jiveSYSTEMS Blog » Video Marketing

How to Create Systems that Run Your Business For You

Flywheel — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:59:57 +0000

In this blog post, I am going to explain the way I create systems to manage our business. To keep things short and sweet, I am not going to go into a lot of detail. If you’d like more information, leave a question in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
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Let’s get started…

Define the outcome

Business is about producing an outcome, and doing it consistently. When creating a system, I start by defining the outcome I am looking to produce.

Invest the capital

To reap, you must sow. Based on the defined outcome, I decide how much capital (financial, social, and human) I am willing to invest to produce it.

Design the system

You can create more than one system that will produce the desired outcome. I always implement multiple systems because just like a show in the theater, a business must go on.

Monitor the performance

A system is made up of steps, each one of those steps has an impact of the outcome. I design performance metrics that monitor the performance of a step that affects the outcome.

Build the levels

Administrative tasks
Management duties
Executive report

My focus is to have as many of the tasks needed to sustain and grow my business reside at the administrative level. Profits are amplified geometrically by automating administrative tasks and management duties.

Automated & Manual Tasks

When creating automated tasks, my goal is to have the code or system execute them in real-time.

When creating manual tasks, my goal is the opposite: group the tasks into buckets, let them build up, and then assign them to be completed at a predetermined interval.

Interactions

Other items that I address are:

if the data is compromised
how the system affects and interacts with others already set up

.This is the process I use to map, implement, and maintain my business.

Discover Everything You Need to Know to Make Killer Videos with a Flip Style Camcorder… In Under One Hour!

Flywheel — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:47:25 +0000

Using a flip style camcorder is easy – point and hit the big red button. Then when you review your footage, the video is shaky, the light is all wrong, and the audio quality sucks. Does this sound familiar to you?

Let the journey down the rabbit hole that is web video production begin…

Wasted Time and Lots of Frustration

I have lost countless hours of work spent Googling and being frustrated with these problems. Producing web video is the combination of several skill sets: pre-production, production (including acting), post-production (aka editing), and publishing. A weakness in any one area is very apparent in the final product you deliver to your viewers. It is a tough problem to swallow, especially if you bought a flip style camcorder under the expectation it would be quick and easy.

The Cost of Not Knowing

Truth is, you cannot afford not to be using web video to promote your business. Plus, unless you have bottomless pockets or ridiculous profit margins, it will be cost prohibitive to hire a professional videographer. In case you haven’t checked into the costs, you are looking at upwards of $1,500 to hire a professional to produce a simple 3 minute video for you (a video in which you are the talent), and significantly more if you want to hire an actor.

Doing it Yourself

I love the DIY approach, but it’s easy to make it harder than it needs to be. I found myself doing things the hard way until I found Dave Kaminski (WebVideoUniversity). After a quick chat with Dave, we gave each other complimentary accounts to our respective services and became cross-promotional partners shortly thereafter.

The Difference Between jiveSYSTEMS and WebVideoUniversity

I have been a member of WebVideoUniversity for several months now. By studying Dave’s tutorials, I have learned how to film and edit video for the web. If you are familiar with jiveSYSTEMS, you may be asking, What is the difference between WebVideoUniversity and jiveSYSTEMS?

Our service is geared toward recording and sending video quickly, record and send simplicity, mainly geared toward webcam users.
WebVideoUniversity is for businesses that want to produce video for the web using a flip style camera or higher, and want to edit their video to have graphics and transitions.

For example, when I am sending a communication to an individual or group, I will use jiveSYSTEMS because I can record and send the video quickly. Whereas, when I want to produce a video for a high traffic landing page or blog post, I use my camcorder, lights, and editing software (which WebVideoUniversity taught me how to use).

Within 30mins of joining WebVideoUniversity, I could edit and render my videos to a web-ready format, a skill I wasn’t able to master after many days Googling. It’s in the way Dave breaks things down that makes his tutorials and coaching so special. He gives you just the right amount of information in an easy to understand and apply format. As a member of his coaching group, you get email access to Dave.

I email Dave regularly to troubleshoot questions like:

Does a matrox card accelerate encoding in Sony Vegas?
How do I attach a shotgun microphone and light to my camcorder?

Despite trying, I have yet to stump him. Dave has also provided guidance that has helped us improve the encoding engines for our video email and web video marketing software. He’s the real deal!

His coaching program is not for everyone:

it’s $100 per month to join
not everyone has a need to go that far down the rabbit hole

Because of this, Dave has created an inexpensive mini-course which is a one-time payment of $49: Everything You Need to Know to Shoot Killer Video With a Flip Style Camera… In Under One Hour!

[webinar] Concept to Profit 4.0 – Learn How to Produce and Distribute Video Content Online

Flywheel — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:45:14 +0000

Watch the video presentation below to learn how to produce and distribute video content online. We would like to thank Tim Wackel (The Sales Expert) for his webinar on how to enhance the new Concept to Profit 4.0 presentation.

On this presentation you will learn:

Stats & facts about video email and web video marketing
Equipment needed to produce web video
6 Best ways to leverage video email and web video
Top 4 challenges of running a small business and how web video solves those challenges
Video sharing sites versus paid web video services

Find out more, watch the 31:05min video below:

Side note: Just as we did with version 3.0, we recorded this presentation in Camtasia using a MXL .007 condenser mic. We feel that when you record a live presentation within web conferencing services, the resulting file is too large and the audio quality is compromised. In addition, the original live presentation was 60 minutes – quite long for an on-demand presentation. Lastly, we shrunk the presentation on our display prior to recording it, and then sized the recording window to match our blog’s width. This not only reduces the file’s size making it load faster, it also keeps the image crystal clear as it does not go through any resizing when exporting the final flash file.

Thank you for taking the time to watch our presentation. Please leave comments, feedback, and any questions you have below.

[webinar] Concept to Profit 3.0 – Learn How to Produce and Distribute Video Content Online

Flywheel — Fri, 14 May 2010 19:18:44 +0000

**We have a new version of our Concept to Profit webinar, let’s go learn>>

Watch the video presentation below to learn how to produce and distribute video content online. A big THANK YOU goes out to Mike Brooks (Mr. Inside Sales) for his suggestions and guidance in creating Concept to Profit 3.0.

On this presentation you will learn:

Top 4 Challenges of Running a Small Business and How Web Video Solves those Challenges
Stats & Facts About Video Email and Web Video Marketing
Equipment Needed to Produce Web Video
Video Sharing Sites versus Paid Web Video Services
6 Best Ways to Leverage Video Email and Web Video

Find out more, watch the 29:39min video below:

Side note: We recorded the presentation in Camtasia using a MXL .007 condenser mic. We feel that when you record a live presentation within web conferencing services, the file is too large and the audio quality is compromised. In addition, our live presentation is 60 minutes – quite long for an on-demand presentation. Lastly, we shrink the presentation prior to recording it, and then size the recording window accordingly. This not only reduces the file’s size making it load faster, it also keeps the image crystal clear as it does not go through any resizing when exporting the final flash file.

Thank you for taking the time to watch our presentation. Please leave comments, feedback, and any questions you have below.

3 Building Blocks of Success with Video

Flywheel — Tue, 11 May 2010 11:53:25 +0000

For the past few months, I have been conducting some research to uncover why people sign-up for jiveSYSTEMS, and then leave. I feel this information is just as useful as knowing how the top 20% of our members are using the system.

I expected that people would be complaining about the overall usability of our software, and I was pleasantly surprised at how few people actually complain about it (we are talking less than 1%). I was shocked when I uncovered the really reasons people were canceling their membership. A resounding number of people said they simple don’t have enough time, which is a load of cobblers. Recording just one evergreen reusable video to follow-up a first phone call with a new prospect saves you time and shortens the sale cycle (saving you even more time in follow-up).

Baffled by the excuse people are using to leave our service, I rolled up my sleeves and delved deeper looking for anything that could link them together, or that differentiated them from our Top 20%. And then it struck me like a light bulb going off in my head – the answer which has been in front of my eyes since day one: our successful members (seen in our success stories) have a suitable location to film, they are/feel camera ready (appropriate attire, hair, etc.), and don’t have camera anxiety. The people that are having the most success with our system can fire up our software and hit record and then send anytime they want. On the flip side, pretty much all of the people that cancel there membership rarely have: a suitable location to film, feel they are camera ready at a moments notice, or would say they feel comfortable in front of a camera.

If you are thinking about or currently using web video to promote your business, a surefire way to increase the probability that you will be successful is to ensure you have the 3 Building Blocks of Success:

Dedicated Location to Record

I use a laptop on my kitchen table the majority of the time. Behind where I sit is my big whiteboard. My webcam sits on top of our monitor. All I have to do to send someone a video email is fire up the jiveSYSTEMS video email software and then hit record. The background of my video is always professional (view of my big whiteboard). I am not saying you have to build a studio, you just need a location that is suitable for filming behind your where your compute resides. If I didn’t have a whiteboard I would buy one of those privacy screens, the ones you always see James Bond’s new squeeze changing behind in the movies just before they have an in-depth conversation about the birds and the bees.

Being Camera Ready (Attire, Hair, etc.)

Even though I am an underpants entrepeneur, which means I rarely have to go into the office, I feel camera ready most of the time. I bought 12 black t-shirts that are all exactly the same, so I always have a clean one ready to wear. The standard viewing area for a webcam on top of computer is chest up and a black t-shirt is suitable for almost every occasion. The goal is to be able to switch on your webcam with the least preparation possible when you are working.

Free From Camera Anxiety

For some this comes easily, for others it takes a little time. However, as with anything new, being comfortable on camera is a skill and it can be learned. If you do get anxiety before filming, take comfort in the fact that if you make a mistake on camera, you can always do another take. It took me a couple of months to be really comfortable on camera and feel that I was communicating my message clearly and concisely. In hindsight, I realize I could adjusted much quicker, if I had sent more videos. If you are new to video, I recommend that you create a list of family, friends, and your best clients, send them videos regulary and ask for feedback. People love to help people, over the course of this learning process you will become closer to you family, friends, and best clients. If you would like more information about overcoming camera anxiety, you should check out the blog post I made earlier this year, How to Beat Your Inner Critique.

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I hope you found this post useful. If you have any questions, comment, or suggestion please leave them below.

8 Steps to Communicating Effectively on Video Camera

Flywheel — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:01:54 +0000

Earlier in the year, I was chatting with Thom McFadden, a Hollywood actor and professional acting coach. The premise for our conversation: making the knowledge of the Hollywood stars accessible to small businesses. Thom has acted alongside Bruce Willis, Sean Penn, Tim Matheson, and many more high profile celebrities. He has been coaching successful actors and professionals since the mid 80′s!

Just after connecting with Thom back in March, I got pulled away from work for a month due to a personal matter. Shortly after, I took a month off to drive around the United States to gather my thoughts. Upon returning, nearly my entire focus was on building a team and our internal company structure. This is because we (jiveSYSTEMS) grew very quickly. Now the heavy lifting has been done, I have the time to rekindle relationships with some amazing people like Thom.

Here are some notes Thom sent to me about his methodology for teaching people to communicate effectively on video camera:

1. The foundation for effective communication

It’s all about trust and rapport. You must understand who your audience is, listen to their needs, find out what causes their pain so that you can provide them with a solution. The basis for empowering behavior is clear and effective communication.

2. How to create instant rapport

Rapport = an unconscious agreement.

The principal is to enter the client’s model of the world so completely that they connect with your likeness to them. If the client trusts you, 90% of goal has been achieved.

3. BOP – be Balanced: be Observant; be Present

The essence of excellence. A universal state of focused neutrality that gives you a heighted level of performance. BOP is the ultimate state of readiness; the solid foundation for greatness.

4. How to make your character and videos exciting, unique, and interesting

Entertain the audience with your story about why you are passionate about your product or service. Identify the rhythm of your video personality, whether it be flying, flowing or molding. Create a state of excitement about the results that you can provide. It’s all about Personality, Personality, Personality!

5. Three main personality types: Passion, Humor, and Charisma

To create an effective personality for video you must understand how to tap into these characters within you and reveal them to your audience through externally based behavior and body language.

6. Understanding body language and its affect on your audience

As little as half a second of movement can reveal a person’s true feelings.

60% to 80% of messages that we convey to other people are transmitted through body language, whereas actual verbal communication accounts for only 7% to 10% of the overall message. Your audience passes judgment before you even open your mouth.

7. You need to know the differences between face-to-face communication and video

All of your ticks and tells are magnified on camera so you must remained focused. Your energy is being redirected, filtered, flattened out and jammed into a digital image so you must achieve and maintain a high level of energy to communicate effectively on video.

8. Bringing it all together on camera

Practice, Practice, Practice! There are no mistakes only feedback. The more you rehearse, the more congruent you will feel in your video.

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Sounds like a plan, right? More content like this is on the way!

Overcoming Camera Anxiety: How to Beat Your Inner Critic

Flywheel — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:24:35 +0000

Even the most seasoned web video professionals can feel anxious when preparing to shoot a video. But it’s okay to be camera shy, as actor Thom McFadden tells us in the 5 minute video regarding camera anxiety below.

Thom McFadden Anxiety

Thom brought up some great points:

It’s not like we’re being asked to be on live TV
Shooting video is like writing a draft, if you make a mistake you can always do another take
Web video doesn’t need to be held to the same standards as TV. People relate better to a normal person on the screen
Make friends with the video camera and look directly into it as if it were a person
Loosen up before recording videos, release tension, and boost your energy
The more you practice, the better you become
Remember, there are no mistakes [only additional takes]

8 Steps to Communicating Effectively on Video Camera

[webinar] Concept to Profit 2.5 – Learn How to Produce and Distribute Video Content Online

Flywheel — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:27:34 +0000

We have a new version of our Concept to Profit webinar, let’s go learn>>

Learn how to produce and distribute video content online. A big THANK YOU goes out to Jim Cecil of the Nurture Marketing Institute for his suggestions and guidance in creating this version. We did version 2.0 live last Thursday. Jim kindly sent us some feedback on a couple of areas we could adjust the message, hence version 2.5 being published to the blog.

Side note: We recorded the presentation in Camtasia using the Logitech 9000 webcam’s built-in microphone. We feel that when you record a live presentation within web conferencing services, the file is too large and the audio quality is compromised. In addition, our live presentation is 60 minutes which is very long for an on-demand presentation. Lastly, we shrink the presentation prior to recording it, and then size the recording window accordingly. This not only reduces the files size of the recording, making it load faster, it keeps the image crystal clear as it does not go through any resizing when exporting the final flash file.

On this presentation you will learn:

How and why you need to put the human element back into your marketing
The facts and statistics of web video viewership
The equipment you need to produce quality videos which costs less than $100
Best practices for leveraging web video to promote your business
The difference between video sharing sites and a paid service
How to get started

Thank you for taking the time to watch our presentation. Please leave comments, feedback, and any questions you might have below.

Make Sending Videos a Habit

Flywheel — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:38:33 +0000

The best way to become a master web video marketer is to make sending video a habit. We’ve found that our members who send the most video emails get the best results. On average, they save more time and are more comfortable sending videos. It can be much quicker to record and send a video than to send a plain-text email. All it takes is a little practice!

I have a suggestion. Set a goal to send at least 5 video emails a day. It takes a few minutes to record and send a video, so sending 5 videos a day is only a 15 minute task–that’s not too much to ask, is it? Before you know it, you will be sending videos without even thinking. Best of all, you don’t need to check videos for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Granted, you will want to preview your videos for a week or two so as to reflect and make improvements to your presentation. However, once you get through the initial 1 to 2 week learning curve, sending videos will become root and you will not have to think about it. By recording and sending videos, you will become a better communicator on and off camera. What does this mean to your business? An increase in overall sales and customer satisfaction.

Here are a few of the benefits leveraging web video to communicate with your prospects and clients [note: the effect of these benefits increases exponentially in relation to usage]:

Make a Personal Connection—Put a face to the name.
Establish Rapport—Recipients get to know you through your videos.
Build Trust—Trust is a natural corollary of rapport.
Get their Attention—Be seen as a innovator in your field.

These are just a few of the major benefits of sending video emails and using web video promote your business. For a greatly-expanded list of benefits, check out my post on the 50 Benefits of Video Email and Web Video Marketing>>

Use Video in Your Tweets!

Flywheel — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:47:33 +0000

The other day, I was brainstorming new ways to leverage Twitter, with the goal of better connecting with my followers. After discussing a number of ideas, it hit me. Why not use web video in my Tweets? It’s a good idea. Right?

Here’s What You’ll Need:

Webcam or Digital Camcorder – Without one, it will be hard to record a video! I use a Flip Mino HD, which is awesome by the way. If you haven’t used one, you should check them out. It’s surprising how good the video quality is on this little portable and inexpensive camera!

Video Uploading Service – There are plenty of free services out there that you can use. YouTube or Vimeo will work. Basically, you just need to find a site that allows you to upload a video and then generate a link to view it. You can also do this using our video email and web video service.

Link Shortening Service—Depending on the length of your video link and how much text you want in your tweet, you may need to use a link shortening service, such as bit.ly or tinyURL. In this way, you’ll be able to fit the maximum amount of info into your tweets. These services are free and it takes seconds to acquire a shortened link.

Twitter Autoresponder [Optional] – There are a number of programs available that allow you to automate messages you send through Twitter. Services like TweetAdder and CoTweet can facilitate automated Tweets. You can even setup automatic responses to direct messages. Of course, you can always pre-author tweets with a shortened link included in the text and manually send them.

Armed with your webcam, using the above information you can: record a video, upload it to the internet, shorten the link, and incorporate it into a tweet. Now that you know how to use video in your tweets, let’s talk about some of the videos you could create.

Videos to Tweet:

There are 2 main types of videos you can create. The first is a video that you make on-the-fly to answer or address a specific person or group. These videos are great for making a connection, but you can only use them once. “Hi Sandy, thanks for the follow.” The second is a reusable video, which we like to call an ‘evergreen video‘. Evergreen videos allow you to convey a seemingly personalized message, without limiting your ability to reuse it. Instead of using Sandy’s name, say “I just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself and thank you for the follow.” See the difference? You can send that video to everyone who follows you, from now until the end of time. Here are 2 examples of videos you might want to Tweet. These can be made on-the-fly or evergreen. The choice is yours!

Intro Video—Let your followers know more about you, and your company. The goal of an intro video is to communicate who you are and start building a connection with each person that watches it. Nothing more; nothing less!

Informational Videos— The perfect way to create trust and build rapport. Create videos that are helpful and this will ensure that you capture their attention and keep it. The key is to understand what your followers want to learn. Your videos need to offer a solution for the pain they are suffering from or provide a solution to a problem they are facing. informative.

A Few Pointers for Making Spectacular Videos:

Video is a powerful method of communication, but there are a few key steps to bear in mind to ensure your videos look professional. Be mindful of the lighting and sound. If you’re shooting outside, is the sun casting a shadow over you face? Is the wind muffling your voice? Think about the scenery around you. I am not saying your videos need to be perfect. However, a even a few short minutes of observation of your surroundings can yield significant improvements.

Always remember though, it is not the details that make your web videos powerful, it’s you!

If you would like to learn more about creating the right impression through video, you could read a post I made last month entitled 5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Videos Today.

3 Simple Steps to Leverage the Power of Video Email in Your Business

Flywheel — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:05:04 +0000

I have been sending video emails for over two years now, coming up on three. Even though my passion is to learn, test, and then teach; it took me almost a one year to recognize the value of sending video emails. I can be a little thick-headed at times! However, when the penny dropped, I set out on a journey to create the leading video email and web video marketing software for online marketers, sales professionals, and small businesses—that is easy for a novice to leverage, yet versatile enough for advanced user.

Here are my three simple steps:

Use the Logitech 9000 webcam. It delivers exceptional quality video and audio. Just like when you are making a meal, you want the best quality ingredients. In the case of video, we call this the source file. Our software can’t work magic, just like a chef can’t make stale food taste delicious.
Don’t read from a script. A large part of sales is the transference of feeling (source Zig Ziglar). If you are reading a script, the only thing you are going to transfer is that you are reading a script. Just relax and be natural. Imagine you are having a conversation with a client that is sitting right in front of you. Only in this case, the webcam is the client.
Make sending video email a habit. I’ll say it again; make sending video email a habit! Follow-up every phone call with a short video email to recap the most salient point of your conversation. Send every new prospect a video email to put a face to your name. It builds trust and rapport. Even clients that have been with you for several years will appreciate receiving videos from you. If you have an automated marketing system, like Infusionsoft, you can add evergreen (pre-recorded reusable) videos to automated follow-up sequences. You can also create canned responses for your frequently asked questions. These can be send via Gmail, Outlook, and every other email client.

So, there you have it—three very simple steps to leverage the power of video email in your business. The opportunity video email presents is real. However, it is up to you to utilize it. I guarantee video email will have an immediate and positive effect on your business—all you have to do is use it!

Rich Media Presentations – Effective? You Be the Judge.

Flywheel — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:42:33 +0000

To really leverage the power of the internet, you have to understand and leverage a wide variety of promotional mechanisms: emails, video emails, blog posts, slide-based and rich media presentations, web videos, tele-seminars, webinars, podcasts (audio or video), webcasts, and more…

Today I am going to focus on rich media presentations. In the past, I have recorded a webinar and published it to this blog. I used PowerPoint to make the presentation, Camtasia to record my screen, and the mic on the Logitech 9000 webcam. The Logitech 9000 webcam is significantly better than every other webcam I have tested. The picture and audio quality are amazing!

Here is the last presentation I produced using PowerPoint, Camtasia, and my Logitech 9000:

I do have a GoToWebinar account which I could use to record a webinar. However, the file size ends up being too big for my liking. A large file size not only eats up server bandwidth, it also can take a long time for the viewer to load it and play in a choppy manner. This is why I prefer to use the PowerPoint, Camtasia, Logitech 9000 combination, as it produces a small file size which loads quickly.

Camtasia Users: We recommend exporting to MP4/FLV/SWF – Flash Output. The menu will give you some options about Appearance and Size of the output. With the Flash Options under Appearance, we use a FLV format and MP3 audio at 44.1 kHz 128 kBits/sec. This will give us quality video with CD quality sound without having an unreasonable file size. If you are planning to embed the presentation into a webpage or blog, you can also resize the output file by clicking on Change Dimensions from the Size menu. Be aware that when you shrink the size when exporting, it can decrease the fidelity of the visual. To combat this, take the screen capture at the size you wish to export the presentation. In the webinar above, we fit the PowerPoint slide to the capture window (a width of 625) so upon export, there was minimal quality loss. This is because our blog posts have a fixed width of 625 pixels.

I received an email from a friend, client [he uses jiveSYSTEMS], and mentor, Jim Cecil—it contained a link to a presentation on YouTube which was stunning—far superior to recording a webinar. My first thought was, “I want to learn how to do that!”

Side note: Jim Cecil is the father of Nurture Marketing and has spent his entire business career producing, perfecting and teaching the Nurture Selling Process. As the creator of Nurture Marketing in 1986 and co-founder of The Nurture Institute™, Jim has coached tens of thousands of CEOs and Microsoft Partners on customer cultivation.

Here is the presentation that was forwarded to me by Jim Cecil:

It has over 57,000 views on YouTube. Not that impressive, right? I didn’t think so either until I realized it was brand new. The presentation got 57,000 views in just 3 days! The earlier version of the presentation has 3,636,995 views. Impressive—Very!!!!

So I spent a couple… okay a few hours doing some research. My goal was to identify the tools, resources, and time necessary produce a presentation near the quality of the one above. I also called my web development team and asked how much they would charge to build a presentation like the one above for a client, if the client provided the base content.

The Design and Development of the above presentation was done by XPLANE—a truly innovative and fascinating company! XPLANE is an information design consultancy that collaborates with companies to create understanding. The content was created by “Content by XPLANE”, The Economist, Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Laura Bestler. I am getting tired already. How about you? Four thought leaders and an entire team of professionals from XPLANE. But then, break-through, the Flywheel turns and I find an XPLANE blog post. It said the entire presentation was created using off-the-shelf slideware (Keynote and GarageBand, actually, along with Photoshop and Illustrator). Alas, the terminology of these magicians is revealed.

Side note: For a Flash Designer, making a rich presentation is a walk in the park. However, I am not a Flash Designer. I need a short-cut. I am willing to accept that I might lose some versatility. It’s a trade off. Speed and affordability are major decision making factors for me. [One of the major advantages we have as a small business is velocity from idea to actuality. While the corporations are still waiting for their next board meeting to put forward a proposal, we can pump out informative and timely content. Quality information travels fast!]

I take a break and check my emails for a few minutes. Jim Cecil had sent me another one in response to my “Thank you for turning me on to XPLANE.” He referenced Mark Smith of Splainers as cost effective solution for those who want to out-source the development of rich media presentations.

Next, I make a call to a friend, who has a Mac. After an extended period of gloating, that I was inquiring about a Mac, my friend preceded to tell me how easy Mac’s are to use, and so on… I guess I am stupid because I couldn’t figure out how to switch my Dad’s Mac on last time I stayed at his house. My friend didn’t offer any useful information about Keynote. Anyway, I like my PC, and I know my way around it. The short-cut keys, the programs, and maintenance procedures.

I do some more research on and offline, and Keynote is rated highly. So if you have a Mac, you are good to go! Using Keynote and GarageBand you can make a pretty decent rich media presentation to promote your business or spread a message — in a relatively short amount of time (1-3 days). However, they used Photoshop and Illustrator in the presentation above. These programs allow for the image tuning and custom images you see in their presentation. While I have yet to use Keynote to build a presentation, I have designed and built several presentations using PowerPoint, Camtasia, and Captivate. My research leads me to believe these programs are more cumbersome than Keynote.

I did find and test several web-based services for building rich media presentations. They were either useless or cost-prohibitive in my opinion. SlideRocket was the my favorite paid web-based service.

Conclusion

Using relatively inexpensive off-the-shelf software, you can create rich media presentations to promote your business or spread a message. You can get pretty decent results on your own using: Keynote and GarageBand on a Mac; or, PowerPoint and Camtasia on a Mac or PC. To really refine your presentation by adding smooth transitions and custom graphics, you are going to need to hire a professional. I recommend that you build the presentation and then pay a designer to dress it up at the very end. Offering a few hundred dollars to any savvy design student in college will yield a significant ROI.

On-demand rich media presentations are a great way educate your prospects on the value proposition of your company. You can place the presentation on your homepage, in your blog, and distribute it via video sharing sites. I like to use TubeMogul as it automatically uploads my videos to multiple sites.

A rich media presentation has the potential to go viral. You are increasing the likelihood of your content going viral if it is purely educational in nature.

If you want to grow your company and successfully leverage the internet to promote your business, rich media presentations are most likely one of the best tools you could have in your toolbox. Create rich media presentations constantly and consistently.

My Networking Strategy – It Works!

Flywheel — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 18:09:55 +0000

Almost every business can benefit from networking. You have buyers, sellers, and people who are a bit of both. What type of networker are you?
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Here is the Problem

Networking has become more like one of those speed dating television shows. It’s fast paced and often hard to build rapport. Following up with people can be just as hard due to the email-haze after a big network meeting. Plus, I haven’t even mentioned entering the business cards into your database, and classifying them; even if you have a business card scanner, this process alone can take hours!

This is My Solution

Using any CRM system [I use Infusionsoft] you can create a web form and run predetermined automated actions off of it when you enter someone’s contact information. I have created two web forms specifically for networking. When I enter someone’s contact information into my database, it processes a pre-authored email template to that person—a generic email that looks and feels personalized. The web form also tags their contact record with ‘network lead.’ This allows me to figure out my conversion rate for people I meet at network meetings, and thus my ROI. One more automated action takes place: I also add them into an automated follow-up sequence, which is basically a series of time delayed pre-authored emails. Each email includes a link to an evergreen video. This is the game changer! By relying on the merge fields in the email templates [that automatically insert information in their contact record] to personalize the email itself, I can keep the video generic,

“Hi it was nice meet you. I recorded this short video to reintroduce myself, as I am sure you – like me – meet a lot of people at these network meetings. Anyways, with little more than an inexpensive webcam and this nifty piece of software called jiveSYSTEMS, I am able to record videos like this one in a matter of minutes. It took me only 4 to make this one. Oh one more thing, I might send you a few more emails with videos in them over the next few weeks to touch base. If you don’t want to receive them, you can simply hit the unsubscribe button, found in the email within you inbox. I am looking forward to talking with you further about our mutual business and objectives. Have a great day!”

What kind of reaction do you think I get?

Conclusion

Whether you are using a CRM system combined with our Video Email and Web Video Marketing System, or just using our system alone, you can increase your response rate from network meetings a great deal using this strategy, and save a lot of time in the process. I guarantee that putting the human element back into your marketing using video email and web video will have an immediate and positive effect of your business. Your Return on Investment (ROI) will be mind boggling!

Give it a go, take a 30 day test-drive of our video email and web video marketing system.

5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Videos Today

Flywheel — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 18:17:42 +0000

Throughout the years, I’ve helped many people integrate web video and video email into their marketing activities, and while the power of successfully using web video is immense, it can be hampered by not paying attention to certain aspects of the video production process. These details are relatively insignificant by themselves, but when combined, they can make the difference between a web video that produces and one that makes you look like a rookie.

Here are a few things that you can do to ensure that your videos have maximum impact:

1. Frame Your Shot

Time and time again, I see video emails where the person is sitting either too close to the camera or too far away. The ideal shot, provided you are sitting down, is framed from your chest to slightly above the head. You don’t want to have too much head room (unless the point of the video is to show something behind you), so keep it to less than 6 inches above your head.

2. Maintain Good Posture

Nobody looks good slouching so stand or sit straight. Poor posture gives a negative perception in person, and web video is no different. Besides, when you maintain good posture, you’ll look and feel more confident.

3. Make Sure You Have Proper Video Lighting

Lighting is something that often gets forgotten. You want to have enough lighting so that your viewer can actually see you but not so much that you look like you are on-board an alien spaceship. The quality of your video depends on proper lighting. Low light situations cause digital cameras to produce grainy video. You don’t have to spend a bunch of money on lighting, just make sure you are in a well-lit area, and if you need to, plug in an extra lamp.

4. Make Eye Contact

What is one of the first things they teach you about public speaking… besides picture everyone naked? Make eye contact! In this case, it’s more like lens contact. Make sure you are looking at the video camera when you record a video. It’s pretty obvious when you’re reading a script, especially when the camera is within a few feet of you. The only time you can get away with reading without looking like your staring down is when the camera is a good seven feet away (the farther the better). Even then, you had better keep your notes right under the video camera. If you want a better solution, just keep your eyes on the video camera, and pay close attention to bullet 5 below.

5. Have a Conversation

Don’t memorize or read a script! If you really want to make great web videos, quickly, learn an outline of what you are going to say, and then say it. When you make videos that have a conversational tone, you will be able to fully leverage the power of video. I want to make sure the difference between memorizing a script and learning a script is clear. The former is when you try to learn every single word in order, and often results in you sounding like a robot. When you memorize, you lose a lot of the value derived from tone and inflection. Learning means you know the gist of what you want to say, and then how exactly that comes out is left to nature. I would compare it to having a conversation with someone about your favorite book or TV show. You already know the topic; what you say about it comes out naturally. Even if it comes out a little differently every time, it doesn’t matter.

If this sounds hard, it doesn’t have to be. Here is one of the simplest ways to learn your script:

1) Figure out what you want to say.
2) Create a list of one to two word bullet points for each sentence or idea you want to convey.
3) Practice saying your message using the list as a guide [ideally each bullet should remind you of what you want to say].
4) As you continue to practice, look at the list less frequently, weaning yourself off of it.
5) Once you can say the whole thing smoothly and comfortably without the sheet, you’re ready to record your video!

So there you have it. I’m sure there’s more I could write about, but this covers the basics. If you practice this strategy, you’ll be more than a step ahead of the pack when using web video and video email marketing in your business.

Let me know if you found this post helpful. I can start writing more about the elements of producing high quality videos for the web, quickly.

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4. Make Eye Contact

5. Have a Conversation