rity guy on YouTube! Someone threw a brick through the glass door in my shop last month and robbed the place. What do you recommend?” What to Talk About Videos are really powerful. Just like we feel as though we know famous actors we’ve never met, social media videos have given all of us the ability to create the impression of familiarity with the general public. Use it! And make sure your videos are either entertaining or useful. One of the easiest kinds of useful videos to make is an instruc- tional video. Don’t think of this as giving away knowledge; we live in a world where barriers to accessing information have more or less collapsed. Think of this as a way to demonstrate your expertise. Obviously, if you’re the one teaching, you’re an expert. Give away simple information, and custom- ers will come flocking not only for more complex jobs, but also for simple jobs they just aren’t comfortable doing or don’t have the time to do themselves. “Don’t think of this as giving away knowl- edge; we live in a world where barriers to accessing infor- mation have more or less col- lapsed. Think of this as a way to demonstrate your expertise.” WWW.ALOA.ORG Professional lighting, demonstration and presentation are critical. Plan out what you’re going to say, and say it like the expert you are. Surprisingly, one of the most popular varieties of entertaining videos is the “unboxing” kind (Google it). This is a whole genre of videos devoted to taking a product, recording its unpacking and then reviewing it. Videos that really get into what’s specifically right and wrong with a product tend to get far more views than videos that are just general pans or blanket endorsements. Becoming a known product reviewer on YouTube actually has become a way of branding oneself as an expert in a cer- tain field, at least in terms of marketing. Be certain to prominently display the link to your website and your business phone number and service area/address right on the video itself as well as on the YouTube page as a link. Remember: The point is to make your phone ring. The video is only as good as its conversion ratio into service calls. Product-testing or explanation videos are also terrific, especially if they’re en- tertaining. This isn’t as hard as you might think. Try searching “security door” on YouTube. One of the first videos that will pop up is a well-done, fun-to-watch video of a couple of guys breaking down steel doors with sledgehammers and po- lice battering rams. First, they hammer the low-quality competitor’s door, then theirs. Their door won. Their video also won. They have more than 6.5 million views so far — and this video is in Turkish with English subti- tles. If these guys even convert 0.1% of video views into sales, that’s 6,500 sales. Not bad for one video, especially consid- ering that conversion rates for effective commercial websites are more like 2-3%. They’re also getting paid by YouTube for advertising. How to Shoot Video — and the Ultimate Why Don’t get me wrong; learning to make good videos isn’t hard, but it’s a skill that has to be learned. You’re unlikely to get 6.5 million views off a hand-held cell phone video unless you’re hilarious or happen to catch an alien landing. But seriously, one of the very best places to learn how to make YouTube videos is on YouTube itself. Try searching for how-to guides. You’ll be happy with the wealth of information available. Simple techniques such as embedding the videos on your website and Facebook page will do won- ders for both your rank in search results and making your phone ring. One overlooked aspect of video pro- duction is that YouTube — and videos in general — are quickly replacing standard text/query search as people’s go-to starting point for Internet searches. And by how much? A lot. Currently, video accounts for 78% of Internet traffic. Cisco estimates that by 2019, video will account for more than 84%. This statistic isn’t only impact- ing bandwidth providers; it’s impacting the way people search on the Internet. As of now, scammers are almost to- tally absent from the world of locksmith- ing and security videos; it’s a legitimate player’s forum only. That means that if you post a locksmithing or security video on YouTube, Vimeo, or other video host- ing websites, you’re not competing with fraudsters when potential customers go searching for content. Let that sink in. Roberts Attorneys, P.A. is located in Wash- ington, D.C., and Palm Beach Gardens, FL, and serves as general counsel for ALOA. The practice focuses on assisting business owners and business associations. Jeff can be reached at his Washington, D.C., office at (202) 609-7390; at (561) 360-2737 in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, or at Jeff@RobertsAt- torneys.com. DECEMBER 2015 KEYNOTES 17
