Even if it’s not a record, 63% is a mighty fine conversion rate.

Considerably higher than the 10-20% I often hear internet marketers claim with pride. Compared to banner ads, (the absolutely lowest form at a paltry .2%) 63% is astronomical.

Sales pages always brag about fantastic conversions rates, of course. I’ve seen off-the-chart claims that I refuse to believe.  One of the best rules of journalism is consider the source.  In this case, the internet, where crazy schemes and cheap Viagra both get too much attention IMHO.

But I am close enough to this particular claim to know it’s true. Besides, this isn’t a sales letter!

Dave Lakhani, president of Bold Approach a PR and marketing firm got a 63% CTR when he emailed his list a short, simple talking-head video with interactivity. The interactivity was a clickable image of the book he sells. Viewers who click on the book go directly to the sales page.

63% of the video viewers clicked on the book cover-made-into-a-link. Of those, 100% bought the book.

Seriously.

I know that sounds like what I was complaining about just a second ago but that’s really what the numbers said.

Obviously, these were laser targeted customers who already had a rapport with Dave.   The message of the book, “How to Sell When Nobody is Buying,” is timely for the recession-weary market.

Even with those two factors, I think it also proves the point that a simple talking head video with interactivity is an incredibly powerful marketing weapon.

If you want to see Dave’s video go here.  You’ll see that it’s nothing fancy.  Just a short, talking head video with a distinct call to action and actionable interactivity.

EASY VIDEO PRODUCTION

From a video production standpoint, a talking head is the easiest kind of video to make.  Any kind of camera will do, from a built-in web cam to fancy professional model.

For an extremely long post giving details on how to professionally videotape a talking head video, click that link.

If you watch Dave’s video, you’ll see that the production values are minimal but good enough.  The light is falling on the face and he picked a plain background.  I was not there when he shot it, but it looks like he just held out a Flip cam with one arm, starred straight into it and took 1:36 to sum up his offer in a slightly rehearsed way.  He made mention of the clickable book image twice.  People knew just what to do and they did it.

Dave Lakhani gets his interactivity from Veeple, just like I do. His experience is their single best example to date.  The average CTR across their customer base is 24%, which is incredible as an average.  A pre-roll video played before an online video gets a 2-4% response.   Look at this chart that shows how much more effective interactivity makes video marketing.  The green bar represents video with interactivity and the orange bar represents  plain video.

Interactivity  has many diverse uses.  It works best to weave the interactivity into your script, making it a planned part of your video’s message.

A fully interactive video is so content rich that it can function like a “traveling website.”  If you want to see how to blend your entire online presence into one video as a portable website, here is a post on it.

You can sign up for a 30 day free trial at Veeple or, you can join the Video Marketing Express and have access to Veeple’s services through your account there.

Video Marketing Express is my membership site where I make the video, customize it for you, and then host it at Veeple using their interactive platform.

At VME, you can choose one of my pre-made squeeze page videos or we can make a talking head video for you similar to what Dave did.

Thanks for reading Video Production Tips.

Lorraine Grula