Making Web Video That Sells: eBook Review
With the ever expanding growth of high speed internet connections, video is cropping up on most major websites more and more. Whether you are informing potential purchasers with a screencast or hoping to direct the next viral experience, video is something that most designers and developers should have at least a basic understanding of.
Enter – Making Web Video that Sells eBook by Doug Heacock & Glen Stansberry.
Who needs to read this book?
If you have a good grasp on web video and screencasting already, then this book is probably not for you. But for those new to web video or those hoping to better educate their clients on the importance of adding video to their marketing options, Making Web Video That Sells is great starting point.
Before reading the book I thought I had pretty good understanding of web video. I’ve put together some screencasts and shot some marketing footage before, but after reading the book I have to wonder if I’m truly making the most of video for my personal projects and for those of my clients.
What’s so good about video?
Putting together a quality video or screencast takes effort and some potentially expensive equipment and software. At first glance, video may seem not to be worth the trouble.
But the writers make a powerful argument for adding video to any site:
Video can help you tell your story, air your opinion, demonstrate your product, explain your services, provide training or support for your users, or showcase your business to a potential audience of hundreds, thousands, even millions.
And while it’s true that it’s going to take a time and a monetary investment, the book thoroughly goes through the reasons why it’s worth it; including the experience of how 12 hours with a camera lead to one company selling inflatable fruitcakes to improving their sales by 500 percent.
Who knew? I guess it’s a pretty good endorsement to video if you can even use it to increase your inflatable fruitcake sales.
And while you personally may not have thought it was important to sell your services by adding video to your site before, it’s worth realizing that video allows you to connect with your clients and come across as a real person much better than static text or even photos do.
Some people are more interested in hearing a real person explain how a product works, or seeing the product demonstrated in action. Some people would rather see you in person talking about your viewpoints, as opposed to reading it on a blog.
What’s inside?
Along with an introduction to video, the book does a good job in going over all the different ways to present your video, where to host it, and even how to produce it.
What makes a video interesting, how to storyboard and shoot the video and how to make it more likely for your videos to be shared are also discussed.
On top of that, included is a comprehensive appendix for those wanting to dive further into video production and direction and a couple screencasts on video conversion and uploading to YouTube instructions.
The eBook is just under 125 pages and promises to have unlimited updates as video and the web industry changes.
Conclusion
Making Web Videos that Sell gives solid reasons and a strong push towards adding video to even the most basic websites. And while it may not be for the advanced videographers among us, the books is going to give you an inaugural understanding of the how and why of video marketing.
Save $18 off the cover price
The book is available here for $67 and until the end of April 2010 the authors are giving FreelanceSwitch readers the adding bonus of saving and additional $18 by offering the book for $49 using the promo code: FSW.
Leave a Comment
Would you pay $67 or even $49 for a 125 page “how to” book in a bookstore? I wouldn’t. So why is that pricing being presented as a bargain as an ebook online?
I can certainly understand that, Debra. I’m sorry if it came across like I was holding a gun to your head to purchase the book. Like I said in the review, it’s not going to be for everyone. I try to to detail what’s inside and leave the perception on value up to the individual.
When you’re used to buying a typical book in a bookstore for $10 – $20 I know it’s hard to think of ever spending more than that on a book, but you need to look beyond just the price and consider the value that something like this promises to provide.
If you’re reading just for entertainment value or to learn how to build a window box for your flowers, $10 – $20 seems like a fair trade – but when you can learn something that could help you increase your sales, something like this deserves a little more consideration.
No one’s making any promises here, but if a $50 investment could help you get just one additional project that makes you $500 or $1000 this year, that seems like a smart investment to me.
To be fair – it’s the authors job to demonstrate the value of their product and show you all the ways you can benefit from it – and I think they could do a bit better in that regard. Offering a guarantee of some sort would also be nice, especially when selling something in this price range.
Thanks for the review Travis!
Steve
@Steve Solom, I’m used to buying technical books that cost $40-$70 or more. Those books took months for someone to write, with contributions from editors, technical editors, copy editors, proofreaders, and typesetters, to ensure that the material is high quality and good value.
I’ve written 3 Excel books, and know how much work goes into producing 300+ pages of good content. Those books help people improve their Excel skills, so they can get or keep a job, or earn a promotion, and make more than $500 or $1000 this year.
A quick check on Amazon shows several similar video books, in the $20-$30 range, for books written by experts, with 2-3 times the number of pages. Why is this book worth $67?
I’m sure some people will buy this ebook, but I won’t be among them.
Sorry, but I also think the price is too high a paperless book. Best luck anyway.
debra: something is fishy about this, you’re right!
Sounds like a good resource to me, but it is very high in price. Why so expensive? If anyone would like some video tips, and I have found video to be extremely effective for clients when they are able to invest, shoot me an email. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have!
It’s great to have a basic understanding of video, but it might be nice to mention this along the way:
Just like you appreciate being hired as a web/design professional, us video professionals appreciate being hired for our skills as well. If you really want to make the most of adding video to your services then make friends with a professional video freelancer and refer each other.
Don’t just buy a camera and say that you do video. If you start doing that then you’re no better those kids out there going and downloading dreamweaver and saying that they build websites!
i agree nina, but the main thing is to have good sound, and that helps a low quality image go a long way.
I see web videos, business presentations and product reviews/explanations more and more in my client wishlists.
Rolgordijnen, let me know if there is anything I can do for you and your clients, I’m a one stop shop for business promotional videos. I make it easy for my clients and provide viewable rough cuts along the way to make sure they are happy with what they are paying for. Check out the videography section of my website for examples.
Best,
Brian
I think the book, is priced just fine. Video is slowly taking over the web, and I’ll tell you why you need to know at least some basic knowledge. There are 400 million people on facebook, YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world! I have statistics for days, video seems more powerful then just dull text. As a interface designer, people are more drawn to click a video then to read a link or body copy.
I’m the next wave of innovation and creativity, and I’m also your compeition. I’d save up and buy this book. I would read it and gain insight on what other professionals are doing with video. Now, on my collegiate budget, if I can afford it you can too. But again this isn’t for everyone, but i am working on digital video resumes and a HUGE project that I can’t talk about.
In conclusion, I would just like to say video and web design are merging. If your a web designer and you haven’t touched or thought about learning video production your in trouble. And the same goes for film makers, at this very moment I’m learning about storyboards, wireframing, and color treatment for cinematography. I am not going to rely on a Videographer to help produce, edit, and promote my ideas. I am open to collaboration, but to be ignorant of this new phenom is just plain laziness.
these products seem to me really, really helpful