Posts Tagged ‘video’

The other day, I was preparing for a webinar on using video to build your online or offline business, and the phrase, “Trickle-Down Economics” popped into my head. Now you may remember that phrase from the political arena as a policy where you give tax breaks (or other incentives) to big business in the hope that the benefits will trickle-down to everyone else. Well, as I thought about that concept and considered the growing use of video, I realized that I could easily spin the “trickle-down” concept into product creation. Here’s what I mean…

Let’s say that you create a 60-minute video…it could be a live action video (like a teaching or training video) or a screencast video (like a Powerpoint presentation) created with Camtasia or GoToWebinar. Your video represents the core product…the starting point for your “trickle.” Of course, with the recorded video, you can create DVDs, streaming video, downloadable files or all three…and that’s where you begin.

Next (and here is the cool part), from that video, you can strip out the audio (Vegas Movie Studio is perfect for this) and create audio CD’s, streaming audio and downloadable MP3s. More “trickle!” The audios can then be transcribed to create print books, e-books, Kindle editions, workbooks, etc. More “trickle!”

It gets better…you can (and should) then take clips from all three media types for the NEXT level of “trickle”…Video clips for YouTube and the other video-sharing sites…Audio clips to be shared as podcasts on iTunes and podcast directories…Text excerpts to be used as blog posts, articles, reports and uploads to document-sharing sites like Scribd.com and HubPages.com. Each pointing back to your main website or blog. Then, you can take THOSE chunks and excerpt them even further as Twitter and Facebook posts, e-zine and autoresponders for your list…I think you get the picture.

All this trickled down from your ONE 60-minute video!

I hope you see the power (and benefit) of this approach, not only from a product creation perspective, but also from an exposure and traffic perspective as well. Take a look at the videos you’ve already created (you ARE creating videos I hope!) and see how you too can expand the reach of your hard work…and without a huge amount of effort. Not only will you increase the perceived value of the products you create, but you will also tap into brand-new streams of traffic (and customers) that will help grow your business! So…get to it!

I had a fun e-mail discussion over the weekend with one of my subscribers who promptly informed me that audio is dead. Guess I missed that memo…apparently, so did iTunes, Rhapsody, Audible, TuneCore and a ton of other highly successful audio websites. Actually, I guess AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile missed it too, since pretty much ALL our cell phones count on AUDIO. Then there are all the millions of MP3 players out there…oh…and all the radio and satellite radio stations. And let’s not forget my favorite, Pandora.com…as well as Slacker.com, Last.fm and Jango.com…guess they missed it too.

The truth is that audio is here to stay…it isn’t going anywhere, which is why YOU need to be creating it. Now, in all fairness, this guy is a TV guy…has stations and everything. I guess I’m wondering though what his viewership would be like if he didn’t include the audio component of his broadcasts…grin. I’m guessing it would be less.

Don’t get me wrong…in a lot of respects, video IS important…heck…Lord knows I’m using a lot of it (have you SEEN my blog lately?). But you STILL need to understand audio to make video effective. For example, what if you want to add background music to your video file? What if you need to include a voice-over in that new how-to video? You kinda need to understand audio. And THAT’S why you need to understand how to Create Audio Products! THAT’S also why I shared my knowledge about the subject!

The great news is that you can STILL grab your copy of Create Audio Products at the introductory price…but ONLY for 12 more hours. The price increases to the regular price at Midnight EST, January 25th. Better hurry!

BTW – For the record…I’m GLAD this subscriber contacted me…I appreciate his feedback and insights…yours too! My greatest hope is to see you create successful audio and video projects and products…and audio is key to both. Time to get started with it!

Create Audio Products

In this episode, I share a cool strategy for using niche content from Public Domain magazines to create live action videos.

The hottest sermon being preached so eloquently these days by the the “Ministers of Marketing” is VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO. And I’ll be honest with you…I’ve been saying (and creating) VIDEO as well. It made perfect sense until I realized I was making a HUGE mistake with regard to AUDIO products!

While it’s true that video is extremely powerful and should definitely be a part of your marketing and business-building strategies, video will NEVER have the flexibility that audio has.

All the signs were right there staring me in the face. One marketing buddy has been quietly making a killing with audio products. Another buddy has been wowing the corporate world with his wisdom on the power of podcasts.

As I’ve said before, you will NEVER be able to watch videos WHILE you drive. You will NEVER be able to read the latest e-book WHILE taking your early-morning run. Video will NEVER replace audio…compliment, yes, replace, never. One only has to consider the phenomenal growth of iTunes, Rhapsody and other on-demand sites to realize that audio is HUGE…and it’s here to stay! Let’s look at this a slightly different way by posing a question…

“How many people do you know (including children) who do NOT have some sort of portable device (MP3 player or cell phone) to listen to audio?”

Exactly! Now allow me to ask you another question…

“WHY would you IGNORE such a MASSIVE market with your business? It’s crazy when you think about it that way, isn’t it?”

Well all this “audio stuff” FINALLY got my attention enough to compel me to dig into the Public Domain to see if there was content worth using there. I mean, after all, if Public Domain really IS the big deal I keep saying it is, then you would THINK that there might be something worth using for product creation in the Public Domain.

So after a LOT of digging and testing AUDIO stuff over the last several months, I only have three words to share with you about what I discovered…

OH MY GOD!

Boy was I ever missing the boat (and you are too). Well…to stay true to form with the high-quality content I’ve shared in the past about Public Domain books, magazines, images and patents, I’ve brain-dumped my business-changing discoveries, and you can find out for yourself just what I uncovered. And also let me say this…if you aren’t creating audio products YET, that’s about to change.

The truth is that it is SUPER easy to get stuck in the SAME ways of doing things and expecting different results. That axiom has been a guiding factor in my life and often challenges me to question (in a good way) my efforts. I’m NOT talking about doing something different for different sake…not at all. But if you’re doing the same things and not getting results then it’s time to make a shift!

“Create Audio Products” is the result of a genuine “whack myself in the head” (in true Homer Simpson form) realization that I NEEDED to do something different because creating audio products made MASSIVE sense. and I was overlooking it. Audio has the greatest reach of ANY medium because you can take it (and enjoy it) ANYWHERE!

So if you are currently NOT creating audio products, it’s time to break the cycle of insanity and join the rest of us. The process is a simple one and is what I share when I teach YOU to “Create Audio Products!“