OneShift – 3 Cool Tips on How to Make a Video Viral

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Video has always been an effective medium, however how has the change to online impacted the creative and script choices that are made by video production and creative companies?

We’ll talk about YouTube since it’s the biggest online video hosting company in the world. As far as advertising goes we’ll talk about pre-roll ads, which are ads that play before your cat video is about to start. Unlike television, with online video you don’t have the benefit of someone watching your ad for even 30 seconds – unlike traditional television which will play your video ad in its entirety, YouTube will only play the first 5 seconds of the ad, and after this the user has the option to skip it (and I’m guessing over 95% do).

There was a video that played recently however… that I didn’t skip. That I watched until the end, and it intrigued me – what was it about this video that made me watch it. Below is the video for you to check out:

This video is exactly what is needed for a pre-roll ad. Here’s why:

Unexpected & Random – the video begins in a boring fashion. An executive is talking about some boring company… straight away your eyes begin to glaze and you place your mouse over the ‘Skip Ad’ button. Then… a ninja jumps out of nowhere and chloroforms this poor little executive lady to sleep. Ok… you have my attention! The whole video is actually unexpected and random. Like when it zooms out to show a woman is working at her desk and making a vase with her feet at the same time. These moments come up again and again, never letting up, catering to the short attention span of 99% of YouTube users (including myself).

Violence – what gets a person’s attention faster than violence? If you were the typical ‘corporate’ company you would think using ‘violence’ in your video PURELY for purposes of entertainment would be ‘simply wrong’. However a company such as the Rail Safety Board in Brisbane used violence (dying on platform tracks) as a purely comedic device. The point is that if you use violence in a funny way you immediately gain attention (a valuable commodity online) and create a conversation. In this particular video a person is not only chluroformed but another is killed with a ninja star. It’s the last thing you would think would be in an HR recruitment company but it gets attention!

Understand the Medium – if you go to the OneShift website you’ll notice that they have a video on there… but it’s totally different from the one on YouTube! Why? Because the producers of the content quite intelligently understood the medium. When showcasing your video on YouTube the most important thing is gaining attention, remember you are basically competing with millions of videos, not to mention full length films. Why should someone watch your video? However once someone lands on your website they all ready have at least some interest in what it is you do and your services, so you don’t need to be as outrageous to capture attention, now you can be more relaxed and explain exactly what you do.

Risk – there are risks taken in the One Shift video from a creative direction… and here’s what I’ve realized, while the video is not THAT funny… it’s interesting. It kept me entertained and for that I actually became interested in checking out their website. Think about this… if you make a commercial that ATTEMPTS to be funny while getting the message across but it doesn’t achieve the ‘funny’ goal is that a big deal? Are you going to be dropped from your prime time slot? No, it’s a commercial, you’re not making a TV series. I can guarantee your commercial will be more interesting than 95% of the generic stuff out there.

Remember, anyone can make a non memorable ad. It’s easy to stay safe, it’s harder to go outside the comfort zone and when you do people take notice and you get the attention and respect you deserve.

What do you think? Do you find this ad funny or way too crazy?

Crucial Conversations and the Decline of the Publishing Industry

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It’s a brave new world. The book industry, as we know it – the paperback is dying a slow, agonizing but almost certain death. It seems the only book shop still in operation is the Dymocks in Sydney. When it comes to book publishing, I am sure many authors are still doing things the old way – generating revenues from book sales and it is without a doubt that these writers are seeing their cheques slowly but surely evaporating.

However this blog post is not all doom and gloom, instead I wanted to showcase an author that is doing things right – because let’s face it people still love to read so the demand is still out there – it’s monetizing that demand in the age of digital piracy that is the hard part.

The author(s) that I am referring to is for a book is called Crucial Conversations. The book has sold a million copies and has surely netted the author a considerable chunk of coin… but it’s how the author has turned the book into a physical selling piece for his consulting company VitalSmarts software that’s the real achievement in my book.

Here’s the book cover, in case you see it in the book store it’s a good buy if you find yourself having unproductive/awkward conversations to the people that are important in your life.

You see, once every 10 pagess or so of the book, the author asks the reader to flip to their website. The author’s intent is to get the reader to sign up for the author’s weekly e-newsletter. The author even tracks which page number led you to sign up for the email newsletter! Check out an example of a URL below that was generated when I clicked through to the sign up page (notice the page number):

Screenshot of link from Crucial Conversations ebook (yes you can place links in eBooks and it is very useful!)

http://forms.vitalsmarts.com/?elqPURLPage=133

Considering the book sold around 2 million copies, you can imagine the amount of traffic it generated over to the website and the amount of inquiries it got.

The whole book, while extremely valuable, is just one big lead generation device. But why would someone give over not just their name, but their company, position and a bunch of other important details? Well the exchange in this case happens to be a video.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a2ufunlnmamcpkd/landing_page.png?m

This is the landing page where you come to when you click the link on the eBook. There’s a definately a whole lot of value for someone not to give their details.

You see for every lesson in the book they link to (a very high quality I must say) video lesson. Who wouldn’t want to get the benefits of audio visual on top of their regular reading? Here’s one example of a video from their vault:

The book is very good (and I recommend it if you get the chance to pick it up) and the authors have monetized themselves well in an industry that is dying.

In the past authors didn’t have to grapple with the issue of digital piracy but they also didn’t have the ability to sign up and become potential clients from one click. Most people these days are writing books as a way to boost their main business practice and establish credibility – rather than as an income tool (not many authors are making good money from book sales I would say).

I guess it’s just one of those paradigm shifts for authors and the lesson from this is – video is a great lead generation device.

To use our expertise and use video for lead generation feel free to pick up the phone (or more likely the mobile) and call 1300 TEN 700 and we’ll see how we can apply these principles to your business.

Why being hated is good business for Anthony Mundine

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After following the recent news regarding Mundine’s fight leading up to and after his defeat I’ve realized that Anthony Mundine is either very smart or very, very dumb. Let me explain.

Even the most casual boxing fans will know that there is another boxer with a big mouth that says things that tends to get on people’s skins and piss people off. This boxer is hated by a large part of the country with his controversial opinions… and he is the same race as a disadvantaged minority. The boxer that I’m referring to is Floyd Mayweather. One other thing that Floyd Mayweather is known for, besides his big mouth is the fact that he was the highest paid sports person of 2012 (and yes, that includes Tiger Woods).

Mundine showing what it’s all about

Athletes like Floyd Mayweather and Anthony Mundine choose to hold (and express) opinions that simply piss people off and make them unpopular which means that they forego the big bucks that come from sponsorship deals. Nike, for example, would never sponsor Anthony Mundine or Floyd Mayweather because it stands for something, such as sportsmanship. And blowing bubble gum in people’s face during weigh-ins I’m guessing is not an example of the sportsmanship that Nike stands for.

Floyd has a bit more money then Mundine though

However while Anthony Mundine and Floyd Mayweather lack income coming from sponsorship deals, they make it up in the PPV (pay per view) numbers from people who pay to see them get knocked out.

So is this an effective strategy?

Well let’s look at the facts, in the year 2012 Floyd Mayweather only had 2 fights – one against Victor Ortiz and one against Miguel Cotto in order to make up his $85 million income. That’s it. So not counting training we’re talking about less than 1 hour in the ring. Which at $85 million divided by 60 minutes comes at a total of over $1.4 million a minute.

He earns more than I do.

The second highest paid boxer earned $36 million and had 3 fights. Even with all his endorsements he is not earning even half of what Mayweather is pulling in.

[Manny Pacquuiao has a clean image and major endorsement deals backing up his 2012 $36 million income

Anthony Mundine is basically the Australian version of Floyd Mayweather.

People that are on Anthony Mundine’s Facebook page hating on him and really anyone that expresses a negative opinion are just doing what he wants. Let’s be honest, how many people would care about a Geale fight if it wasn’t for Mundine and their need to see him knocked out?

how not to make friends and influence people

So now that we know that being hated is good for business when it comes to boxing, are you really surprised that Mundine made the statement about Advance Australia Fair leading up to the fight? Do you really think Mundine cared that his opponent is not a full Aboriginal and that he’s dating a white woman? Is it a coincidence Mundine is running his mouth leading up to the fight? Mundine is a great marketer, and he knows exactly what to say to pick the sensitive bone of Australians and get them riled up. As this post that has over 100 comments on news.com.au can attest.

Or maybe he’s just dumb.

Video Blocks – Respect

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If you want to know how to optimize your business to receive business online it makes sense to look at companies that are successfuly doing this all ready, and what better companies to emulate than online only companies?

I mean, these companies rely 100% on the sales they receive online.

If 100% of your income was tied to one source, you better make sure you do that thing right and do it well.

Not to mention when you’re a business selling digital goods like Video Blocks. You see, selling an intangible product (such as an eBook for example) is great because you can deliver anywhere in the world instantly and there’s very little overhead (as you’re dealing in 0’s and 1’). However you’re competing with everyone else in the world.

With everyone talking about Instagram, Twitter, Facebook etc. I thought it would be ideal to illustrate a company that is doing well that’s a bit closer to home – one that is in my industry – video production. The company is called Video Blocks and they sell stock videos.

Stock videos, for those that have not heard of the term, is basically a video you can get off the rack to put in your video when you don’t have the time or resources to shoot it yourself – let’s say I’m making a documentary about New York, I want to have an overhead shot of the Empire State Building. I can either hire a helicopter to film this for me, or I can find some footage that has all ready been filmed and buy the rights to that, saving a few thousand dollars in the proccess and allowing me to dedicate those resources into my documentary.

Stock video can be purchased online and there is a lot of competition as far as providers go, just to mentiona few – you have Video Hive, Shutterstock, xStockVideo… the list goes and. In amidst all this competition, Video Blocks has carved out a niche for itself and you’re probably wondering how it does that. Well, my friend read on.

The five factors that I want to talk about today that have lead to Video Block’s success as one of the fastest growing online media companies in the world is – an irresistable offer, 3rd party endorsements, big numbers, engagement and cross selling.

Irresistable Offer
What’s interesting is that the landing page for Video Block’s AdWords campaign is different from their standard home page, which is an important point to keep in mind (which I won’t get into here). Anyway here’s the screenshot below.

Landing page from AdWords

Notice the irresistable offer – 7 Days of Free Downloads. Basically they’re letting you use a service that is usually $50 or more a month for FREE for 7 days. Now if you were locking for stock videos and you came across this offer would there be any reason that you wouldn’t sign up?

Of course there is the little caveat that they require your credit card details and it will be automatically charged if you don’t cancel within those 7 days but you’ll remember. I can guarantee many people who thought they would cancel after 7 days ended up becoming members.

I wouldn’t at all be surprised if they haven’t tested the hell out of this page, as it’s the one where most people would end up leaving. There’s so much great elements in this and it can really be used as a template if you’re looking to ask your users for credit card details but I won’t get into it now.

3rd party endorsements
TechCrunch is a trusted and well known unbiased source of technology news, they have given Video Blocks a thumbs up. So what do you do when the biggest tech blog gives your company a glowing review? You put it front and center on your landing page.
[image] Trust from TechCrunch is now transferred over to you. Anyone can say anything they want on the internet so it comes down to trusted publications to sort the straight up truth from the ‘half-truths’ and outright lies (which always makes for a great expose!). Because of this 3rd party endorsements are SO important, and much more so on the internet than in real life.

Also Video Blocks was voted as the #4 Fastest Growing Media Company and it proudly displays the badge.

What’s that you say?

You haven’t been featured in TechCrunch or A Current Affair? Well do you have any satisfied clients (if you’ve been in a business for a while that’s a real worry – unless you’re the government in which case you’re fine.) Why not ask your clients to give you a positive shout out – simply fire off an email with a pre made testimonial for them to approve – or tell them they can write their own. These testimonials are worth their weight in gold which is why I always ask for one once I’ve finished working with a client.

Big Numbers
One of my favorite rappers, Jay-Z said upon accepting an award “Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t.” While people have speculated who the comment was aimed at the general premise is true. If your business does the most sales in your area make sure to state that.

And if you have an exact figure put that down. Video Blocks states the following statistics:

7,476,649 Clips Downloaded To Date

25,693 Clips Downloaded Last 24 hours

If over 25,000 clips have been downloaded by clients in the last 24 hrs then someone else must be using the service, in fact many people… and can that many people be wrong?

Engagement
The reality is not everyone is going to buy/register with you as soon as they come to your site. So if you have a way to engage them and build a relationship in the meantime you should do that. Keep in mind though that this is a secondary option, as what you really want is for someone to take an action as soon as they come to your website, however failing that…

Scroll down and you’ll see Video Blocks offers for you to browse their library and see what they have in going for them. You need to scroll down to view it but it’s there. In businesses this is usually a blog or some other free content/checklist that people can view when they visit the website.

Cross Selling

You’ve made the sale or gotten an enquiry! Great! Your website has done its job. So what now? You have a hot prospect sitting there looking at a ‘Thank You For Registering with Us’ page. Why not take advantage of this time?

When I used to work for a television sales company this was one of the biggest earners. In fact the company made most of its money through cross sales. When someone would call to get a certain product they saw on TV, we would offer to send them another product worth either the same or 50% of the price on a free trial – they could return it within 30 days to get a full refund and shipping is free. But let’s be honest who’s going to return a vacuum cleaner (or any other product) once it’s shipped? Bingo – that’s 2 sales made for the price of one.

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Make sure to study what online companies are doing and use it to your advantage on your website.

Make sure you have an irresistable offer. Any business can take advantage of this. Most service based businesses (like lawyers or construction companies) have a free consultation. But you can get creative – if we can’t find a way to save you $1,000 on your next tax bill we’ll give you $100. You get the idea. Get press clipppings (or failing that) testimonials and keep them in your marketing war chest.

Make sure to use them in every place you can to communicate trust to the prospective client. Think big numbers. Let’s take the lawyer example – if you have over 200 successful cases, bring that up. If you have over 1000, 10 000 or 100 000 clients and that’s a big deal in your industry mention that.

Engage your audience – what are prospective customers looking for? Give it to them on your website so even if they don’t pick up the phone to call you (or email you) they’ll be on YOUR website doing research. The longer you keep the customer’s eye ball the more your chances of securing that client.

Finally find ways to cross sell. Even if it’s not your own product. You can do this offline but if you can automate it online that’s just as good. I started Head Studios as a video production company and have sucessfully cross sold many products to the point that non video projects make up more of my income than video projects. I don’t know if that’s normal or not but that doesn’t matter – what’s important is that is a big source of potential revenue, not to mention it makes people’s lives much easier not having to deal with 10 companies.

Hope this gave you some ideas and fired off some neurons in your brain. To speak to me for a free one-on-one consultation where I can show you opportunities to increase your bottom line fill out the form below.

P.S. Just got an email follow up from these guys exactly a day after I registered with the subject line ‘TODAY ONLY: 6 Months of Unlimited Downloads – Just $89′. Great work on the subject line, even though the offer is mailed out exactly 24 hours after someone registers.