Archive for May, 2009

As you know, direct response marketing is a business model that uses some sort of media, whether it’s mail, email, podcasts, articles or video to get customers and prospects to contact the marketer directly. The idea is to get a customer to instantly do something in response to the marketing communication. When we’re talking about the Internet – the response is most likely to click on a link.

Direct response video marketing is an especially effective method for getting customers to move that cursor over the link to your website and click, because video has the unique capability to let customers and prospects see and hear you – it’s much more personal. And if your marketing video is well done, informative and even a little entertaining, that customer will automatically want to find out more.

The beauty of direct response video marketing is that you can create visual and verbal triggers that will compel your customer to visit your website. They can be verbal reminders from you (don’t overdo it), and graphics that you can incorporate directly on your video. You can also encourage a direct response by adding your link to your YouTube profile when you upload your videos to YouTube.

While written words are tremendous, spoken words are also great at getting responses. There’s nothing more effective than direct response video marketing because it employs written words, spoken words and video into a compelling combination for action.

Most marketers haven’t caught on to this trend yet, so pay close attention! You can become a guru on YouTube by starting your own YouTube channel. This is easy to do because YouTube actually gives you your own channel when you sign up for a YouTube account. This makes your YouTube video marketing efforts super-convenient, but many marketers don’t maximize it to their advantage.

When you create your own YouTube channel, you have the ability to arrange your own content videos and related videos that others have posted in one location with its own URL. You also are able to create your own profile that links back to your website. As a service to your viewers, you will have the chance to create playlists of videos that are going to be valuable to them – giving you credibility and visibility.

The whole idea behind becoming a YouTube video marketing guru is that your videos, plus complementary videos, are grouped together and your channel can be subscribed to by viewers so they get updated every time a new video is added to the channel. Putting together a solid playlist of useful videos can help you rise to the top of the heap in your category or niche.

How do you become a guru? When you sign up for your YouTube account, you’ll be given a choice of what type of account you’d like. You can choose Standard, Comedian, Musician, Director or Guru. The guru account is for experts in a given field and lets you pick a logo, and links to your website from your profile page. If you’ve already signed up for YouTube, from your Account page, go to Edit Channel Info and customize your own YouTube video marketing guru channel and start using it for your direct marketing efforts online.

Blogs are fantastic. So are podcasts, articles, and all the other methods you use for Internet direct marketing. But are you using online video marketing to supplement those strategies? A lot of people get suddenly shy when it comes to video marketing. It’s not a case of them not wanting to do it, but more a case of them mistakenly thinking that video marketing is something they can’t do for whatever reason – maybe a lack of skills – maybe a lack of equipment. But the truth of the matter is quite the opposite.

The skills involved have little to do with being able to “produce” a video, and much more to do with your personality and your ability to convey an idea to your audience in a clear and interesting way. And the equipment you use can be as simple as a garden-variety digital camcorder with a microphone.

With online video marketing showing itself to be that one thing that marketers with a clue absolutely must do to get ahead of the pack, you can’t afford to be shy about entering this arena. It’s still being used by only a small percentage of Internet marketers – the field is wide open and waiting for you.

Use your personality, your expertise, your sense of humor and your ability to share your excitement. You’ll find that online video marketing gives you the perfect venue for sharing who you are and what you know. This will translate into an increased online presence and an element of success you can’t get elsewhere.

Whenever the average person hears the words, “direct marketing,” a bad taste fills his mouth. Direct marketing conjures up images of excessive junk mail and waste of environmental resources.

But direct marketing online has helped this element of advertising evolve into something that’s more eco-conscious, cost effective, and less intrusive on the consumer’s private, personal space. It’s a win-win for everyone involved – it saves you money and saves the recipient a lot of frustration.

Direct marketing online doesn’t mean spam in the email inbox, either. That’s one of the worst ways you can utilize your advertising savvy. Instead, direct marketing has taken a turn where consumers now come to you instead of you barging your way into their lives.

You can use tools like viral PDFs, podcasts, and video marketing to tap into the wallets of your prospects and consumers. Using these direct marketing techniques, you can build brand recognition and customer loyalty that’s stronger than ever before.

Viral elements are easy to implement in your marketing campaigns. Oo many entrepreneurs and business owners simply stick to the facts about their products and services – they never delve into what makes the customer tick and what could cause him or her to forward on the message to others.

In order to succeed with direct marketing online, you’ll need to learn the subtle difference between blatant sales speak and peer-to-peer influence. But once you master the world of direct marketing on the World Wide Web, you’ll realize the power it holds in helping you build your business.