Reel DesignerWelcome! It’s exciting to get a chance to get you on as a featured video marketing expert! If any of our readers haven’t already heard of you, please tell us, who you are and what you do professionally!
KEVIN HAUFF: Hey hey everyone!
How did I get here? Well, I spent my offline career (25+ years) in the retail Electronics Business, most recently in management with a large fast growing corporate driven company.
Previous to that the majority of my career was spent with 2 different locally owned Electronics companies where I live in Fort Wayne Indiana, so making it to the big suit & tie world was appealing and I welcomed the challenge. Until I realized what the corporate world was truly like. Ridiculous hours, outrageous expectations and massive stress for the level of pay they were delivering.
Ultimately this lead me to chase my longtime dream of having my own online business.
So a little over 1 ½ years ago, I took a major risk and a leap of faith by cutting the puppet strings and walking away from my J.O.B. to pursue an online career. I did this solely on the strong belief that I could succeed online. Please do not try this at home, if you are not in a position financially to quit your job.
I would be lying if I told you it has been super easy.
But because I am fully committed and have serious perseverance to reach many goals and achievements in this business and in life I am seeing success.
I am helping others achieve lead generation and business building through one-on-one coaching and a powerful proven Attraction Marketing Training and Lead Generation Platform.
What initially compelled you to become a leader in the arena of marketing using video?
KEVIN HAUFF: Like so many entrepreneurs online when they get started, I pursued many different marketing strategies trying to figure out how to build my business. I chased those ever so popular shiny objects while jumping from one program to another and of course, achieving very little results.
After spending thousands of dollars stumbling my way to nowhere, I finally focused on one marketing strategy. There were these two guys in the marketing training community we belonged to that were getting killer results and all of their results were coming from Video Marketing.Wanting what they had, I did everything possible to connect with them so that I could learn video marketing and start achieving the same results they were getting.
I did connect with them and we have since developed a valuable business relationship and I am now proud to call them both my mentors and friends. So thanks Mark Harbert & Frank “The Blues Man of MLM” Marino.
They created a Youtube Video Marketing course (Tube Traffic Mojo) that lead me to see success with video.
Why video? It’s been around for a long time in various mediums already – why is it suddenly important now?
KEVIN HAUFF: There are too many reasons to list why video marketing is so important now. I will share just a few that I feel make a tremendous impact. One of the appealing factors is that there is zero cost involved to create videos, so for someone just getting started it is an awesome marketing strategy.
Beyond having a webcam, camcorder, camera or a cell phone w/video, there really is no other cost involved to produce powerful videos.
Video sets you apart from the masses while making a personal connection with the viewer and building rapport. It’s far more entertaining to see something on video than to read it in text format, in my opinion. Youtube traffic is a huge contributor in receiving organic traffic to your videos.
Just take a look at these powerful Youtube statistics.
- More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month
- Over 4 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube
- 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute
- 70% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the US
- YouTube is localized in 53 countries and across 61 languages
It’s also considerably easier to rank videos on Google than it is to rank textual content such as a blog page.
And it is extremely easy to rank videos on Youtube if you do the easy on page optimization when uploading your videos. You don’t have to be an SEO expert to get videos ranked, so it’s another great reason a beginner can plug into video marketing and start getting results rather quickly.
The biggest factor for me is that videos keep delivering for a long time after you do the initial work. You can generate leads and make sales on videos you produced months; or even years ago.
What are the big opportunities for businesses to start use video in their marketing?
KEVIN HAUFF: Great question – let me break this down into three parts:
1. Free Advertising
Again one of the best things about online video is that everyone – retailers, marketers and even your average person just starting a business (online or offline) – can upload any video, anytime, at no cost! With such a down economy, we may begin to see the highest increase in video uploading and sharing than the Internet’s ever seen.
2. Quality Targeted Leads (Buyers)
Users are more likely to view a visually stimulating video about your products than they are to read a long and possibly boring text document. Online video can motivate your potential customers or clients to learn more about your products and services before they buy. This will make your life easier when you don’t have to explain what exactly it is that your company offers.
3. Overall Results
When your online video is embedded within your website or on YouTube, you are more likely to rank within the top pages of Google search results. Video is 53 TIMES more likely than text content to rank within the top of search engine results!
If a business or sole proprietor is debating to just ignore video, what dangers are they facing? KEVIN HAUFF: The dangers would be giving up a powerful sales tool that delivers viewer awareness and more consistent results. In my opinion they risk being left in the dust by competitors that will implement video into their arsenal. We have to keep up with the technology and times today if we want our business to thrive.
How should a business get started with video?
KEVIN HAUFF: While a business certainly could make their own videos, unless they have some experience in the video production process I would recommend that they outsource this to someone who has the expertise to make a quality video for them.
You can pay some on www.fiverr.com as little as $5.00 to make a decent video or there are many outsource companies available that can provide a substantially higher quality production.
Is it rational for ‘newbies’ to be intimidated with the idea of learning how to produce basic video?
KEVIN HAUFF: It is very common for someone who has never stood in front of a camera to be intimidated when getting started. Most people are simply making it more difficult than it really is though. In most cases making a video entails a simple repeatable process anyone can follow.
- In the first 7-15 seconds of the video tell them what you will provide.
Example: “At the end of this video I will reveal a powerful lead generation system that is going to help you build your business on auto-pilot”. - Address the “pain” of their biggest problem.
Example: “Are you sick and tired of struggling to generate leads and make money?” I would typically drive this in deep with multiple painful things they will relate to before moving on to providing the solution. - Provide the solution.
Example: “What I am about to share with you is the solution you have been looking for that is going to solve your lead generation and money problems forever!” Provide several points to how your solution will solve the problem and remove their pain. - Give a strong Call to Action.
Example: “So if you want to stop struggling, start generating leads and start making money, I just need you to click the link below and fill out the form to get started.” If you tell people what to do your conversions will be much higher. Provide specific instructions for them to follow.
It doesn’t need to be any more difficult than that. Another common mistake is thinking you need to make videos that are 5-10 minutes or longer.
In my opinion, this is a huge mistake. People in general today are very busy, impatient, and quite frankly have the attention span of a gnat. So to address this issue, you want to make your videos brief and to the point. Tell them why they want to watch your video and what you will provide, address their pain and deliver the solution with a strong call to action. You can easily accomplish this in a 2-3 minute video every time.
And most people are more inclined to stay on a 2-3 minute video vs. a 5+ minute video. This higher viewer retention also helps in ranking your videos.
What are the most common fears that you typically see first-timers getting caught up on? KEVIN HAUFF: There are many different factors that will determine your presence in front of the camera.
Here are the biggest hurdles for most people.
- Fear of looking or sounding silly on camera is a big hurdle.
- The fear of rejection is the subconscious reason most people fear making a video.
- The fear of the final production not being perfect.
Certain people will be naturals and others may need some practice.
Personality types and what a person has done for a career offline can be the biggest determining factor with camera presence.
How can a beginner learn to overcome these problems?
KEVIN HAUFF: The best way to overcome almost any fear is to address that fear head on. In this case, the most important thing to do is to just get in front of the camera and make a video.
Here is how I would overcome the above mentioned fears:
- Solution To: Fear of looking or sounding silly on camera is a big hurdle.
Our subconscious minds think we look different and sound different on video. In order to overcome that you must make a video or videos, listening to them over and over again to reprogram your mind to accept your own image and the sound of your voice in a video. It is also very beneficial to do this because you will learn from the mistakes you will make in every video, allowing you to correct them the next time around. - Solution To: The fear of rejection is the subconscious reason most people fear making a video.
Fear of rejection is a self-made fear. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are there will always be people that are going to have more knowledge than you and there will be people that know less than you. But the people that know more than you don’t matter because those people are not your target market. The people you care about are the ones who know less than you and are the ones who will listen to your advice. Your information will be useful to someone and that is your target audience. - Solution To:The fear of the final production not being perfect.
You cannot let this prevent you from taking action by creating your first video. Remembering my first video; I literally took 50 plus takes before it was uploaded to Youtube. If I made one tiny mistake I would start over from the beginning every time. It was time consuming and also removed the natural feel of the video because I them sounded very scripted after repeating the same thing over and over again. So just make a video no matter how poor you think it might be. You have to start somewhere, right!
My biggest tip would be practice, practice and more practice. The more you create videos the less you will fear doing them. After doing a dozen or so, you will begin to have fun creating them.
And that is when you will be most effective because you just don’t care what people think anymore allowing you to be natural.
What if getting in front of the camera is not an option for someone just getting started?
KEVIN HAUFF: This is very common as we have discussed but is not a show stopper by any means.
One of my favorite videos to make can be done with the use of powerpoint presentations. This allows someone who will not get in front of the camera to still do video. It will usually require a version of powerpoint and a screen capture software in order to create this type of video. I do feel that face to camera videos are more powerful because of the connection you are making with the viewer but powerpoint videos are a great way to create any video as well.
You can be very creative with this type of video. Here is an example of what you can do:
Why does video work to gets buyers to make purchases or take the first step to making the purchase?
KEVIN HAUFF: Video helps you to sell more than any other single feature on a web site! Whether you sell products on your web site or through a shopping cart, have a retail store or if your business provides services that you market through your site, you can convert more if the visitors into customers using video.
For example, studies have shown that online retailers with shopping carts that offer product videos convert at a rate anywhere from 10% to 80% higher than those same sites offering content like images & text.
Is it proven that video is good investment and will pay off? How?
KEVIN HAUFF: Absolutely!
My mentors, my business partners, mastermind partners and myself are all finding amazing results using video. I am the administrator for a huge Video Syndication group on Facebook, so I have the privilege of watching many beginners also climb the ranks using video.
It’s so awesome! People are generating their first leads and making their first dollar online by making simple videos that deliver over and over again.
What are the top tips you have for a newbie starting out to create their very own video?
KEVIN HAUFF: Sure, let me get to it:
- Don’t get hung up on the fear of being on camera. Just take action and create videos. The more you do it, the more comfortable you will become.
- Be natural, no one likes a poser. Just be yourself, speak naturally as if you were with a friend. Avoid worrying about or trying to sound like someone else. People will be able to tell you are being fake and it will not do you any justice. You will more engaging if you are authentic – just be yourself.
- Prepare a bullet point script, hanging it directly below your recording lens. Now I don’t mean prepare a script and speak it word for word. You simply want a bullet point script to keep you on topic and to ensure you hit all of your intended content you plan on including. Hanging your script directly below the lens will allow you to glance at your script without looking like you are reading anything. Nothing worse than watching a video when you see the person looking away (left or right) from the camera to read something.
- Keep your videos short and to the point. There’s a shorter attention span for people who aren’t familiar with you or the topic. Staying between 2 to 3 minutes will help with viewer retention.
- Don’t be a perfectionist. Again, just take action and shoot videos. You will make mistakes when creating your first videos, but that’s ok. In order to succeed you will first face failure, but you will overcome that failure in order to succeed. When you make mistakes and realize what they are, you can then fix them.
- TAKE MASSIVE ACTION!
What video gear do you recommend for a beginner?
KEVIN HAUFF: Do you own a cell phone? If you do, then you more than likely have a built in camcorder with your phone. This can be a simple way for people to create videos without spending any additional money. The quality of certain cell phone cameras is absolutely amazing. I recently saw a video on Youtube that had the quality of what I thought was of an expensive professional quality camera, so I messaged her to ask what camera she had used.
Here answer was the iPhone.
It shoots in 1080p resolution apparently so the quality is really off the hook.
The video recorder I have on my list to purchase is the GoPro Hero 3.
This camera is recommended highly by one of my mentors, James Wedmore and is at the top of my list. It is compact it’s affordable and will deliver the best quality possible. Although I feel quality is important, some of worst quality videos still deliver what I need from them.
Where can a reader go to try out/learn more about your product/service!
KEVIN HAUFF: Although video marketing is my primary marketing strategy, there is a much bigger picture to getting where I am now with my business than just shooting videos. My main focus is helping other marketers learn what it takes to build a successful online business (no matter what business you are in).
Glad to have you on, and that we’re finally able to get your company featured as part of the Reel Designer interview series! What are the best way for someone to get started with your company to see if your services are a fit?
KEVIN HAUFF: Thank you so much to Reel Designer for featuring me in this interview series.
It is such a huge privilege.
Again you may Go here to see what has ultimately provided me the education and training to become successful, changing my business and my life forever. And of course you can locate me on any of the social networks below.
“Get Honest with Yourself, Follow a Proven Plan and Take Massive Action”
Thanks again Reel Designer, if you need to find me, I will be at the top!
Website: http://kevin-hauff.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheKevinhauff
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevinHauff
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OnlineAuthorityKevinHauff
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/106443705802233972973/posts
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinhauff
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