Video sales letters.
Come on; admit it. The first reaction you have when you click on a link and that screen pops up is, “Ugh! Not one of these...” Fast forward half an hour, though, and you’re probably still watching.
What is it about those things? Hypnosis? Subliminal messages? It must be something that messes with your head to get you to just sit there and watch for that long. Some go on for much longer. In fact, I saw one once that went on for over 70 minutes, and I can tell you why I watched that one: I got to the 35-minute mark, and I just wanted to see how much longer the guy had the nerve to keep talking. Well, I found out, didn’t I?
Why VSLs Work
The funny thing is that, in a roundabout way, I just told you why VSLs work. A good VSL sticks to your brain. There is a specific psychology behind it. Most VSLs follow a very specific formula that holds the viewers’ attention by giving both the eyes and the ears something to do for an extended period of time.
The great part about that is that the visual end doesn’t even need to be all that involved. The vast majority of VSLs do nothing more than scroll the script of the sales letter in presentation slides.
In fact, that’s often exactly what you’re watching: Someone manually scrolling through slides while recording their screen. Sometimes they’ll throw in a graphic or picture just to shake things up a bit, then back to words on a screen.
Then, they either voice it themselves or hire someone on a freelancing site to voice it for them. Most marketers will spend the majority of their budget on a copywriting company to write the script. They almost always do everything else on the cheap.
There are exceptions, of course. Growing in popularity is the whiteboard presentation format for VSLs. You’ve seen those, too: A seemingly disembodied hand feverishly draws pictures to illustrate the main concepts in the script instead of just flashing a series of text slides.
All of this gets the job done by following a specific formula. Whether you decide to go the cheap route or invest thousands in a whiteboard presentation (and that is very easy to do), a great VSL does five things:
1. It presents a pointed, specific problem.
2. It explains why you should be worried about it.
3. It weaves the solution into a story.
4. It maintains an element of expectancy throughout.
5. It presents the solution as the only viable one.
That element of expectancy is what keeps the viewer on the hook. Truth be told, I didn’t just want to know how long that guy was going to talk; I was genuinely curious to know what he was going to say next. That’s expectancy.
That story has to be compelling, too; otherwise, it’s not going to get the job done. In most cases, the narrator tells the story in first person, creating the illusion of a conversation. When paced properly, the viewer feels like part of the conversation. He or she also begins to feel personally involved in the story.
Great VSLs use other themes to their advantage, too. Here are just a few:
• Scarcity: “We can only afford to offer the kit at this price for a limited time…”
• Urgency: “I’ve already gotten several cease and desist letters about this, so if my lawyer says I have to take this video down, you might not see it again…”
• Pointed calls to action: “Click the yellow ‘get started now’ button below…”
• Overcoming Objections: “Still there? Trying to decide whether or not this offer is really worth the money? Let me see if I can tackle a few common questions for you…”
There are tons of resources out there that provide a blueprint for a good VSL. Follow the formula, and your video will get attention. Master the art of implementing that blueprint, and you can sell practically everything.
Why Every Business Needs a VSL
You can sell anything with a VSL. Do you need a better reason? It doesn’t matter whether it’s a product or a service, the better your customers know you, the more likely it is that they will eventually buy from you.
A VSL is a great way to help your customers get to know you quickly and – provided you’re actually prepared to deliver what you promise in your video – it will help you quickly establish trust.
Make customers feel like they’re part of your brand conversation. Infuse your script with language that involves, not just informs. If you can pull that off, it will really help reinforce your brand, and it will put it in customers’ heads that dealing with anyone else would be disloyal. The only thing left is for you to justify them feeling that way by providing a great product or a stellar service.