Your Book Video-
A Test Run (Part 2)
©Dawn
Carrington - All Rights Reserved
If You Missed
Part One, You Can Read it Here
Now that your video has been created to your satisfaction, you’re ready to start your
one-month test run. There are actually two parts to this process. The first is generating buzz. The
second is generating sales from the buzz. This article will focus on buzzing your
video.
Before you do anything with your video, check your website or
blog stats. You want to notate how many hits you’ve already received that week or that month because this
information is going to come in handy.
Now, upload your video to YouTube (you’ll need an account which is free), Facebook (I’m sure
by now you have a Fan page, right?), your website, your blog, and at least two other video sites such as
Vimeo and Daily Motion. You’ll also want to post it to place you frequent such as My Space. Please make a
note of when you posted the video.
When you do upload the video, you’ll be using tags to help people find it in the sea of
other book videos. Please don’t just put the title of your book and your name. This is a shot for people
to find your book video amidst thousands, so you’re going to have to make yours easy to find. You’re
going to want to think of anything and everything associated with your book, including the genre, the
storyline, information about yourself, your publisher, and where your book is available for sale as well
as titles of your other books.
Now that you’ve uploaded the video, prepare an announcement that will really entice
readers/viewers to take a look. Don’t just say “come take a look” because that’s not inviting enough.
Give them a reason to view it, and post it on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, and other places across the
webs to which you normally post. Word of caution: If you don’t ordinarily post to a group, don’t join
just to make your announcement. You’ll only create ill will.
You don’t want this to just be a “buy my book” promo. You want to get people interested in
the story and in you as an author. That’s what is going to help create a buzz. So think creatively. Why
should people watch your video? (The next paragraph will give you an idea!)
Now, provide readers with encouragement to comment on your video because feedback is
important. Consider holding a quick contest to draw more attention. Ask your readers to tell you what was
good or bad about the video. You want honesty, and believe me, you’ll get it from your readers/viewers.
Keep track of the comments so you can use them to improve future videos/campaigns.
Set up a poll or survey at Facebook or your blog with the main question being: Would this
video entice you to buy this book? You might want to add one or two more questions, but don’t make
it so long that it takes up too much of your reader’s time.
Check your stats on your website and blog pages weekly to determine if you are receiving
more hits/visits.
Make sure to consistently check the places you’ve uploaded the video and respond to any
comments.
Update Facebook/Twitter with comments you get on the video. Keep it simple with something
like: my book video for my book is getting great feedback! Then you link to the video.
One of the keys to a successful campaign/test run is communication. Talk with those who post
comments. It’s important to acknowledge their thoughts.
At the end of the month, calculate the increase in web stats or traffic to other sites you
frequent. How successful was the buzz? If it’s really good, the next question is: how can you translate
this traffic into sales. If the buzz hasn’t been all that successful, review the comments. Is there
something you could have done differently? Or is it possible your readers simply want something different
than another book video?
Take the time to ask follow-up questions before starting on the next stage of the test run
journey which is generating sales for your book!
Read
Part Three Here
About the Author: Dawn Carrington is the editor-in-chief of Vinspire Publishing (www.vinspirepublishing.com)as well as a published author.
