The blog I posted yesterday got a high response.
(If you missed it, you can check it out here: How to Boost Sales with YouTube Videos)
I just want to quickly clarify a few things about YouTube videos…because people often like to over-complicate things, or make things harder than they need to be.
First off, you don’t need any fancy editing or professional photographers to make YouTube videos that generate sales.
You can shoot a simple 2-minute video on your iPhone with zero editing, upload it, and get sales from it that same day.
This is not an exaggeration. This is based on my years of working with clients, and seeing their imperfect and unedited videos leading to massive sales – once they were optimized.
(Usually the MORE editing that’s done to a video, the less sales it generates…especially home-based, family-oriented business owners selling physical products. I think this has to do with the “reality” of an edited video not being congruent with the “messiness” of their real home life!…as anyone with families will know!)
Bottom line: A video doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to be uploaded and optimized.
It doesn’t need to get a million “likes.”
Hell, it can get a million DIS-likes and still get sales. (And actually, I recommend turning off the like/dislike feature as a way to prevent people from using your YouTube channel as their own personal diary.)
With video, you DON’T need fancy editing, perfect lighting, props, or any of that stuff…especially if you’re currently struggling with online sales.
All the marketing gurus will try to con you into investing thousands of dollars into fancy stuff when you don’t actually need it. Not yet anyway.
You can do all of that stuff LATER, if you want, after you’ve built up a considerable amount of success and have money to burn.
But for right now, those things are totally unnecessary and even harmful for generating sales…because they rob you of the simplicity of what should be a very simple, easy process.
Start with where you are.
All you need is a 2-minute imperfect video of yourself talking…or maybe a 5-minute video if you want to be extravagant.
Shorter videos convert better. Don’t go over 5 minutes.
If you’re reading this, I challenge you to record a short video and upload it today.
In fact, here’s a short script you can use…
“This is XXX from XXX. I’m making this video today because I want to talk to you about [1 problem people are struggling with, that you have the solution to]. Honestly, I didn’t want to shoot this video because [list your excuse/reason here]…but this topic is too important not to talk about. So let’s just dive in…I don’t have a lot of time, so I’ll make this fast…here we go…”
Then get into the meat of your content. Focus on one point only. One main point you want to hammer home.
Close with “If you want more tips like this, go to [your website]. Bye.”
Upload the video to YouTube. Optimize it. Add relevant keywords. Create an enticing, keyword-rich title. Then add a Call to Action that says “Buy [your product]” in the last 20-30 seconds of your video (see example here). Include a direct link to your product.
Viewers should be able to click on the YouTube video and go directly to your online checkout screen, with your product added to their shopping cart and ready to go.
Seriously, this is not rocket science. A seven-year-old could do this. Imperfection wouldn’t stop them, either!
If you don’t know how to optimize your video or don’t have time to do it yourself, send it to me and I’ll do it for you for a small fee.
Simple!
Michelle Lopez
Anti-Marketing Tips to Increase Sales
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 