If you are trying to sell your products and services online then video is an excellent tool.

This is not about whether you know how to make product videos. Your success on selling your products means following a short formula to actually get the videos selling for you.

Why ?

1. Videos have high perceived value
2. Google loves videos and will give preference to a site with videos
3. Youtube is the second largest search engine so if you list and optimise your video there you will have access to a massive audience
4. According to a study by the (University of Pennsylvania) Wharton school of Business, prospects are 72% more likely to purchase a product or service when video is used.
5. Video can help present a consistent message every time for every viewer so your customer knows exactly what they are buying from you.
6. A carefully scripted 2-3 minute video can be more effective and convey as much information as a stack of printed materials.
7. Video can help a relatively small company look like a much larger national or international firm.

How to make your own product videos that sell?  Simple…

1) Be yourself in front of the camera

You must be the same with the camera on as it is off!  People buy from people they like and trust.  View the camera as your friend or potential customer and talk to it as you would them.

2) Have a clear outcome of what you will use the video for before you record it

Don’t begin a video without a crystal clear idea of what you want the user to do. Do not just make a video to make a video.  If you are selling a product then the entire video should be about the benefits of the product and how specifically it can help your customer.

3) Suck them in!

Do something different than what they expect at the start of your video.  People initially come to your video as a skeptic. How can you prove them wrong and lower their defences?  Don’t copy what others in your market are doing. What is your brand?  Use that!  Are you funny, attractive, smart, shy… is there a story you can tell, a character you can play?  This makes them want to consume the next bit of content.

4) Build Credibility and Trust Quickly

If they are still with you past the start it is important that you quickly build trust. Who are you? Why should they be listening to you? Introduce yourself like you do with an elevator speech.  Learn more about this in my article “How to Improve a Small Business?”

5) Deliver Results in Advance

If they can see how specifically they will get immediate results with your product they will want more of what you have to offer. Deliver results in advance by showing a demo. If you don’t have a demo get them to picture themselves getting the results.  Make this believable by telling stories of how others have gotten results that are just like them.  Do you have any other special perks like free shipping, a money back guarantee, a bonus?  Mention anything you can to help make the purchase decision easier.  Remember, don’t list features.  List benefits. A benefit is something that they can use (“I’m going to give you this, so that you can get this”). A benefit is not more life, more money or more freedom. Get deeper, be specific about what it is that they will learn or get.

6) Tell them exactly what to do next

Many call this the “call to action”.   People are not stupid but they do respond better to clear instructions.  So if you want them to buy from you then ask for the sale.  Tell them to click the buy now button or link below to get the product, deal or discount you mention in your video.  Don’t just assume they will.

Now the test is going to be that you can do all of this in under 10 minutes!  People are time poor these days so be friendly and to the point.  This video is not about you.  It is about them and how you or your product can help them.

I would love to see your product videos that are working for you the best!  It will be interesting to see if there are some common themes between them and if your video uses any of these techniques.  Please paste a link to your video below (but only if it is working). 

Related posts:

1. Create Physical Product from your Info Products and get more Sales!

This is a like box:

Here is how to put one on your website:
(In particular I will show you how to put one on a WordPress site.)

1.  Go HERE.  You are now on a page in Facebook where you can create your box.
2.  In “Facebook Page URL” you will enter the exact url of your Facebook page.  Make sure to include http:// in front.
3.  For width a good standard Facebook width to use that fits in most WordPress side bars is 275.  You can change this later.
4.  I like to keep the color scheme on “light” and check the box for “show faces” – both are the default settings.
5.  Also, I recommend checking the boxes by “show stream” and “show header”.  This will allow people to like your page from within your site and also see your newest posts.
6.  Then click on “Get Code”.
7.  You will see a box that looks like this:

You have just learned one easy step on how to promote your Facebook Page! Check out your new Facebook Like Box on your site and get ready to enjoy the extra exposure!

Have any questions or feedback?  Please let me know below… 

Related posts:

1. How to Create a Facebook Welcome Page and Make it a Landing Page
2. How to Link your Blog to your Facebook Page – Use Networked Blogs
3. How to Set Up Facebook for Business – Use these Top 3 Applications

Once you have an ebook ready to sell on your website you only need a couple of tools:

1. A Paypal account and Paypal button
2. A web page created to sell the product
3. A web page created to send users to download or view the product they purchased.

Let’s dive in…

First, Create the Pages you need in WordPress:

• Step 1 - In the back-end (wp-admin) area of your site either create a new page or add your eBook info to a current page. Include an image, description, price and Paypal button (more on Paypal below).
• Step 2 – Load your eBook (should be a PDF) to the media library by clicking on “media” in your left side menu then add.  After you upload it you will see something that says “File URL”.  Copy and past that link somewhere to use later.
• Step 3 - Create a another new page to deliver the product once someone buys it. On this new page put an image of a PDF icon or your book – something that people can click on to access your file.  Then click on this image you just added so it is in edit mode.  Then click on the link adder (looks like a chain) above in the same area that the bold, italic and other formatting tools are.  Then paste in the url you saved from the step above.  You have just linked your image to your PDF document so people can download it.  Then write a nice “thank you for your purchase message” below the image Then of course click “publish”.
  • NOTE: If you create the delivery page and it shows up in your main menu you will need to hide it.  You can do this by going to Plugins (in the left menu in your wp-admin) – add new -  put “WP Hide Pages” in the search field – choose WP Hide Pages and then install – then activate it.  Then you can go to Settings in the left menu and find “Hide Pages”.  Once there you will see two options – visible pages and hidden pages.  Find the page you want to hid in visible pages – click on it and it will appear in hidden.  Now click update options.  Voila!  Your page is now hidden and can only be accessed if someone has the link.
• Step 4 – At the top of your new product delivery page under the main title you will something that says ”Permalink”.  Copy the entire domain that is to the right of that and paste it somewhere to use later.  Make sure and save your page.  To use as an example in the steps below I will use www.heatherporter.com/really-cool-page/ as the permalink for the product delivery page.
  

Next, Change your PayPal settings:

• Step 1 - Sign into your account.
• Step 2 – Go to “profile” in the main menu then “my selling tools” in the left submenu.
• Step 3 – On this page choose to update “Website preferences”.
• Step 4 – On the top option of the next page you will see “Auto Return for Website Payments”.  Make sure this is turned “on”.
• Step 5 - Lower down on the same page you will see “PayPal Account Optional”.  Make sure this is turned “off”. These steps are allowing users to be redirected a your new product delivery page automatically after they buy something.

Then, Create your PayPal button:

• Step 1 - In Paypal go to “Merchant Services” in the main menu
• Step 2 – In “Website Payments” choose “Buy Now Buttons”
• Step 3 - On that page fill out Step 1 to your preferences with Item Name and Price
• Step 4 – Scroll lower on that page and choose to open “Step 3: Customise advanced features”
  

• Step 5 – Tick the box next to “Take customers to this URL when they finish checkout” and then enter the url of your product delivery page from Step 4 in Create the pages in WordPress from above (in this case – www.heatherporter.com/really-cool-page/).  This now tells Paypal to redirect someone automatically to the page where your product download is.
• Step 6 - Save your button and use the code to embed a button onto the Page you created in Step 1 in Create the pages you need in WordPress.  You must choose the html viewing option and paste the code in there.  The best way to know where to paste it is by writing INSERT BUTTON HERE in the visual tab, switching to the HTML tab and then pasting your Paypal button code in place of the BUTTON HERE text. Done!  Just save the page.
  

And if you want to get a little more advanced, it is important to block this product delivery page from search engine robots so they can’t find it. Imagine if a user types in the name of your book and finds the delivery page in the search results.  They could just go there and download it for free!  So here is how you fix that problem.

Block the robots

• Step 1- Log into the back-end of your website and go to “plugins” on the left side menu.
• Step 2 - At the top of that page click that button that says “add new”
• Step 3 – In the search field on the next page type “KB Robots.txt”
• Step 4 – Find “KB Robots.txt” in the search results and click on install
• Step 5 – On the next page click on “activate plugin”
• Step 6 - Now look back on the left menu in your back-end and scroll way down until you see “settings”.  Under settings look for KB Robots.txt and when you find it click on it.
• Step 7 – On the next page type in the following:
  User-agent: *
  Disallow: /really-cool-page/This is taken from the permalink www.heatherporter.com/really-cool-page/ in Step 4 from Create the pages you need in WordPress.  All you do is take the last bit, in this case really-cool-page, and write it in between a / and /.  Make sure and get the spaces right.  Just copy and paste from my example and insert your own word or words from your permalink.So in total at the top of the plugin page your should see:
  Anytime you would like to add a new page just add it in a line below so it looks like this:# This is your robots.txt file. Visit Options->Robots.txt to change this text.
  User-agent: *
  Disallow: /really-cool-page/
  Disallow: /report/
  Disallow: /special-audio/
• Step 8 - Click submit.
  • NOTE: Another great back up is to select  “no index, no follow” if you have a plugin like Platinum SEO Pack or All in One SEO installed.  You will know if you do when you scroll down below your article creation box.  And if you do you will see this “no index, no follow” option there.

You now have your pages set up so those pesky robots can’t find your product delivery page.

Thanks for hanging in with me during this long tutorial.

I know this was a lot to take in so if you have any questions just leave them in the comments below…

Related posts:

1. The Winning Formula on How to Make Product Videos that Sell
2. How to Promote Your Facebook Page

Some examples are things like Twitter, YouTube and a Welcome Page (learn how to create your own welcome page in my other article HERE).

These are applications that you can add to your Facebook Page so that you instantly have more content for your followers by pulling through your other social media updates.  If you have a blog you MUST link it to your Facebook Page to leverage what you are writing to a whole new audience.  And it is really easy by using an application called Networked Blogs.

By setting up Networked Blogs on your Facebook Page you will be able to do the following:

• Automatically pull your blog posts through to one page.
• Automatically post your newest blog articles to your wall.
• List your blog in Facebook so you can attract more fans who translate into more potential customers.

In this quick and easy tutorial I will show you how.

Let’s get started!

Related posts:

1. How to Create a Facebook Welcome Page and Make it a Landing Page
2. How to Promote Your Facebook Page
3. How to Set Up Facebook for Business – Use these Top 3 Applications

How?

1. Create a Facebook Welcome Page with an opt-in form where you can give your visitor a cool free bonus in exchange for their email.
2. Set that Welcome Page as a landing page so all your first time visitors are directed to this page before they hit the “like” button on your page.

In this quick tutorial I am going to show you how to create a welcome page in your Facebook Business Page and then set it as a Landing Page.  In layman’s terms…learn to create a really cool page that first time visitors to your Facebook Page are automatically directed to.  This page can display a welcome video, an opt-in or sign up form to collect your visitor’s emails and some great images.

Get started now…

Note: It is best if you have a WordPress Blog to get the most out of this video.

Don’t feel like doing this yourself? Let us do it for you. We will design a new welcome page and install it for you! CHECK IT OUT NOW!

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1. How to Link your Blog to your Facebook Page – Use Networked Blogs
2. How to Promote Your Facebook Page
3. How to Set Up Facebook for Business – Use these Top 3 Applications

Practically your whole market is online and Info Products are great, but think about this…There are still people who prefer to watch a DVD at home or put a CD in their car.  After all, not all of us have cars that can play music from an iPod (oops, I just gave away the fact I drive an older car .

So how can you get your products out to that market? All you need is a video or audio series and some simple graphics and someone else can handle the rest!

Here are 2 of my favourite companies who can help get your Info Products from digital to physical products:

1. Disk.com
   The team at disk will take your files, turn them into a DVD or CD, print them on demand (when someone orders), and ship out the product to them on behalf of you!  All you have to do is send them some graphics for the labels and case cover and your digital files and they will handle the rest.  They can even print and include a manual into your packaging straight from a pdf file.  And they will help you set up an easy system to send them your orders automatically as they come in off your website. I like them because they have amazing packaging choices and you have options to put multiple DVDs and a manual inside one container. The only downside?  They require that you print a minimum of any one product to start.  So you may be out a bit of cash up front.
2. Kunaki.com
   These guys have a similar process as Disk but specialize in single CDs or DVDs.  If you have digital files that can fit on one disk and you don’t care about including a manual they are great!  And there are no minimum requirements with them to get started.  Printing 1 DVD or CD in a jewell case with full colour printing only starts at $1.00 USD (plus shipping to your client)!

Also, remember that you can offer a physical version of your info product as an easy upsell during the checkout process or vice versa.  This means your client can get access to your digital version online immediately and enjoy getting something in the mail as well.

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1. Connect and Acknowledge
   Thank the visitor for stopping by and recognize that they could be spending their time elsewhere.
2. Prove Your Credibility
   Talk about your background and how you know your stuff.  What have you studied and who have you worked with?  What are the the results your clients have gotten so far? Don’t brag and focus on the facts.  Remember, it is about your client and not about you so the info you deliver here is to prove to your client how you can help THEM.
3. Overview of the Outcomes
   Talk briefly about what you will cover in your presentation.  Make the points sound exciting and discuss how they can help your visitor.  Remind them of why they are there by suggesting they have a problem in the area you can help them in.  And show them that their time won’t be wasted by explaining what they will learn by sticking with you over the next few minutes or hour.
4. Show Visuals
   Use images wherever possible.  People remember things they see.  Put together a mindmap (You can get free software HERE), chart or list to show them the flow of the content so they can see what they will miss if they leave early.
5. Tell Them How to Succeed
   Say “all you have to do is x, y, z to get the results you want”.  This is your transition into your content and eventually your call to action to buy something from you.  If they have listened to this point they are a captive audience and ready to hear what you have to say.

Remember to relate to them with personal stories and add humour where you can. Be engaging and have fun!

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There are some very simple things you can do to your website so people trust it, and more importantly so they will trust you enough to buy something.

How to Build Credibility in Your Web Pages:

1. Use Testimonials: Video is best.  To learn how to get great testimonials see my other article HERE.
2. Include a Guarantee: Try a “30 Day Money Back Guarantee” or “100% Satisfaction or Your Money Back”.  Just Google these terms and click on “images” in the upper left of the search results page to find plenty of these great little images that you can include on your site.  Make sure whatever you guarantee you are prepared to follow through on it.
3. Include a phone number: Although most people will never use it, a phone number shows there is a human being on the other side of the web page willing to help out.
4. A photo of your office or team: If you are a service provider a photo of your office helps to give a feeling of safety and connection so the visitor can see the potential environment they will be visiting.  By showing you and your team, you are allowing the visitor to learn more about you.
5. Bios: Include a bio or short profile for you and each member on your team next to their photos.  Make sure and add links to their social media accounts so a potential customer can easily research more about each of you.
6. Logos of trusted partners: Do you have any sponsors or joint venture partners?  Include their logo.  It shows that you have valid business relationships and you can easily raise your credibility especially if your partners are larger than you or have been in the business longer.
7. “As Seen On TV” or media mentions: Have you been mentioned in the media?  Definitely list it!  Did you know that many mentions you have seen like “as seen on CNN” or “as seen in the Financial Times” are because the person took out an ad in those publications?  If you put an ad somewhere then say you were listed there, because you were!  And if you were written about in an article link to that article or list it on your site somewhere.

The next time you build a site or landing page add as many of these points as you can.  It will communicate that you are trustworthy and that you are an established player in your market.

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However to build yourself as an expert online you must focus on collecting and using testimonials on your sites because they increase your credibility in the eyes of your potential clients.  So how do you get great testimonials?

How to get it right with testimonials…

1. Use unsolicited social proof: If you have a WordPress blog (which I recommend) make sure your site has comments enabled so your users can give you feedback on each page.  Also, get a Facebook plugin so your visitors can comment or “like” your page from their Facebook page.  This means what they write will be seen on their page too in addition to yours.
2. Get Testimonials from people who already have an online presence: Make sure an include the person’s website and their position in life or business below their name so people can find out more about them.
3. Use video: Ask if your client will film their comment instead of writing it.  When you can see a human being delivering the praise it is more believable.  After all anyone can write a glowing review from “John Smith”.
4. Package them to illustrate the complete picture: Your services or products most likely deliver many different results.  Get a handful of testimonials that include each of the angles of how your products works.  If you have a weight loss product then get testimonials on increased energy, taught skin, weight loss figures and better self-esteem. People buy things for different reasons so you want to demonstrate all of the benefits through your testimonials.
5. Use successful people: We all look up to people who have reached success in their field.  If you can find people who are willing to rave about you, who are also movers and shakers, focus on them first.
6. Share real results: If you feel like you have to write “results are not typical” then the testimonial might not be believable.  Find results that your clients are getting all of the time and then use those as topics for testimonials.   If you are doing your job well, then these results will be just as amazing as the “I made a million dollars in 1 month” testimonials.  How much more powerful would it be if 5 testimonials were talking about similar results that were still incredible?

Remember, people are smart and will see through phony scripted testimonials very fast.  Your audience will connect with you more if they feel that they can attain what the testimonials say.

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1. What is a Credible Website?

What’s a backlink?

If you have a website or a blog, you probably know what a backlink is.  If not, in the most basic terms, a backlink is a hyperlink on another website that leads back to your website.  Simple enough.   Why do you need backlinks?  Because without them, your website is doomed.  As a responsible website owner, it’s important to understand the ins and outs of backlinks because they are the bread and butter of how anyone will find you.

Why are backlinks so important?

Having a website is as much of a soapbox as it is a home.  Whether you use yours to speak your mind, advertise your business, share your hobbies, or promote your expertise, you’re online because you want to communicate with others.  That’s the point: to bring people in to see your original content.  The more backlinks you have, the more likely it is that people will find you.  Because people are looking for you, and without backlinks, unless they have your exact URL, you will not be found.  Instead of the yellow pages we used before the advent of the internet, people use search engines.  The higher up you are, the more traffic you get.  And what gets you that brilliant google ranking?  Backlinks.  The more roads lead to Rome, the more the search engines notice you, and that means more people will come.

How do I generate quality backlinks?

1. Quality original content: if what you write is good and your ideas are your own, people will naturally want to link to you.  It’s common sense that integrity appealing.  Honest to goodness content will not fail to be respected.
2. Learn to use good anchor text.  You can link to things by writing the entire URL, such as this link to one of my articles, http://www.heatherporter.com/become-an-expert-2/brand-building-social-networking/, or you could tell people (and search engines) what the link is about, such as, “These are the best social networking accounts to have.”
3. Link to other websites that you like.  By giving props to people you would like to have a dialogue with, they will take notice of you and may give back in kind.
4. List your website with digg, del.icio.us, StumpleUpon, and other bookmarking sites.  It’s free, fast, and easy.
5. Publish press releases and articles: many sites on the internet (such as Free Press Release Service) will allow you to post a press release, essentially an announcement.  If you’re launching a new blog, a new service, a new product, these are all good reasons to make an announcement.  Write a few good paragraphs about it, and post to these sites.
6. Be active online.  The more people you know, the more people will link to you.  Use twitter, facebook, and linkedin to your advantage, and participate in the conversations.

Not all backlinks are created equal

If you’re a florist, it does no good to have your link on a pharmaceutical website.  Common sense.  It’s not necessarily the number of links you have, but how relevant they are to your website.  Think of it this way.  Some roads are superhighways, and some are dirt paths.  If you’re linked to one or two or three highways, they’re worth so much more than dozens of irrelevant links.  It’s true that more backlinks means that search engines will have an easier time finding you.  But once you get the traffic, will you keep it?  Is it the traffic you want?  It is more valuable to be linked to websites whose content is related to yours.  Join a florists’ message board or a botanists’ bloggers group.

Recognize quality backlinks for what they are

When a good relevant site links to you, they’re giving you their support.  They’re saying you’re worth my attention.  It’s a vote, and that means something.  The more relevant votes you get, the more you are seen by the internet-surfing public as an authority in your field.  It means popularity of the sort that you genuinely deserve, and you can take that to the bank.

When surfing the web just keep in mind how to get backlinks.

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