Video + Blogging = Hottest trend in blogging
Blogging is the hottest communication medium around… and when you add VIDEO to your blog, well it’s like adding a spark to rocket fuel.
The blog Average Joe Blogger offers some great tips for creating compelling video for your blog.
Testimonials + Video = Real Power!
Testimonials have always been a powerful marketing tool. In my book Beyond the Niche I outline a few tactics small business owners can use to gather testimonials from their customers.
Ken McCarthy says:
When we, the advertisers, say something, or even relate a customer comment second hand in the form of a “testimonial,” our much-abused and rightfully skeptical prospects take it with a grain of salt.
On the other hand, when a real person says it, credibility skyrockets.
THe power of the testimonials lies in its ability to build TRUST with the unknown potential client or customer. A testimonials provides PROOF that the provider of the product or service really can do what he/she says s/he can do!
Of course, the reason VIDEO makes the customer testimonial so much more powerful is that it is harder to “fake” than a written testimonial. And that’s the driving force behind Expo.com. According to Ken:
In the online video arena, one company is making business of video customer reviews: ExpoTV.com. These guys are harnessing the two biggest forces on the Internet today: consumer-generated content and video. Currently, the site has over 50,000 product reviews, all provided by consumers who shoot, edit and upload their own videos. ExpoTV then turns around and syndicates this content to sites like Smarter.com, Buy.com, AOL and Yahoo.
Of course, you don’t have to be Buy.com to get video testimonials on your web site. Simeon Pollock is an acupuncturist whose Wholistic Blog features video testimonials Simeon has shot of his own satisfied customers.
Take a look and see if you don’t agree that video testimonials are MUCH more powerful than written ones.
Why your videos should be on You Tube
Andy Beard writes an incredibly popular blog on Niche Marketing. Andy has over 1400 feed subscribers so when he takes notice of a new product or service, well… people listen.
The other day, Andy was writing about 2 Surfer Dudes who know a thing about video.
Notice how Andy can easily share the videos that inspired him by merely picking up a bit of code from You Tube and adding it to his blog. VIOLA! Now the 1400+ subscribers to Andy’s blog can see the 2 Surfer Dudes videos as well.
Sure there are other ways to include video clips in your blog, but none that offer the “portability” of You Tube.
Video is a powerful tool, but even more powerful are videos that are completely portable. Being able to grab a line of code from You Tube so anyone can share the video via their blog is the biggest reason why your marketing videos should be on You Tube.
See, even though the video is playing on Andy’s blog, by clicking the “menu” button on the video, I can copy the URL… the YOU TUBE URL so I can see other videos uploaded by the surfer dudes to their You Tube Account.
I call this principle “bread crumb trail marketing.” You don’t expect a LOT of people to go to all that time and trouble, but the few that do and find their way to you are likely to be HOT prospects for your products or services. If you’re lucky, a big time blogger like Andy Beard will help distribute your bread crumbs which will lead a LOT more hot prospects to your business!
-
Get your copy of
Keys to Small Business Marketing Success
Online and Off line.
When you sign up for
Keys to Website Success