in a search engine that aren’t just based on the traditional ranking factors (such as the relevance of the web pages to the search term or their authority), but also on the information that the search engine has about the user at the given time, such as their location, search history, demographics, or interests. Although widely debated, the purpose of personalized search is to increase the relevance of the results for the particular user.

Both Google and Bing (and hence Yahoo, too) are personalizing their search results, but Google seems to be doing it for a larger share of searches. Back in 2011, a small experiment showed that over 50% of Google searches were being personalized; that number has likely only gone up since.”

A key problem we SEO professionals have to work around, is that these Personalized Searches can give our clients a misconception of what is truly going on with their site’s rankings in their targeted Local Searches. Location has become such a factor in these rankings, that if your client is not aware that his search may not be an apples to apples comparison of his Target Customer, Customer Avatar, etc.

The recommendation in the excellent article is to use their Rank Tracker tool. I cannot speak to that. I use an extension that allows me to determine my location, and can then do searches simulating that my location is an apples to apples comparison to my client’s most likely prospect.

What is that free extension? Tweet me at twitter and I’ll happily share it with you, it works like a charm.

Categories
Lead Generation Marketing

Google Adwords Training coming this August

Join me this month for Google’s always outstanding Adwords Academy on Air for a series of sessions highlighting the power and reach of YouTube as well as a deep dive into the new AdWords experience.
In the present Mobile Phone dominated world, it’s not hard to contact individuals but rather it’s harder than at any other time to really win their consideration. Go along with us to figure out how to use YouTube’s uncommon mix of watcher reach and thoughtfulness regarding win new clients. We’ll likewise separate tips for compelling video promotions and demonstrate to blend and-match diverse advertisement arrangements to make your imaginative work harder. At long last, we’ll clarify how YouTube utilizes signals from crosswise over Google Search, Maps, and the Google Display Network to enable you to focus on the correct clients in view of ongoing plan, not simply socioeconomics.
To end the month, we’ll dive deep into the new AdWords experience, designed to be easier to use and more focused on your business. We’ll be giving a live demo into the new interface as well as some tips and strategies around best practices and how to implement them.
REGISTER NOW
When is it? August 3, 11 AM PT/ 2 PM ET
What we’ll cover… A Reintroduction to YouTube: Winning attention in a Mobile, ‘skippable’ world
Watch it here »
When is it? August 10 11 AM PT/ 2 PM ET
What we’ll cover… YouTube: How to make your video creative unskippable
Watch it here »
When is it? August 17, 11 AM PT/ 2 PM ET
What we’ll cover… YouTube: Audience targeting that leverages all of Google
Watch it here »
When is it? August 24, 11 AM PT/ 2 PM ET
What we’ll cover… The New Adwords Experience: Best practices and implementation
Watch it here »
When is it? August 31, 11 AM PT/ 2 PM ET
What we’ll cover… The New Adwords Experience: Best practices and implementation
Watch it here »
We hope to see you there. Reserve your spot now!
Categories
Reputation Management Social Media Marketing

How these fake Facebook and LinkedIn profiles tricked people into friending state-backed hackers

ZDnet’s latest hacking story includes an cautionary tale for anyone in the business of social media marketing. For anyone who interacts daily with the big social media networks, security has to be top of mind.

Do read the whole story to understand how crucial it is that social media managers and engagement teams employ a system that protects important social media accounts for their customers. Here, using a password app like LastPass is invaluable for it’s convenience and security. Our own customers routinely get a friendly nudge to take security seriously.

However, the article here detailing this method of hacking would circumvent any password app:

“Cyberespionage activity apparently being conducted on behalf of the Iranian government is targeting organisations in the financial, oil, technology, and sectors, with advanced social engineering based around a single, prolific social media persona that’s absolutely fake. Its goal? To install Trojan malware onto the networks of target organisations.”

No security process is 100 percent safe, when human beings are involved. Be smart out there, and don’t open docs from people you have not vetted. This is another reality that we all have to live with now, in the digital age. Protecting your social media accounts is protecting your Reputation. Take it seriously, and avoid a lot of trouble.

Categories
Local Search

How To Watch What Google Is Doing

Google’s Local Search algorithm is an ever evolving, and sometimes cruel beast.   Google admittedly makes updates every day, but some updates have broader impact than others.  Just last June 25th, many Local Search observers were reporting flux in rankings.  To anyone monitoring these observers’ social feeds recently, it was another fascinating look at how an action by Google can reverberate out into the SEO social sphere.  But watching others talk about it on social media is not the same as getting hard data.  Some conclusions were that the recent update affected positions 5 thru 10.  Some said they only affected niches like Food and Beverage, Travel and Health and Fitness.  And those are good niches to monitor, no doubt.

There are many ways to observe Google’s algorithm changes.  One component in following Google is know where they test new changes first.  It’s my opinion that to get a good idea (bear in mind, one can NEVER have an exact approximation as Search is just too encompassing and complex), following the niches of Locksmiths and Plumbers is a terrific place to look.

These business models have low barrier of entry, depend greatly on the inbound phone call, and have a lot of Local Search professionals being compensated for improving visibility for these business owners.  That means you have a lot of cooks in that kitchen, doing lots of smart AND very dumb things.

Last October, in fact, Google first rolled out a new verification program for Google My Business to combat Maps listing spam and their first niche to target was Plumbers and Locksmiths.  These two niches are notorious for these kind of shenanigans, and Google’s choice of niches there speaks to the dynamic change and attention that is paid to those search results.

I would recommend any Local Search professional to pick a Plumber and Locksmith search profile in a very competitive market like Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco to keep an eye on how Local Search and the 3 pack evolves.     Reach out to me on Twitter at @JayTurnerSEO with your own thoughts… what niches do you follow intently to track what works and what doesn’t?  Am I off base here?

We all need to be careful on where we get our feedback.  And you can’t improve what you don’t measure.

 

Categories
Local Search Video Marketing

Video Marketing’s Decided Advantage With Local Search

The evidence keeps pouring in thru my research feeds, and my own experience… Video Marketing has a decided advantage when used for Local Search.  Local business owners have always had the pressures of squeezing as much value as they can when it comes to marketing their services.  One of the mediums that has been out of reach for most Main Street business marketing budgets is the TV commercial.  Why?

Because production costs have always put a quality video selling services has made it high risk.  Match that with the risky proposition of putting that video on Television.. and you have a Hail Mary, not a Sure Thing.  Television commercials have always had the disadvantage of gauging their effectiveness.

Enter the Digital age of Video Marketing.  Video no longer has to be streamed over the airwaves thru the limited channels of broadcast TV.  Yes, it’s funny to say that, as only 10 years ago the complaint on everyone’s mind was that Cable TV had too many channels.  The Internet age has changed it all.  Our choices are now even more complicated.

That’s where Local Search comes in to play…

With all these digital video channels available to them, people can now target with critical specificity, what kind of video they are looking for.

Does a resident in Austin TX have a question about urinary infection symptoms for her dog?  She no longer needs to wait til her Sunday evening show on PBS… she can find it right now.  And she would probably rather get the information right there from a local Expert Veterinarian.

Maybe a resident in Chicago needs a plumber for some drain cleaning, but wants to know more about what goes into that kind of project before calling a plumber.  He doesn’t have to wait for the next DIY show, he can find a video on it instantly.  For most people, where to look is the easy part, compared to this type of search before the search engines got so terrific at putting videos in their search results.

Search Engines Displaying Videos In Their Results Is A Major Advantage For Those Who Use Video

What better way for a local business do demonstrate their expertise than to answer their customers most often asked questions.

We all prefer to build relationships.  Long lasting relationships based on trust and experience, are a comfort to us.  The local business can build those relationships thru video, cheaper than ever because of these Mobile Devices we carry around (and the apps we use with them).   The markets are speaking, for we are seeing that handheld mobile video converts just as well as elite quality production value.  People prefer the personal touch.  They are inherently less likely to trust a big corporation like Walmart, Petsmart or K-Mart, and more likely to trust a video from a Local Business owner pointing out the latest consumer industry news.

This kind of consumer awareness content is easy to produce for the business owner.  Match that with a marketer who knows how to put that video in front of amenable digital audiences, and you have the recipe for growth, and predictable stability from a constant flow of customers.

Let’s sign off this article with one more advantage of using video for your Local Search marketing… your competitors are likely ignoring video altogether.

Video Drives More Organic From Search

Most local biz owners are too fearful of video, expecting TV commercial costs and vague results.  Many Main street businesses jumped on board with video a couple years ago, and have since abandoned it.  Unfortunately for them, video hadn’t yet matured, and been adopted by the populace.  In addition, the video marketing tools and channels were not as developed and tested as they are now.  The biz owner that jumps into the arena using video to sell their message today, engage with their market, have a much cheaper and effective route to profitable and predictable response.  All thanks to the world wide adoption of the mobile phone.  NOTE: Facebook Live and Youtube are not in an intense battle for video viewers because it’s a dead end.

To get started using the advantage of Video for your Local Search marketing, click the Talk To An Advisor button

 

 

Categories
Local Search

Small Business Marketing Just For Austin Tx That’s Groovy, Lucrative, And Fun!

Attention Austin TX Small Business Owners…
NOTE: You will only see this invitation once!
Want A Reliable And Predictable Flow Of
Qualified Potential Customers Seeing
Your Very Best Offer?

Local Business Owners in Austin Tx, all over the U.S. actually, have been blindsided by the dramatic and pervasive Technical changes over the last 5 years. The know-it-all economists for Fortune 500 companies like to call this technological change ‘disruption’. You’ve seen this in your market, probably found yourself asking ” oh no, what’s next”? All this change has proven that dismissing technical innovation is COSTLY! You may even have a competitor who is ‘crushing it’, and have no idea how.

Don’t beat yourself up! That is the norm in nearly every Local Business on Main Street today. The tried and true adage of “Location! Location! Location!’ has been turned on it’s head. For example, we routinely hear from Local Business owners who are now confronted with a new challenge: competing with entities that don;t even have a physical presence in in their locale.

All this makes the way forward very clear… compete on the
Technical Edge, or go out of business.
So now for the good news…

Some enterprising marketing minds have been examining your situation. All this complexity has been broken down into 3 steps, proven by a combined 15 years of exhaustive examination of the winners vs losers. What does that mean to you? A reliable, predictable and profitable stream of customers. The 3 factors that can turn it around for you are…

Discover your customer – One reason the Technical changes have given a tremendous edge to your savvy competitor is that most local business owners have a blind spot about their ideal customer. For example, ask yourself… Does your ideal customer prefer high quality to convenience? Does that customer ask the question in their mind that you are answering? Does your ideal customer do their searching EXCLUSIVELY from a mobile device? Does your customer want to buy even more goods and services that you are uniquely suited to creating beneficial commerce with? If the potential customer needs to find you, can they do so in under 16 seconds? (That’s the average, and failing that number is bad news!)

Design Tools To Find Your Customers – The obvious tool here is your website. It’s often the first impression your business makes. It is the KEY tool in your system to scooping up those new customers who should be walking through your doors and calling your number. Most Local Business owners never progress past getting their website tightened up to be a plus, and not a net minus. It’s one of the most expensive mistakes made. Still more THINK they’re sites are giving them an edge. We find that’s rarely the case, however, because usually Factor #1 was ignored

Dominate your market – After nailing down Factors 1 and 2 for your business, a technical edge or several are ready to roll. Your advantage may even seem unfair. The name of the game now is the two headed monster of maintaining this advantage and preparing for the next ‘disruption’.

There is a sizable amount of ‘working smart’ involved in getting those 3 steps implemented and constant for your local business. Here is more good news…

“Small Hinges Open Big Doors”
This your first step to get started, and it’s easy. These technical edges are like small hinges that open up big opportunities for growth in a business. That first hinge is to >>click here<< .