Anyone that is new to affiliate marketing who spends time looking at what successful marketers do, will see that using videos for affiliate marketing has become an important part of having a successful business.
Whether you use your own videos, videos made by the affiliate marketing programs you are part of, or video testimonials, you can increase your success by doing so.
Benefits Of Using Videos For Affiliate Marketing
1. Using videos for affiliate marketing can help you grab the attention of people. In today’s fast paced online world, you won’t find as many customers willing to read a long white paper on why they should buy your product as a few years ago. People want quick and easy-to-digest information that can help them make a buying decision and a one minute infomercial can be very effective.
2. Videos show instead of tell. One of the most common copywriting tips you’ll read says that you should show instead of tell. Video makes that easy. You can demonstrate how products work and use visuals to help you make a sale. A comprehensive video (kept interesting, of course) is more likely to be watched in its entirety than a long sales page that reads like a single block of text (use a combo of text and video and you’ll be in even better shape!)
3. Online videos can help you establish a connection with your prospective customer. It can be difficult to come across as a genuine and a nice person in text format to people who are unfamiliar with you. But video lets your potential customers know more about you as a person and people who like the sales person they deal with are more likely to want to give them that sale. If you have a big personality, this can come across well in a video. If you are extremely professional, this can come across as well. If you want to create a specific persona, video allows you to do that.
4. Videos go viral. Because streaming video is so easily digestible and easily shared, your message can be spread far and wide. Sites like YouTube allow others to display your videos on their websites as well and you can use this to your advantage in terms of attracting customers.
Publishing And Promoting Your Online Videos
• Use video for product reviews and product demos.
• Use video testimonials on your sales page.
• Make Camtasia videos to demonstrate how to do things if you’re weary about putting your face on camera.
• Use video as an interactive element to blogging or for material on Web 2.0 pages.
• Use services such as Tubemogul to distribute and track your videos.
• Don’t forget to do some linking and social bookmarking to help your videos get spread virally.
When you join an affiliate marketing program, one that offers videos to help you learn the ropes can help you shorten the learning curve and the frustration of developing knowledge in a new area. Unleash the potential of using videos for affiliate marketing to help you communicate effectively with your prospective customers and you could increase your affiliate commissions substantially.
Sean Rasmussen
Aussie Internet Marketer
Learn Affiliate Marketing with Year Of The Affiliate © 2012
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Sean,
Just wanted your advice in regards to affiliate marketing. I have researched the keywords in the niche I would like to market and have looked at few viable products via Clickbank.
What equipment do you use to create the videos for You Tube as I have a rather old computer?
Also the products on Clickbank products seem to be erring more to video content than the long sales copy format. Do you thing it will be better to create more video content and less text based content, for websites/blogs in the future?
Kind regards,
Derick
Hi Derick,
A standard video recorder will do the job. If you are wanting to take video capture of your computer screen with audio, I can highly recommend Camtasia. Video is definitely becoming more common and sales letters are getting shorter, you will probably see more of this in the future and I believe video marketing is something everyone should be taking a look at. As far as blogs go, even if you include a video in your post, it’s still a good idea to include copy for SEO etc.
Jing is another tool that can be used to take screen captures. Not as many functions as Camtasia, however its a good free solution.
I haven’t made many video’s yet, however I have uploaded them onto Youtube and inserted them onto my blogs.
.-= Cemil´s last blog ..Reputation Management Tools – Manage Your Reputation Online =-.
Yes, Jing is a great screen capture tool Cemil (made by the same company as Camtasia – Techsmith). I believe the free version only provides a maximum of 5 minute captures. Great work on getting started with online video!
Hi Sean,
The thought of using videos for affiliate marketing is a little scary. But I can see that I’m going to have to overcome this hurdle sometime soon. YouTube is incredibly popular now and video marketing is only becoming more widespread.
I think the best thing about using videos for affiliate marketing is that your customers get to see and hear you. You can engage the customer much faster through video than you can through blog posts or ads.
They will form an opinion really quickly about whether or not you can be trusted. You will make a lot more sales if you come across as trustworthy and likable.
.-= Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Learn and Earn – It’s a Marathon Not a Sprint =-.
Looking forward to ‘seeing’ you on video Jazz!
Jing sounds like the ideal tool to learn with and I had never heard of Tubemogil. Thanks for these tips Sean I have taken notes for future reference
Hi Helen,
I think Jing is great to start and play around a little bit, but it seems to have a very harsh time limit on what you can do (just a few minutes). But I guess I am not going to compete with Sean’s time records to begin with
.-= Renee´s last blog ..Self Improvement Books – What Are Your Favourites =-.
SEan,
A great blog on the using videos for Affiliate Marketing. So many people are visual and don’t necessarily have time to (or even like) reading long posts, so a video can really capture the essence of what is trying to be said or shown. I for one am a visual person and once I “see” how something should be done, it’s far quicker and easier for me to carry out the task.
Thank you Sean for the great resources you have given us. I can’t wait to use them for myself.
I have used other people’s You tubes on my sites, but having the courage to do it myself is the next hurdle to overcome in my Internet Marketing Journey.
Regards Cathy
Hi Sean,
as I am “weary about putting my face on camera” I might pick up your idea and start with a video about how to do something. I still will have to listen to my voice (which sounds very strange to me when recorded), but I guess that is something I will learn to deal with
When watching videos online I find it always very important to know for how long the video will go before I start, as I am sometimes strapped for time and then it only makes sense to download a shorter video.
.-= Renee´s last blog ..Self Improvement Books – What Are Your Favourites =-.
Hi Renee,
I think it’s Camtasia that has a functionality where you can have a picture of yourself or a logo of your business in like the bottom left hand corner while you talk people through how to do something. That way you can work up to being live on camera.
I have made a couple of how-to videos but it’s hard to get comfortable with the sound of your own voice. I think I’m just going to have to bite the bullet and just put them online. I’m thinking that everyone has the same issues; or at least I hope they do.
.-= Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Finding Your Passion =-.
You are right there Jazz,
I bit the bullet tried a video, then didnt have the program to edit I couldn’t upload it anyway as it was the wrong media (what ever that meant) so it got deleted I will try again when I can get the program to be able to edit.
Rita
Your right there Jazz (everyone has the same issues). I hate the sound of my voice on a video. I’m not sure if you can train your voice to sound different when recorded but my voice definately is not appealing when played back.
.-= Jackie Stenhouse´s last blog ..Types of Child Anxiety Disorder =-.
Hi Rita and Jackie,
Maybe if we all think the same way, we should just do it. It probably doesn’t sound as bad to other people as we think it does. I think it’s so funny that we all share the same fear. It just shows how crazy it is.
.-= Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Finding Your Passion =-.
You might hate your voice – but if you audience is American they will love it as they like our accent!
Hi Jazz,
I definitely have the same issue with hearing my won voice
Even so I know in my head that it sounds normal for everybody else it is hard to get used to that strange sound
.-= Renee´s last blog ..Self Improvement Books – What Are Your Favourites =-.
Hi Sean,
I can really relate to your message here that it’s best to “show rather than tell” when selling a product. The example I relate to is a friend who sells a gadget in and around Shopping Centres.
On its own, sitting on a shelf in a shop this gadget would not sell. Instead she sells hundreds per day. Her success is due to a demonstration she has set up. She has the demo down-pat and causes people to come running to buy the gadget.
She hasn’t put the demo on YouTube yet. When she does I’m betting sales will go further through the roof.
.-= Jill Brown´s last blog ..Couples Marry at Common Law =-.
I love it when other people use videos for marketing their product but have yet to make my own video with me on it. I have done a video with images, music and words which I put on you tube but don’t feel comfortable putting myself on one yet. (I would have to get out of my PJ’s lol)
.-= Jackie Stenhouse´s last blog ..Types of Child Anxiety Disorder =-.
Perhaps your next blog can be about “Types of Video Making Anxiety Disorder”
I suspect most folks would be happy to see the product or information about the service rather than a persons face.