1. Launch and Learn is the model. No longer is it ‘create, edit, launch,’ but rather, ‘create, launch, edit.’ Ready, fire and aim!
2. Also, don’t just launch and learn. Launch and learn; then write down everything you learned while you launched, then go back and teach that those lessons people, hence this list.
3. First impressions. The most important part of your video is the first two seconds. During that time, the viewer’s brain decides if he should trust you.
4. Second impressions. The second most important part of your video is the first ten seconds. That’s how much time you have to convince the viewed that your video is worth sticking around for.
5. Third impressions. The third most important part of your video is what happens every six to ten seconds thereafter. You MUST have a cut, change, or any other form of pattern breaking within this repeating interval. It matches the ever-decreasing human attention span. See, your viewers can VERY easily ‘X’ out of your video and watch another one. Or just leave, period. So, every six to ten seconds, SOMETHING has to happen.
6. Think like Ug. This narrow window represents something called The Caveman Principle. See, our brains filter out unchanging backgrounds. It’s a survival mechanism. Cavemen operated on the principle: ‘No movement ? no threat ? no reaction.’ Therefore, if nothing happens on your screen every six to ten seconds, people aren’t going to pay attention. Mmm. Video. Good. Pretty. Colors.
7. Be mindful. Lastly, in the book Mindfulness, Dr. Langer explains, ‘A familiar structure or rhythm helps lead to mental laziness, acting as a signal that there is no need to pay attention.’ So, what are you doing with YOUR videos to keep your viewer’s attention every six to ten seconds?’
8. Fourth impressions. Three minutes. Tops. Anything longer and your viewers are gone. They just don’t have time. They just don’t have the patience. And there’s just TOO much other video content out there. Thanks a lot, YouTube.
9. WOM. If you want to make your website viral, (at least SOME of its content) has to be free and easy to spread.
10. Let it go. If someone on your site sees the Digg or delicious or RSS button and they don’t know what it means, who cares? Let the techies and bloggers who SO know what those buttons mean use them to spread your message. Let go of converting the people who don’t ‘get’ social networking. Don’t try to convert them. And it’s not your job to explain social bookmarking to them.
11. Eyeballs. It’s not how many people come to your site, it’s WHO comes to your site. The number of eyeballs isn’t as important as which eyeballs.
12. Money. It’s really hard to charge people for video. At least, up front. That’s why SOME of your videos HAVE to be free. That way people get a little taste of you. Think of yourself as a drug dealer.
13. BTE. Because video has become easier, faster and cheaper to do for pretty much anyone, the bar has been raised. And because barriers to entry have been lowered, if not destroyed, the whole ‘dude holding a camera behind a desk in his office’ thing is over. Quality production wins.
14. Humor. You’ve got to be funny. At least a LITTLE. And that doesn’t mean you should ‘use humor’ or ‘incorporate humor,’ or ‘tell jokes.’ That means BE FUNNY. Early and often.
15. Hooray! Also, you’ve got to be FUN. What people learn with pleasure they never forget. Fun and humor make the digestion of information a LOT smoother.
16. Hey honey, look! Video is a Lean Forward Medium. It’s about interactivity. If someone was walking past her coworker’s cubicle and noticed your website on their screen, would she stop in their tracks and say, ‘Hey, cool! What website is THAT?’
17. What you REALLY do. Don’t sell products; create communities of learning. Don’t sell products; sell access to learning. Thank you, Brian Clark!
18. The goal. Establish baseline relationships, not transactions. Don’t ‘sell them one thing then get them hooked so they buy more stuff.’ Start with the relationship. Make the revenue the souvenir.
19. Grow bigger ears. Listen to what type of content your viewers want. Message boards and forums are great tools for finding this out.
20. Offer exclusive content. Charge ‘em for it. If it’s juicy and valuable, they’ll pay. (But still have SOME free stuff for The Cheapos.)
21. BIG QUESTION: Now that I have this, what else does this make possible? See, having a video website opens you up for ENDLESS opportunities for revenue, partnerships and other valued added stuff. Keep asking yourself this question.
22. Destination, not website. Build community into and establish community around your idea. Get forums, message boards, etc. Market to people and then get out of the way. Let them take ownership.
23. Engage. The more people you truly connect with and engage with your content, the more money you’ll ultimately make. Thanks, Brian Clark.
24. ASK YOURSELF: Now that the video is over, what do I want this person to do next? Email you? Book you? Call you? Discuss the video on the message board? Make it obvious. Punch viewers in the face. Have a Call to Action and/or Response Mechanism at the end of every piece of content.
25. Content or copy? The problem with content is that it implies a static experience, while copy seeks to motivate a change in behavior. Content is about the writer, copy is about the reader. Again, Brian Clark.
26. Be That Guy. Establish pre-eminence in your niche to the point where people are inclined to trust you and perceive value in anything you have to offer. People want to learn from a trusted teacher. More Brian Clark!
27. NOTE: Tap into other people’s traffic.
28. REMEMBER: It’s not about what you know, it’s about how fast you can continue to learn new things. Last Brian Clark quote!
29. Design is everything. The medium, the delivery mechanism, IS your uniqueness. The medium is the message.
30. Shtick AND substance. On the other hand, content is king. So at the same time, make sure you deliver solid, remarkable and practical content, delivered in a unique way.
31. Duh. Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. So, don’t overdo transitions and effects. Totally amateur. And don’t let your edits and transitions draw too much attention to themselves.
32. Just go. Have video playing AS SOON as they get to the site.
33. Dude, it’s 2008. If you’re not using video on your website at this point, you’re nuts. People just AREN’T going to read all that copy.