See How It Works:

Only a few enterprise level systems, that cost upwards of one thousand dollars per month, have visual campaign builders. So Infusionsoft is raising the bar by bringing this technology to small business owners and entrepreneurs.

The process of building and executing intelligent nurture campaigns has never before been this easy! Plus, since Infusionsoft is an all-in-one solution, you can automatically remove people from prospect campaigns and place them in customer campaigns.

To learn more about Infusionsoft, check out this post I wrote a few weeks ago The Most Important Piece of Software That We Use.

No related posts.

Fortunately, adding a form to your blog sidebar has gotten easier over the years. With over 180 million people blogging around the world¹, solutions to common challenges are popping up thick and fast.

The most basic method of adding an info-capture form to your blog sidebar is to grab the code from your email marketing system and embed it in your blog sidebar using a widget. For some people, adding the form is a piece of cake. For others, it is a little more challenging.

Either way, the form will still be lacking two crucial ingredients:

1. Looks – None of the email marketing systems can generate decent looking forms!
2. Analytics – To easily correlate how many times the form gets viewed (i.e. impressions), to the number of times the form is filled out (i.e. conversions).

Without both of the above mentioned ingredients, an info-capture form is mediocre (in every sense of the word). Of course the offer² is very important as well, but for the purposes of this post I am purely focusing on the features of the form.

4 Ways to Add The Form

Stock

Style the form in your email marketing system and then embed it in the sidebar using a Text/HTML widget. Occasionally the form will conflict with a plugin or your theme. If you do not know how to debug the conflict, you can hire someone on sites Elance and oDesk for fifty to a hundred dollars to do it for you. Your styling options will be restricted.  You will not get analytics.

Custom

Hire a graphic designer to style the form. Hire a coder to slice up the graphic, combine it with the form code from your email marketing system, and then hardcode it into your theme. Same as above, if you don’t know how, you will be able hire someone on sites like Elance and oDesk. Your styling options will be limited by your budget and creativity. You will not get analytics.

FreshForms

Pay a nominal monthly fee to use the FreshForm info-capture styler. You take the unstyled form code from your email marketing system, paste it into FreshForms, style the form, and then embed the form in the page/widget. You don’t get analytics with FreshForms. The styling options are limited, but they are quality designs that convert well.

OptinSkin

Install the OptinSkin plugin… you drop your unstyled form code into OptinSkin, style it, choose where you want the form to appear, and hit publish. You can create and place multiple forms on your blog: bottom of the post (like the one at the bottom of this post), sidebar, and you can even have forms appear inside the post content. Unlike the other options, where you need to manually add the form to each section, with OptinSkin you just check a box based on where you want the form to appear. You also get analytics.

OptinSkin and FreshForms Video Demo

I recorded and edited this video using Camtasia, and the mic on a Logitech C920 webcam.

Footnotes:

Related posts:

1. Customizing Your Infusionsoft Order Forms
2. The 3 Best Ways To Leverage Video Email
3. The Recent Changes to Our Blog Navigation and Setup

Popular Posts

The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

Infusionsoft is the most important piece of software that I use. I have been using Infusionsoft for almost four years. I was also one of the first few people to get certified as a marketing automation coach on their software. I have two applications, one for each business.

New Posts

Video Email Ninja Tools

You don’t need to rob a bank to purchase the equipment needed to produce good quality video. In fact, with nothing more than a Logitech C920 webcam which costs about eighty dollars, you can create professional looking video in record time. The new Logitech makes it easy!

3 Best Ways To Leverage Video Email

When used properly, video email can dramatically compress the sales cycle, increase conversions, and improve customer advocacy. Discover the three best ways to leverage video email by watching this short screencast tutorial that Flywheel created.

3 Reasons Why Video Emails Fail

Learn the top three reasons why video emails fail to produce results, and more importantly how to fix them. Ultimately, I have discovered that video email is best leveraged as a relationship building tool. Think of video email as the keystone in an arch, it has no purpose without the other bricks.

Web-Based Video Email Recorder

We simplified the interface of the web-based video email recorder by removing unnecessary buttons, along with making a couple of other important changes that will improve the quality of the videos that are recorded through the web-based video email recorder.

3 New Video Email Templates

We have updated three more video email templates in the video template library. I have created a quick screencast to show you the templates and explain the changes. All of these templates have the new smart exit links that only display if an exit link has been created for that spot.

Related posts:

1. [newsletter] It Is All About Video Email
2. [newsletter] 6 Great Posts to Help You Grow Your Business
3. [newsletter] News You Can Use

In this short tutorial, you will learn the top three reasons why video emails fail to produce results and, more importantly, how to fix them.

Ultimately, we have discovered that video email is best leveraged as a relationship building tool.  Think of video email as the keystone in an arch, it has no purpose without the other bricks.

For example, sending a video email after a first phone call with a new prospect is an excellent use of the technology. To learn more best practices, watch the video tutorial in this post The 3 Best Ways To Leverage Video Email.

Related posts:

1. Funny Video About the Power of Video Email Marketing
2. The 3 Best Ways To Leverage Video Email
3. Nine (9) Reasons You Should Be Using Video Email

A few weeks ago, I posted a picture from my camera phone of my desk and video equipment to my Facebook timeline. The picture got a few likes and I got several emails asking for more specific information (including jiveSYSTEMS members). This post is a follow-up to those questions, and I took a better quality picture of my setup this time (see below).

My Equipment

A – 5 x 7 Collapsible Backdrop by Impact (cost $70)

Folds down to a small one foot circle and comes with a carrying pouch. You just let it pop-out and fold it back down when you are done, or in my case you turn the kitchen table into a near permanent movie studio. For filming, you can either lean it against a wall or purchase a stand. I use the Lastolite 3355 backdrop stand which costs about $70 from the B&H Photo website.

B – MXL .007 USB Condenser Mic (cost $120)

I don’t use this mic for video, I use it when I do screen-recordings and webinars, usually in Camtasia. When recording videos, I just use the Logitech’s built-in mic, as it produces more than adequate sound for 90% of the videos I produce (video emails, YouTube, landing pages, etc.).

C – Logitech C910 and C920 Webcam (cost $80)

I have tested all the major webcams, Logitech has been consistently putting out the best webcams since 2008 (when I first started using video in emails). Logitech has automatic right-light and right-sound technology, and they have it dialed in better than the other manufactures in my opinion. Even in low-light, the new Logitech C920 manages to capture a clear picture which is very impressive!

D – Cheapo Video Lights ($250 for a pair)

As most videographers will tell you, lighting is the key to picture quality. But lighting can get expensive quickly. If you are just creating video emails, the Logitech C920 will be more than enough. When you come to produce videos for your blog and landing pages, you will want to pick-up a couple of fluorescent softbox lights.

Conclusion

You don’t need to sell a kidney to produce good quality video. In fact, with nothing more than a Logitech C920 webcam, which costs about eighty dollars, you can produce surprisingly good video. Don’t take my word for it, see for yourself:

Now that you have watched the video above, watch the test footage I shot on my Logitech C920 webcam without lighting and discover how to turn auto-focus off.

P.S.

Check out a list of the most important tools I am using to grow the jiveSYSTEMS community by visiting my personal website.

Related posts:

1. Logitech C920 Webcam Test Footage – Auto-Focus Off
2. Logitech C920 Webcam Test Footage
3. Even Clearer Picture And Sound: Logitech C920

I put together a short screencast to explain the three best ways I have discovered (over the past four years) to leverage video email.

Advanced video emailers may also want to use videos as success actions to web forms. The bland “thank you for filling-out my web form… check your inbox and be sure to double optin” web form success pages do little to help you build your business and personal brand; whereas, setting your web form thank you page to a video does!

Related posts:

1. 3 Simple Steps to Leverage the Power of Video Email in Your Business
2. 4 Ways to Add Sign-Up Forms to Your Blog
3. 5 Easy Ways to Improve Your Videos Today

We have updated more than three video email templates. I am just focusing on three because the other video email templates that have been updated are only for special occasions. In the screencast below, I show you the main three video email templates we have updated.

The three video email templates that I mentioned above are:

• Black Link
• Black Pattern
• Groundhog Day

The other video email templates that have been updated are:

• Fall Leaves
• Christmas Ornaments
• Christmas Elves
• Christmas Snow
• Christmas Beach
• Martin Luther King Day Presidents Day
• Valentine’s Modern
• St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun

All of these templates have the new smart exit links which I mentioned on the video above.

Related posts:

1. Video Email Templates: A Fresh New Look and Feel
2. We Made a Halloween Video Email Template for You
3. Exit Links: How to Turn a Video Email into a Marketing Tool

*If you look closely, I forgot to take my bluetooth earpiece out before taking the picture. Needless to say, you do not need a bluetooth earpiece to record video emails, just a webcam.

Video emails recorded through the web-based recorder will now:

• Include a Snapshot – If you have your email icon set to Snapshot. We highly recommend using the Snapshot as it yields higher click-through rates.
• Improved Encoding – We have finally ported the web-based recorder’s new encoders, which are significantly faster and produce slightly better quality videos.

The web-based video email recorder should only be used if you have a high-speed internet connection, and are preferably hard-wired into your router.

You will get higher quality video using our desktop software, which holds the video locally until you have finished recording. The web-based recorder uploads and encodes the video at the same time, making the videos susceptible to quality loss due to changes in your upload speed.

If you would like to learn more about video email, watch this webinar An In-Depth Look At Video Email.

Related posts:

1. Video Email Software: System Updates and New Features for June 2011
2. Video Email Software: Systems Updates and New Features for July 2011
3. Snapshot of Your Video Email in the Notification Message

Enjoy & Share Freely With Others!
-Flywheel

Marketing Automation

• Top 20 [Most Popular] Marketing Automation Software Solutions
• Infusionsoft: The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

New Logitech Webcam

• Incredible Picture & Sound From An $80 Webcam – Part 1 of 3
• Incredible Picture & Sound From An $80 Webcam – Part 2 of 3
• Incredible Picture & Sound From An $80 Webcam – Part 3 of 3

Excellent Course

• The Wealthification Process: I Wish I Knew This 10 Years Ago

Software Updates / Training

• Use Video Email to Send Responses to FAQs
• Improved Hotspot Data, Shorter Post Link, and Video Template Updates
• Top 3 Reasons Why Video Emails Fail To Produce Results And How to Fix Them

From My Online Journal

• I Wish I Had Know This 10 Years Ago
• The Doodle Revolution

From WillFranco.com

• My Toobox (New Updates)

P.S.

I believe we can both agree that I provide real knowledge and value in my posts from my first-hand experience, something that I feel is a rarity online. So if you like my content or it has helped you in any way, please share this post with your friends, using the social buttons to the left of each post. The more blog visitors we get, the more time I can allocate to developing educational content.

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1. [newsletter] It’s That Time Again, and We Have Lots of News
2. [newsletter] April Rundown of What’s Hot
3. [newsletter] 6 Great Posts to Help You Grow Your Business

The majority of the entrepreneurs that survive through the above–do it on a combination of dumb luck and brute force. A very select few can do it consistently and predictably, launching several businesses in rapid succession while still having a life, raising a family, and building saleable assets.

I am currently being coached one-on-one by one of the successful few; a process that costs thousands of dollars each month. You can do the same, and frankly if you have the money to spare … you absolutely should! Alternatively, you can invest $97 (a one-time payment) in the on-demand distillation of this knowledge in video format.

Wealthification is a 9-part course covering:

• Assets
• Structure
• Strategy
• Marketing
• People
• Systems
• Action
• Cash Flow
• Application

This isn’t some bloated and complicated theoretical guide that is going to take you hours to study. The course is a succinct roadmap that reveals how to build a better business in video format.

Learn More (Free Video & PDF)

Related posts:

1. Dan Pink – The Surprising Science of Motivation
2. Simon Sinek – How Great Leaders and Organizations Inspire Action

In my previous post, I showed you footage from the Logitech C920 Webcam on full auto, and there was definitely some focusing issues.

In this post, you can see the improvements when running with auto-focus switched off. There is a screenshot that explains how to switch off auto-focus at the bottom of the post.

Auto-Focus Off w/ Two 500 Watt Fluorescent Softboxes

Auto-Focus Off w/ Ambient Light (dim room)

How To Switch Off Auto-Focus

Related posts:

1. Logitech C920 Webcam Test Footage
2. Even Clearer Picture And Sound: Logitech C920
3. Video Email Ninja Tools – Webcam, Lights, Backdrop

You will see the classics: the webcam has trouble focusing due to me waving my hands, and the overall picture is dark because there is not enough light in the room.

In my next post, I will show how to adjust the camera settings so the video stays focused throughout, and to make the picture brighter. With just these minor tweaks, you will be able to produce good quality video for your video emails, and even videos that go on your landing pages or in your blog, providing you can hit start and stop at the right points, which is usually pretty easy for short videos.

The next level up is using video editing software, e.g. Windows Movie Maker, Sony Vegas, or iMovie. You can then trim, splice, and make other edits to your footage before rending and publishing the video to your site.

Related posts:

1. Logitech C920 Webcam Test Footage – Auto-Focus Off
2. Even Clearer Picture And Sound: Logitech C920
3. Video Email Ninja Tools – Webcam, Lights, Backdrop

Webcams that are built-into computers being the worst end of the spectrum, and yes that includes webcams that are built into Macs; although they are significantly better than their Windows-based counterparts, they cannot compete with the stand alone Logitech pedigree.

I have been using Logitech webcams since 2008. First I had the Logitech 9000, then I upgraded to the C910. Now I am using the C920.

The Logitech C920, has some notable improvements over the previous versions:

• H.264 Encoding Chip  - Video is captured with the webcam’s sensor, digitized and compressed with H.264. The video data is then sent through a USB cable to your computer for viewing. This reduces the load on your computers CPU when recording videos. The video file sizes are also smaller, so they will upload faster.
• 20-Step Autofocus – Logitech have adapted the same type of autofocus motor used in mobile phone cameras, and optimized it for webcams; touting more accurate and faster auto-focus as a result.
• Mounting Clip – You can now mount the webcam to a tripod using the universal screw port on the underside of the webcam’s frame. In previous versions, you could only place the webcam on top of a monitor, unless you had macgyver-like skills!
• Full 1080p HD Skype Calling – Full HD 1080p video calls on Skype for the sharpest video-calling.

You can snap one of these puppies up for around $80 on Amazon or your local Best Buy.

I will be publishing sample footage in subsequent posts.

Related posts:

1. Logitech C920 Webcam Test Footage – Auto-Focus Off
2. Logitech C920 Webcam Test Footage
3. Understanding HD Webcams: Logitech Pro C910 / FV TouchCam N1

They say the proof is in the pudding, right?

In seven years Infusionsoft has gone from zero to over 7000 customers (50K users), $20 million in annual revenue and 120 employees. Oh and they, for all intents and purposes, got voted the most popular marketing automation software in the world by Capterra. Eloqua technically ranks above Infusionsoft, but Eloqua costs $2K per month for the starter package and doesn’t do e-commerce or CRM.

I have been with Infusionsoft for almost four years. I was one of the first few people to get certified as a consultant on their software. I have two applications, one for each business. Infusionsoft is the most important piece of software that I use. So if you don’t trust the facts, believe me when I say the pudding is good, really good!

Related posts:

1. Top 20 [Most Popular] Marketing Automation Software Solutions
2. Scott Martineau, Founder and VP of Infusionsoft says…
3. Infusionsoft’s Drag-And-Drop Campaign Builder