Pump up the sales volume on your e-book with a product video Part III: Creating content for your product video

Generating ideas for your product video is one thing, creating content is quite another. To begin with, your content must align with your vision of what you want your product video to say about your e-book. In other words, what do you want your viewers to take away from watching your product video?

Product videos are as much about giving as they are about selling. In this case ‘the giving’ is all about giving someone a feel good and must have a factor when it comes to your product. Remember – emotion and connection is what you want your product video to achieve.  

Promoting a food product and forging a connection with potential buyers is relatively easy to achieve through video. After all, we all think about our stomach at some point during the day, so making an emotional connection with visual images of food is not that difficult. However, we are not talking about food; we are talking about your e-book. So, figuratively speaking, how do you make your e-book an edible product through visual imagery? The answer to that question is:  much in the same way that you would a food product – through a clean and attractive presentation.  In short, your video content should be clean and beautiful, enough to entice the buyer to take an emotional bite out of your product.

Staying with the food analogy for the moment, let’s look at a product video for an e-book on dieting for hypo-thyroid suffers. Hypothyroidism is a common illness affecting millions of people around the world. Basically, the affected person’s body doesn’t produce enough thyroxin and, as a consequence, he or she becomes lethargic and suffers from a range of physical and emotional problems including, but not limited to, overweight and depression.

To counter the effects of an underactive thyroid gland, the patient is typically given thyroxin tablets to compensate for the body’s inability to produce enough natural thyroxin. In a majority of cases, thyroxin tablets will help the patient overcome the side effects of his or her underactive thyroid, but only if the individual concerned follows a dietary and exercise regime that compliments and assists their thyroxin uptake, and herein lays the problem. Certain foods and drinks inhibit thyroxin uptake. For example, drinking coffee can reduce thyroxin uptake by as much as 30%, which is quite a lot if you are dependent on thyroxin tablets to stabilize your metabolism.

An e-book on diets for hypothyroid suffers will focus on the various types of food and drink that a hypothyroid can or cannot consume.  The topic of the e-book, therefore, lends itself to all kinds of visual imagery for a product video – the health benefits, or lack thereof, of certain types of food or drink. The video content can also include images of active and sporting people to illustrate the success of following the dietary advice in the e-book. Although the list of possible material for the product video is endless, the message and emotional connection between the product and buyer is unequivocal – this product can help you, the hypothyroid, to lead a healthy lifestyle. 

Pump up your e-book sales volume with a product video – Part II

Creating Ideas for your e-book product video

In Part I of Pump up your e-book sales, we discussed the option of creating a product video for an e-book. We also identified one of the main challenges of producing an e-book product video – that of budgetary constraint.

Few, if any, e-book authors have the financial resources to create a product video with high-end production values. Besides, would an e-book with a price tag of only $2.95 be worth the investment? In the short term, the answer would most certainly be no. However, over the lifespan of more than one e-book product, the answer would have to be a resounding yes.

Your initial e-book product video is not so much about drawing attention to a single e-book, but more about bringing audience attention to your brand of writing across a range of e-book subjects. The product video is about getting your name out there, and in this respect investing in a product, a video is well worth the effort.

Getting your name out there into the marketplace is the name of the game, and herein you will find the key to generating ideas for your product video.

The biggest seller of products is not glam or glitz. It is the buyer’s perception of a product’s relative value relative to his or her needs that will make the sale every time. You can wrap up a product in as much tinsel as you want, but, unless it has an emotional connection with your potential buyer, you are not going to make the sale. Emotion and connection (empathy) are what you need to demonstrate in your product video, and the only person who can do that is you. After all, you are the one who gave birth to your e-book, and you did so for a reason.

You might have written your e-book to earn extra cash. Alternatively, your e-book might have been motivated by a hobby or a passion. Whatever the reason for writing and publishing your e-book, it is the initial motivation that drove you to write in the first place that should be the inspiration behind your product video.

About fourteen months ago I wrote an e-book on ‘How to Succeed as a Newbie E-book Author.’ I had no high expectations for my e-book other than to say that I had actually become a published e-book author. I anticipated around three thousand readers for my modest tome if I was lucky. To my surprise, my e-book generated over 17,000 views, and that was with zero promotional effort.

At the time of publication, I had no intention of promoting my e-book beyond posting it on my blog. I was not looking to produce a best seller. Instead, my goal was to see if I could write and publish something that people were prepared to read. As it turned out, I got more readers than I originally anticipated.

Today, if I were looking to promote my first e-book, I would certainly consider putting together a product video based on my passion for writing and on my goal of acquiring three thousand like-minded readers/followers. The product video would not have been so much about the content of my e-book but about my passion for writing, the ability to articulate ideas using the written word. Such a thematic focus for a product video lends itself to an emotional connection between the viewer and the product that I want to sell.

Next article: Choosing content for your product video

Pump up your e-book sales volume with a product video

Pump up your e-book sales volume with a product video

Pump up your e-book sales volume with a product video on YouTube, and why not? Most companies selling tangible goods use video to promote their products. For example, in 2009 Samsung launched a product video featuring sheep wrapped up in the company’s latest LED technology.

To date, the Samsung sheep video on YouTube has received 14.5 million views and still counting. In short, Samsung’s product video has reached out and continues to reach out to its customer base with a tantalizingly effective marketing message which has translated into an overwhelming demand for its LED technology and other electronic products. So if Samsung can do it, why not the e-book author?

Creating a product video is not that difficult. There are plenty of software packages available that will allow you to produce a good quality video for distribution over the net. However, getting people to watch your product video is another matter.

One advantage that mainstream companies have over first-time e-book authors is worldwide brand awareness. Unless you are a very famous author, it is unlikely that you will have a global following. If you did, you wouldn’t need a product video.

So how do you overcome the problem of getting your product video noticed? The answer to that question is to create a video that is unique, funny or has novelty value, and which can carry your product message to the marketplace. Remember, the idea is to get as many people to watch your product video as possible. You want your product video to go viral!

Often as not, the most successful product videos are those which resonate with audiences. In other words, identify the audience’s problem and then offer a solution, but do it in such a way that is not contrived or comes across as chalk and talk. Don’t tell! Instead, your product video should entertain and inform.

One of the funniest and perhaps most entertaining series of product videos I have watched in recent years is the Budweiser ads, in particular, those ads where animal and human interaction takes place. Animals are cute and cuddly, but when they are employed to usurp the human intellect, the results can be extremely funny.

Unlike Budweiser, you probably don’t have millions to spend on video production and well trained animals, so capturing a funny moment between animals and humans is not an option for your product video. Ultimately, budgetary constraints will impact on what type of product video you create, but this does not mean you should limit your imagination.

In my next article, I will be looking at how to generate ideas for an e-book product video.

Your E-book is your calling card

Writing an e-book or a series of e-books is a demanding process involving time and dedication. However, once published, your e-book can be your best friend when it comes to generating publicity for you as an author or expert in your field. Promoted correctly, your e-book can lead to future commissions for your writing skills, or even guest speaker requests from peers in your chosen niche market.

Promoting your e-book is not just about telling potential customers how buying your publication can help solve their problems. It is also about building your brand image. Essentially, this means that your promotional strategy should include some form of social interaction between you and your customer. Just saying ‘thank you’ to someone who has bought your e-book is not enough. You need to follow through by opening a channel for dialogue between you and your customer, much in the same way a customer service department does when a consumer enters a store. There are several ways you can do this.

1. Your e-book is your calling card so you should include your contact details in the footer of your e-book pages. This will allow buyers of your publication to contact you if they have any queries related to your e-book’s content. More often than not, these queries will be requests for further information. When you receive such requests, it is important that you respond positively by supplying the requested information, or by directing the enquirer to a relevant and accessible source that will meet their request. The key here is to build up a rapport between you and your readers.

2. Do offer a ‘satisfaction or your money back guarantee’ with your e-book. This demonstrates that you are confident about the value and quality of your e-book offering. A ‘satisfaction or your money back guarantee’ also helps to build trust around you and your publication. Consumer trust is intrinsic to building a positive brand image around you and your work.

3. Include some free pages for potential customers to review, after which they can leave a comment on, or rate, what they have read.

4. Create a community blog around your e-book’s content. This will encourage social interaction between you and your readers. Blogging is a handy feedback tool as visitors can post comments on what you have written.

5. Don’t make outlandish claims about what your e-book can deliver. This is a sure fire way to destroy your credibility as an expert in your chosen field. Instead, be honest and forthright about the content of your e-book. Tell it how it is. Your integrity and reputation as an author are assets that you can ill afford to lose.

6. While publishing testimonials help to build a positive image around your e-book, you shouldn’t be afraid to publish any criticism about your work either. Don’t abdicate your ability to control criticism by not responding to anyone who has a genuine grievance against what you have written. Responding to criticism positively is a great opportunity for you to demonstrate your excellent ‘customer service’ skills. Use criticism of your work as a feedback tool.

7. Include a bio at the end of your e-book. Your bio is an opportunity to stake out your credentials as a knowledgeable author on the subject you are writing about. Again, honesty is the best policy here. You don’t need to be a university professor or a college graduate to be a knowledgeable author. Your ‘hands-on experience’ of a given topic is worth more than a college degree without experience. The online ‘expert industry’ is more about exchanging life experiences than it is about exchanging ideas on academic theory.

In the final analysis, your e-book should be treated as your calling card and not just another product you sell.

Writer’s block and inspirational movies

As a writer, there will invariably come a time when you will experience the frustration of writer’s block. Unfortunately, it’s an occupational hazard. It happens to all of us. What makes writer’s block even more frustrating is the fact that it always happens when you’ve got a deadline to meet. The question is: how to overcome this impediment which threatens to derail your writing career?

Well, different writers use different techniques to get their writing back on track. But the methods I find most useful are the ones that inspire me. If the block is only temporary and it’s a beautiful day, then I merely go dig in the garden. (We have a vast garden, which includes a small orchard, so there is always plenty to do.)

Spending time in the garden has a calming effect. It takes away all the anxieties that are contributing to my writer's block. A few hours in the garden not only clears the head, but it also inspires me too. There is nothing more inspiring than looking at the way plants, insects and animals interact with each other. No matter what happens during any given day, the world keeps spinning. And that’s the beauty and the miracle of the world in which we live.

If the block is a little more serious, then I turn to my movie collection. My movie collection is only a modest one, but it does contain a lot of inspirational material. Here are my top eight favorite movies for kicking writer’s block:

1. Balboa (Rocky VI)

2. Jerry Maguire

3. Any Given Sunday

4. Wall Street

5. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

6. Working Girl

7. National Velvet (Old but pure gold when it comes to inspiration)

8. Champions

The theme that runs through all of these movies is one of overcoming adversity to achieve success. The first three movies all contain inspirational speeches that galvanize the spirit towards action.

My all-time favorite inspirational movie speech comes from Balboa (Rocky VI) in which Rocky (Sly Stallone) tells his son that if he knows what he is worth, then he should go out and get it. Basically, advises his son not to be such a puss by blaming others for his lack of success. He’s right. If you want to be successful, then you’ve got to get out there and start pitching.

My second all-time favorite inspirational movie speech comes from ‘Any Given Sunday’ in which Al Pachino lifts his team to a victory with awe inspiring and heartfelt vocalization of what it takes to win. What a performance!

‘Jerry Maguire’ is another great movie for lifting the spirits. It is about a guy (Tom Cruise) who follows his instinct for a more compassionate approach to being a sports agent. The movie is not only a ‘feel good’ experience it also restores your faith in humanity.

‘Wall Street’ (I & II) are all about the follies of avarice and unethical practices. The message is simple: there are no shortcuts to fame and fortune. However, there is one quote from ‘Wall Street’ that I just love. ‘There is no nobility in poverty.’ It is a reminder to all that it is up to us to make sure we don’t live an impoverished life. Poverty is not just about a lack of tangible wealth, it can also mean a lack of personal integrity.

‘Working Girl,’ starring Melanie Griffiths, is another ‘feel good’ movie. It reminds you that when you are on the bottom the only place you can go is to the top.

‘National Velvet’, starring Elisabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney, is a film from my childhood days. A teenage girl winning the Grand National, the most spectacular and dangerous of all horse races, gets your blood pumping. If a teenager can scale the heights of victory, then so can we all.

And last, but not least, we come to ‘Champions,’ which is another Grand National movie. The movie charts the true story of jockey Bob Champion and his fight against cancer. It also charts the story of his mount, Aldaniti, who suffered a serious injury which nearly had him sent to the afterlife. Together, the two of them formed a bond of friendship as each of them struggled to overcome their life-threatening afflictions. Eventually, against all the odds, man and horse overcame adversity to win the Grand National. ‘Champions’ is a moving and inspirational story which resonates with anyone who has had to deal with the inequities of life. It is well worth the watch.

So if you are an author suffering from writer’s block, then check out one or two of the above movies. You might be surprised at how quickly your writer’s block disappears.

Writing and Publishing Your Personal Success Story

Nothing stirs the emotions quite like an individual success story. I think it is fair to say that we all love reading or listening to tales of how someone has triumphed over adversity to achieve success. Someone else’s success, after all, can be a source of inspiration for others. So what makes a good success story?

Aside from inspiring others to action, a good success story charts the history of an individual’s effort to overcome obstacles to achieve their goals. These obstacles can come in many forms, such as escaping from poverty to become a successful entrepreneur or creating new opportunities out of a life-changing experience. In any event, a good success story is one that evokes empathy rather than sympathy.

We’ve all heard of Steve Jobs, the founder and CEO of Apple, and the story of how he was given up for adoption by his biological mother. How he dropped out from mainstream college education but went on to found Apple, a seriously successful company with a brand image that now spans the globe. Steve Jobs’ success has also been punctuated by numerous personal crises including a battle with cancer. Nonetheless, at no point in his life has he ever given up his goal of successfully serving others.

Steve Jobs’ success story exemplifies the courage and tenacity of someone prepared to take on life’s inequities to lead a productive and fulfilling life. Moreover, Steve Job’s success has inspired countless people around the world by revolutionizing how we communicate with each other. This is an enormous achievement by anyone’s standards.

But what about those individual success stories that never see the light of day or fail to make it into mainstream media? What happens to those stories? More often than not, those stories are lost along with the lessons that go with them. However, occasionally, a person who feels strongly enough about their personal achievements will take the plunge and write and self-publish their success story. In general, such a person will not print and publish their story out of vanity. They will write their story in the sincere hope that it will inspire others to rise up out of the mire of misfortune and to conquer their fears to live a more meaningful and productive life. One such person is my writing colleague Carole.

Carole was involved in a near-fatal helicopter accident some years ago. The accident left Carole with terrible head injuries, which effectively put paid to her career as a helicopter pilot. It was a life-changing event, to say the least, and it took some time for Carole to come to terms with the reality of her new situation.

After months in a critical care unit and subsequent years of rehabilitation, Carole began to look at other career options. She really had no choice if she was going to keep a roof over her family’s head.

In any event, Carole tried her hand at writing. At first, it was difficult, for obvious reasons, but it wasn’t long before she soon discovered a real passion for putting words down on paper. Carole loved the writing process, so much so that she decided to coach others in the art of writing. Now she has written a book called ‘LIVE YOUR LIFE BOLDLY,’ a personal story of how she overcame serious physical injury, including brain damage, to start a new career as a writing coach. Carole’s book will be released in electronic format later this year, and I would highly recommend it as a good read.

Carole’s success story is a good example of how an ordinary individual created opportunity and success out of adversity. It is not always easy to write about oneself and lay bare our most intimate details for the whole world to read. But, for some of us, writing about our personal struggles and triumphs is the only strategy we have for excising the ghosts of the past and to bring closure to events that have dramatically changed our lives.

So long as what we write does not delve into the realm of self-indulgence, then people will read what we have written. As Mikhail Lermontov so aptly put it in the introduction to his epic novel, A HERO OF OUR TIME, ‘The story of a human soul, even the pettiest of souls, is no less interesting and instructive than the story of a nation, especially if it is the result of the observation of a mature mind and written without the vain desire to evoke compassion or wonder.’

If you’ve got a personal success story to tell, then you should write and share it with a broader audience. You may have lessons that others might want to learn. 

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

What an amazing day! It has been without doubt a day to remember, if only for its feel good factor.

The Royal Wedding captivated audiences from around the world, sending good vibrations throughout all those who tuned into the much heralded event. I, for one, was riveted to the TV as Wills and Kate made their vows to each other. The pomp and pageantry of the ceremony certainly stirred the emotions. It was a great spectacle, even for those who are cynical about the role of the Royals in today’s society.

I felt good and so did millions of others when the Royal Couple exuded genuine warmth and affection as they waved to the crowds who had lined the streets of London to watch the ceremony. And that warmth and affection was reciprocated when Wills and Kate appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave to the 500,000 well wishers who had gathered to cheer and see the iconic ‘kiss’ between the newlywed Royals. Amazing stuff!

But when I thought the day couldn’t get any better, I got an email from a writing colleague in South Africa. She had sent me a video link from YouTube.

The link was to the performance of Edward Reid, a Scottish drama teacher, during an audition for Britain’s Got Talent. And what a performance it was too. Edward gave a very unusual rendition of some well known nursery rhymes accompanied by an instrumental of Leona Lewis’ ‘Run’. It was simply brilliant! Way to go Edward!

I guess today was one of those rare inspirational days when hope was restored to a world beset by crisis and conflict. If today taught me anything, it was never to lose faith in mankind’s indomitable spirit and ability to reach for the stars.

Big or small, young or old, royal or commoner, we owe it to ourselves and others to radiate a sense of positivity in all that we do. Being positive certainly makes the world a more bearable place in which to live.

Checkout Edward’s Audition:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQlNbtM5Okk