Entrepreneurial Selling

Video Sales Letters

Written by Kristin Marquet for Gaebler Ventures

The video sales letter is gaining more and more momentum and becoming a favorite among some of the prominent internet marketers of today as videos appeal to all of the senses - visual, audio and touch.

Recently, video sales letters have become a part of many companies' online marketing strategies because the twenty-page sales letter has become obsolete.

People on the web are looking for information quickly; they want to be informed and move onto the next thing. With that said the video sales letter is gaining more and more momentum among some of the prominent internet marketers of today as videos appeal to visitors' vision, hearing, and touch.

Video sales letters cut back the amount of time that visitors are on your site. The more convenient you make the educational process for visitors, the more inclined they will be to make a purchase from your site.

Many online marketers are taking advantage of this revolutionary multi-media platform to promote products and services as well as use for sales presentations and product tutorials.

Keep these 8 Points in Mind when Creating Your Sales letter videos

• Conciseness - Keep each video short and to the point, preferably between 2 to 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, visitors become bored or distracted. If you have a lot of information, break the series into several 5-minute videos.
• Know your market - Segment the right niche. Pay close attention to demographics, psychographics, and geographics including location, age, finances, education, culture, needs, and expectations. If you are targeting several different niche markets, create videos that cater to each specific niche.
• Benefit driven content - Reveal the benefits of your product/service first followed by the product/service features. Tap into emotions. Use words such as "energize," "bright," "free" or "new." Be specific and do not exaggerate. Show examples how your product/service will work and help improve the prospects' lives.
• Text - If you are going to use a PowerPoint sales letter, use a small amount of text on each screen shot. Use a headline with a sub-headline followed by four or five bullet points. Use red font to emphasize specific points.
• Audio - Make sure the audio syncs with each line or bullet point. If it does not, the prospect will get lost. Use background music when appropriate, usually during product or service descriptions.
• Images - To break up text, use appropriate images. Note: even though images are aesthetically pleasing, using large amounts of images and graphs can be overwhelming.
• Search Engine Rankings - Use the appropriate tags and keyword phrases for search engine optimization. Upload videos to video sharing sites such as YouTube, Google Video and Vimeo, to help with search engine rankings.
• The Offer - Make sure you have the offer prominently displayed at the end of the video. Offer a free trial to your mastermind group; give a large discount toward the next purchase; offer a free e-book or an exclusive course, or something that has a high-perceived value.

Kristin Marquet will be receiving her MBA from Harvard University in Fall of 2010. She has worked in the marketing and public relations field for over 10 years.

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