704: Video Persuasion: Storytelling, Brand Building, Demonstration Videos, and Psychological Principles with Rick Cesari

Rick Cesari has been responsible for many successful product campaigns. His company has produced infocommericals of some of these iconic brands- OxiClean, George Foreman Grill, Sonicare, Rug Doctor, Juiceman Juicer, GoPro Camera etc. Moreover, he has used Brand Response strategies to help build iconic brands from scratch and earn over a billion dollars in sales. He is also co-author of the book Building Billion Dollar Brands and the newest release, Video Persuasion.

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Topics Discussed:

Rick Cesari Career Overview
Using Video in Online Marketing
4 steps in Creating a Good and Effective Marketing Video
2 Negative Practices of most Companies
His book called: Video Persuasion
How to come up with the best marketing strategy and great ideas?
His website: rickcesari.com

How did his career start?

Rick Cesari has been in the marketing business for 25 years. His first few years in the marketing business was greatly spent in helping to promote Real Estate Seminars- trying to get people attend this real free Real Estate Seminars. Real Estate is one of the few businesses who started using television as a medium of marketing to promote their business. He is considered as a pioneer of infomercial industry. In 1990, Rick Cesari started his own company, Juiceman Juicer, along with his brother. Juiceman Juicer was one of the first products and brands to be sold and built through infomercial format. It was later on sold to a company in Chicago called Salton Housewares which later on came up with the product George Foreman Grill. Among his successful products are Sonicare, Oxiclean, Rug Doctor, and a lot more.

Using Video in Online Marketing

Creating videos that are interesting, engaging, and watchable with proven direct response marketing strategies.

What is the secret to Video Marketing? Understanding the direct response marketing and principles. It is not only about making videos that are shown on the internet or television but these videos should generate more revenue, sell more products, grow your business and create a good reputation brand.

4 steps in Creating a Good Marketing Video (effective for television and e-commerce channels such as Amazon)

Introduce your Product
Demonstrate your Product
Focus more on the Benefits of the product rather than its features (if possible include product reviews and testimonials)
Always have a call to action: Instructing viewers to go to their website and check out their products and BUY them!

These steps are similar to the AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Desire and Action) Marketing Model.

2 Negative Practices of most Companies

Most companies forget that the most powerful marketing tool is the "Word of Mouth" of customers or product testimonials in other words. Companies fail to ask for product reviews of the direct consumers
Most companies fail to include a call to action in their marketing videos. For example, they don't tell their viewers to visit their website, check out their products or any stimulants that will generate product revenue.

A book called Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini, is a great book that talks about 6 persuasion principles that will guide Companies in creating marketing videos. One principle that is very helpful is Social Proof- a priniciple wherein we used the action of others to decide proper behavior for ourselves. In the concept of Product reviews and testimonies in E-commerce such as Amazon, for example, most people are gonna buy the product of 100 reviews over a product with 2 reviews. It is very vital to get product reviews and testimonials to appeal to more people.

Video Persuasion, The Book

One of the things this book offers is 3 ways to "hook" the viewer and keep them engaged. One way is to get straight to the point and deliver answers or solutions as quick as possible.

2 points to be successful in creating marketing videos:

Understand the Human Psychology- how people behave and react to things. Human behavior doesn't really change unlike the technologies and other marketing platforms.
Create videos with User Generated Content.

An example of User Generated Content: the GoPro camera marketing in television and online platforms. Every GoPro ad started with a GoPro logo so people know right away that it is a GoPro ad and the content are any forms of videos that were by users on online platforms such as social media (snowboarding, scubadivng etc) and offer saying like "Win One Everything They Make" at the end of the video.

This marketing strategy creates a ripple effect in terms of viewer responses:

They watch the commercial
They go the website and register for the contest (the company creates database of email marketing)
They go the website, watch other videos and share them to their friends
The more traditional direct respone, they go to the website and purchase a product which will generate REVENUE!

Decisions & Strategies

How do you arrive at the decisions or strategies that you make? How do you come up with the ideas?

Make an educated guess based on understanding the demographics that you are marketing to and what they respond to
Make an AD Test
Reach out to the customer base and most companies have database of customer emails. Set up a Testimonial Day and invite at least 15 people for interview about the Why they bought the product, How did they hear about the product, what they like and don't like about the product, how will they describe the product to their friends. This will allow you to know what motivates people to buy the product which in effect let you create ads that are in response to real customer reviews
Record the video for marketing purposes.

WWW.RICKCESARI.COM

check out his website and download some of his free ebooks and watch his three most engaging types of online videos. For companies with e-commerce websites, in order to capture viewers, consider 3 types of online videos and upload it on your website
Create an introduction video that has parts: Your background, how you started, and most importantly about the PRODUCT and what make it stand out among other similar products.
Create a demonstration video not only showing a tutorial on how to use it but also points out the benefits to the end user.
Video Testimonials.