This is part three of my new blogging series on how to become the go-expert in whatever field you choose to blog about. If you missed the previous posts, you can read part one here and part two here. I’m not sure how many parts there will be, but I do know the series will help you greatly in presenting yourself as the go-to expert to your readers.
Making A Demo Video
One of the best ways to make yourself and your blog stand out as the go-to expert is to make a demo video. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million. The demo video can catapult you to instant expert status if done correctly. This is the demo video I’m using on my about page.
The video does a great job explaining what I’m all about and instantly establishes me as an expert money-making blogger. Here are some of the key ingredients for making a great demo video.
Keep It One to three Minutes Long
Your demo video should be between one to three minutes in length. Any longer and it’s no longer a demo video. You are not trying to tell your life story in the demo. Instead, the video should give the highlights of what you’re about and why you are the go-to expert.
You’ll be amazed at how much information you can fit into a few minutes. The key is finding the right sound bite. Making a demo is all about cutting out the fluff and including only the meat. In my demo, there are multiple times when I used only a few seconds of a clip that was originally five to ten minutes long.
Stick To No More Than 3 Key Points
Your demo video should stick to no more than three key points. In my case, the demo shows that I’m an expert blogger, a family man, and I can help you make money while you’re sleeping. If you try to cram too much information into the video, you will lose its effectiveness.
What are the three things you are best known for? Once you figure that out, your job to find the best way to show that in the demo. And the best way to show that is by doing the next step.
Have Testimonials
People live vicariously through the words and actions of others. The best way to convey that you’re the go-to expert is to have other people say you’re the go-to expert. Having Joel Bauer say “You’re the best of the best.” is a lot more effective than me saying I’m the best of the best.
You will noticed that in my demo, I used testimonials for all my key points. Getting the testimonials isn’t hard. You just have to ask for it for. This is why I always have my iPhone with me. If I meet someone at a trade show or event, and they told me they started blogging because of me, I will ask them for a testimonial.
You should always try to show the results in the testimonial. If someone tells me he started blogging because of me, I would ask how much he made as a result of implementing my advice. Showing the results, like “I made an extra $10K as a result of using Blogging with John Chow,” is much better than saying “John Chow is a great blogger.”
One last thing about testimonials. Female testimonials are more valuable than male testimonials. Females are deemed more honest and sincere with their testimonials, so if you have a time to get a only one testimonial, try to get a girl.
Always Have The Demo with You
My demo video is not only on my blog, but it’s also loaded onto my iPad and iPhone. I always have it with me. You never know when you might need to pull it out. If I’m at a meetup, and someone starts asking me a lot of questions about what I do, I generally plug some headphones into his ears and say, “Watch this.” It’s the second best business card in the world. I don’t care how many business cards the person I talked to collected that night, he will remember me because I was the only person in the meetup with a demo video, and that makes me the go-to expert.
In part four, I will reveal the best business card in the world. Until then, happy blogging.