Darren Chow Personal Blog

Last month, I mentioned in my blog post that a video creation + uploading service is coming along. After testing the service on our own, it’s now time to release the service to the public. Of course, like all other services, the first launch will be a soft launch -- that is, we’re looking to test the service some more. Those who would like to support us will get a very good discount. More details will be released next week. Do look out for the email as the offer is time sensitive and we can only take on so many test orders. I’m thinking more along the lines of accepting 5 test orders at the discounted rate. Yes, only 5 -- no more, no less.

But first, let’s take a look at why we should foray into video marketing. The most important thing we need to establish here is this -- Can video marketing drive traffic to my website?

The best way to answer that question is to look at some concrete examples.

Here’s a video that I’ve selected that’s related to marketing. We didn’t create the video. It’s quite short and will be ideal as an example. Here it is.

(Warning: Foul language used. Watch only if you are above 18)

Had a good laugh?

At this time, the video has over 1.6 million views. This short little video that is slightly over 2 mins long has over 1.6 million views!

It was first uploaded in 2006, and traffic continue to climb (see graph below). Obviously, this video has gone viral.

I’m sure you’re asking yourself these 2 questions right now:

1) Why is this video so popular?

2) How did it manage to go viral?

Here is a screenshot of the referral stats.

What do all those figures mean? Well, allow me to summarize the above for you. Here are the top 4 traffic sources.

Rank 1) YouTube Search

Rank 2) Google Search

Rank 3) Embedded Views

Rank 4) YouTube Related Videos

The bulk of the traffic comes from YouTube Search, from the keywords “bill hicks”. So that’s how the viral process starts. The process goes something like this…

Step 1) Upload a video -- Be sure to use targeted keywords used in video title, tags, and description.

Step 2) A trigger needs to be present. I.e. the keywords must be words or phrases that you know visitors will use to search for videos. In this example, the trigger is “bill hicks”. Obviously, many people already know who Bill Hicks is. They just go to YouTube to search for more of his videos.

Step 3) If the visitors like the video, they then decide to share it with their family and friends. They post the video in their own blogs, in social bookmarking sites, social networking sites, related forums, etc. If the first wave of viewers start spreading the word, it’s likely that the second wave of viewers will do the same. That’s how the video continues to spread like wildfire. And remember, it cost the video owner nothing for the viral traffic.

Of course, not all videos will experience the same results. There are certain characteristics that are required to be present before a video can go viral.

1) Content should ideally appeal to a wide enough audience.

In this example, the content is comedy based. Everyone can understand and enjoy the content. That makes it more likely for viewers to share. If the content is too technical, or difficult to understand, it’s unlikely that the viral effect will take off.

2) There must be some kind of value.

Expecting crappy videos to take off will be unrealistic. Viewers must be able to derive some kind of value out of the content. For comedy videos, it’s entertainment value. For how-to videos, it’s the usefulness of the content that matters. The higher the value, the more likely the videos will be shared. Note that video length doesn’t really come into the picture here. This video is just slightly more than 2 mins long, and yet it had acquired over 1.6 million views.

The lesson here? (You’ll find this familiar) -- Quality content attracts targeted and profitable traffic.

3) Presence of strong trigger.

Obviously, the strong the trigger, the higher the chances of the video going viral. When you have a strong trigger, the viral effect just takes off at a much faster rate. More people discover the video because of the strong trigger, and depending on the factors mentioned above, the video is shared.

Most of us don’t have the privilege of using a trigger such as “Bill Hicks”. Not everyone is famous So we have to choose something else. A set of targeted keywords will serve this purpose.

Just like articles, even if the video doesn’t go viral, you still enjoy the benefits of additional exposure.

Not convinced that video marketing can benefit you?

Then take a look at some of the results that we’ve gotten from our test videos.

A month ago, we created and uploaded a video that contains only text and digital audio. Here is the video.

It’s a how-to video that shows article marketers how to format their articles correctly to get higher approval rates.

The trigger is the keywords “article submission format”. Our primary goal for this test is simple -- get the video to rank in the search engines for our target keywords. If it ranks, there is a chance that the video will be seen by targeted visitors. Our URL is in the video, and in the video description as well. So anyone interested in article marketing can type in the URL directly in their browser if they want more information. For some video sites (YouTube does this), the URL is converted into a clickable link. So visitors can click on that link if they want to.

This aspect is not too dissimilar from article marketing.

In article marketing, you are going after profitable keywords -- keywords that will drive targeted traffic to your website and boost your sales revenue. Every article that you write and submit gives you an average of 10 visitors each month. The more articles you have out there that ranks well in the search engines, the more traffic that you are going to get.

Our tests show that it’s relatively easy to get the videos to rank in the search engines if you choose the right keywords. This is because many of the video sites are authority sites with high page rank. We’re talking about YouTube, Viddler, BlipTV, etc. These sites not only have high page rank, they also have high Alexa rankings.

In our tests, we used 1 premium article and 1 blog post to promote the video and we have achieved amazing results. If you make a search in Google using the keywords “Article Submission Format” (without quotes), you will see that 4 out of the first 10 results belong to us -- 1 video ranking, 2 article directories ranking, and 1 blog post ranking. There are more on the second page.

You know what this means?

This means that you can actually use our services and dominate the search engines. Here is a highly recommended approach.

Step 1) Use article marketing to test out the traffic volume that a set of keywords can bring you.

Step 2) From your own web stats, pick out keywords that bring you the most number of customers. (Refer to your conversion rates. You must do your own tracking for this.)

Step 3) Once you have determined that the keywords will bring you profitable traffic, expand on those keywords by using video marketing or press releases.

Remember, profitable keywords are very valuable. Once you have identified these keywords, do whatever you can to profit from them!

Of course, don’t expect the results to be like the “Bill Hicks” video. But what you get will be closer to what you see from your article marketing efforts. If you’re already familiar with article marketing, you’d know what to expect.

As for the video creation and uploading service, I can promise you that the process is quick and simple.

Here is how it works.

Step 1: Decide whether you will create the video script, or have us write the script on your behalf.

Step 2: We recommend that you create the script yourself, as the process is very short and simple. It will only take 5 to 10 minutes of your time. We have created easy to use Wizards to guide you along. So it’s just a matter of following through with the online Wizards and you are done.

The above screenshot gives you a preview of how the dashboard looks like. If you’re familiar with the dashboard of our article submission service, you will have no problems using this one.

You have already seen how a text video looks like. The Wizard will prompt you for the required information. In each text video, you are allowed to add up to 5 Steps in the video. That will make up a video length of approximately 2 mins. Note that all videos cannot be longer than 2 mins. Facebook has problems accepting videos that are longer than 2 mins. In any case, we have already established that length is not the primary goal here -- quality content is.

But we also understand that there are limits to texts. So if words fail, we can use images in the video.

Here is an example of an image video:

Image videos can be used to showcase physical products and other useful images. Sometimes, a picture does say a thousand words. In each Image video, you are allowed to add up to 5 images (captions allowed). Quality of the video will depend on the quality of the Images that are submitted to us.

Step 3: We will then create the video based on the script you have created. Note that no changes will be allowed once the video has been completed. All changes must be made during the script writing stage. In other words, don’t approve or submit the script until you’re sure that it’s what you want.

Step 4: The video will be uploaded to 9 top video sites -- YouTube, BlipTv, DailyMotion, Facebook, Viddler, Veoh, PhotoBucket, Yahoo Video, and MetaCafe. The Page Rank for each video site is as follows:

• YouTube -- Page Rank 9
• BlipTv -- Page Rank 7
• DailyMotion -- Page Rank 7
• Facebook -- Page Rank 9
• Viddler -- Page Rank 7
• Veoh -- Page Rank 7
• PhotoBucket -- Page Rank 7
• Yahoo Video -- Page Rank 8
• Meta Cafe -- Page Rank 7

All videos will be uploaded to your own accounts. If you don’t have accounts with the video sites, we will guide you along with the registration process. You only need to register once, and then send us the login details through the dashboard.

Again, be reminded that the video service will be launched for public testing next week. Most likely you will receive the email in mid week. Do look out for the email if you are interested in taking advantage of the steep discounts.

Only 5 orders will be accepted for trial. If you think that you may be interested in placing some orders, please reserve your spot by sending us an email with the subject header “Reserve video spot“.

I’m excited about this new service and I hope you share this excitement with me.

Here are some other ways you may wish to consider using the video marketing service:

1. Training videos. Create simple training videos for your own in-house staff. When there is staff turnover, these videos can be a real time saver.
2. Marketing videos. Use them as marketing videos on your own website. Once the videos have been uploaded, you can embed the videos on your own corporate website.
3. Internet Marketing Combo. Embed the videos in your press releases (PRO credits only) or blog posts (using our blog posting service). Once the PRs and blog posts rank in the search engines, you will get more views for your videos!

Also, feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Have a great week ahead!

It’s rare that I start a blog post with a blog title that contains zero keywords about article submission and Internet marketing.

You may not be familiar with the “red packet” that you see in the title. Well, let me explain.

Tomorrow is the New Year of the Lunar Calendar. In other words, according to the Chinese Calendar, tomorrow is the first day of the New Year. And all Chinese around the world celebrate this special occasion. If you happen to find yourself in a Chinese setting in the next 2 days, I’m sure you will enjoy the festive cheer -- it’s infectious!

During the New Year, it is Chinese custom to give away red packets. The red packets (also known as “ang bao” in Chinese) are meant to symbolize wealth and prosperity. Married couples are supposed to give away red packets to those who are still single -- mostly children, teenagers, and young adults.

When someone receives a red packet, he or she is usually delighted. There are two reasons for this. Of course, anyone would be happy to be blessed with wealth and prosperity by someone else. But there is another reason -- the red packets contain cash!

The amount of cash in each red packet is not as significant as the thought and intention that goes behind giving the giver. If you are in the privileged position to give away red packets, the amount of cash in the packet may range from $2 to $100. Obviously, you want to give larger amounts to those who are special to you.

For those who are in financial hardship, any amount will do.

Actually, I think that the recipient of the red packet shouldn’t focus too much on how much cash is in the packet. Reason being, all “ang baos” contain an infinite amount of money.

How can that possibly be true?

Well, I’m going to show you.

Today, regardless of whether you are Chinese or not, or whether you are from the States, the UK, Canada, India, etc…I’m going to give you a big virtual “ang bao”. Wealth and prosperity is for everyone.

Here it is.

Okay, this red packet looks a little small. But don’t underestimate the size of the packet. Do you know how much cash this red packet contains?

Infinite.

Yes, it’s true. I’m going to show you why this is true in a moment.

But before we get to the good stuff, let’s get some quick updates out of the way.

A few weeks ago, I invited a few people to try out the blog commenting service that I was developing. Everything turned out well, and here are some of the results.

Niche: Health/Medical -- Approval Rate: 2 / 18 (11.11%)

Niche: Travel -- Approval Rate: 7 / 18 (38.89%)

Niche: Home Improvement -- Approval Rate: 8 / 21 (38.10%)

Niche: Travel (accommodation) -- Approval Rate: 7 / 18 (38.89%)

Niche: Home Improvement -- Approval Rate: 5 / 18 (27.78%)

The results are pretty encouraging. So I’m going to declare the service to be officially launched. If you are interested to learn more about how this works, you can check out the previous blog commenting test results, or visit the commenting service website directly.

Okay, I’m glad that we got that out of the way. Now, for the fun stuff.

As mentioned, I’m going to show you why this virtual “ang bao” that I gave to you contains infinite wealth.

First, you must understand how wealth creation works.

Take a look around you. Everything physical item that you see is a form of product. So how did these products come about? They didn’t just drop from the sky.

All physical items that you see around you right now, began as an idea in someone’s head. I’m sure you’ll agree with me on that. And this idea, when carried out, was turned into a physical product, which you bought, and that’s how the item landed right next to you.

Now what had that got to do with you getting rich? Well, in the process that I just described above, somebody did get rich. But that person is not you. You bought the product, which meant that you handed money to someone else. So the money landed somewhere, with someone else. Somebody did receive money for executing (I’ll discuss more about execution later on) in the process. This person (and those who took part in the various business transactions) all received money for their effort. They got richer.

I hope you are still paying attention here. The process that I’ve described sounded very simple. In fact, it sounded so simple that most people would dismiss it immediately as some “self improvement” or “get rich quick” mambo jumbo. If that happens, then I must say it’s rather unfortunate. You see, the process of wealth creation is supposed to be simple. Human beings make it complicated.

The process is so important, that I think I’m going to repeat it here.

Inspiration => Ideas => Execution => Physical manifestation of ideas => Wealth

If you understand this concept, then you will begin to see that wealth eluded many people because they get stuck somewhere along the process. Where? From my own observations, they get stuck in the IDEA stage.

I’m sure you yourself have been the recipient of tons of ideas, or you have met people with many ideas, but wealth still eluded them. How did that happen?

The fault doesn’t lie with ideas. It’s always a good thing to have ideas. Most people get stuck at the “execution” (the doing) phase. Or worse, some people never get to the execution phase. They have waves and waves of ideas coming to them and they do nothing about them.

Their favorite excuse? “Nah, it’s not going to work.”

That is another way of saying that they don’t believe their ideas will work. Somehow, they have managed to convince themselves that their ideas will fail,  even before they try. Sadly, they have indeed failed -- they have failed themselves by not doing anything with their ideas.

Then there are those who dismiss ideas because they judge the ideas. When an idea comes to them, they tell themselves that it’s a bad idea, so that justifies not doing anything about the ideas.

For these people, the road to infinite wealth lies in transforming their current perspective of ideas. What they think they know about ideas have to change. How do we achieve that?

First, realize that there is no such thing as “good” and “bad” ideas. Good and bad are relative -- they mean different things to different people. The assumption that the idea is bad can be erroneous in the first place. And that’s like giving an idea the death sentence.

So don’t go telling yourself an idea is good or an idea is bad. Ever encountered good ideas that turned out to be a not-so-good idea? Or ever experienced a bad idea that turned out to be a blessing in disguise? I’m sure that happened to everyone at some point. And it’s happening because we label ideas as “good” and “bad”.

To avoid this trap, we must first stop labeling our ideas as “good” or “bad”. Instead of thinking of whether ideas are good or bad, start thinking of whether the ideas work or don’t work.

In other words…

There are no good and bad ideas. There are only ideas that work and don’t work.

- Darren Chow

If you have given some thought about evolution, you know this to be true. Evolution just create, and the creations that work well in the environment continue to thrive. Evolution doesn’t “think” whether something is good or bad before creating. Only human beings do that.

As a human being, how do we know whether an idea will work or not work?

This depends on many factors. Knowledge, life experience, reasoning ability, analysis ability, all plays a part in arriving at the right conclusion.

The problem is, many people are having trouble identifying ideas that work! Why is that so? The answer is simple.

Very often, we don’t identify ideas that work because we place most (if not all) of our attention on ideas that don’t work.

- Darren Chow

How many times have you attended a meeting to discuss about things that don’t work? Then everyone is just trying to fix this and fix that.

My recommendation? Instead of running back and forth trying to fix everything, just focus on the things that do work, and then do it better!

You find that the more you execute, the more experience you have. The more experience you have, the better you become at identifying ideas that do work. Do you know what that means?

That means even if you have no clue about whether an idea is going to work or not, go DO SOMETHING about it!

Of course, you have to be smart about execution. For example, if you are unsure whether an idea will take off or not, it’s wiser to test small first instead of plonking down thousands of investment dollars in the project. Only those with an insatiable ego will do that. That’s the work of a fool, not an entrepreneur. So be wise about how you use your resources.

You can make an infinite amount of money just by focusing on what works. Amazing isn’t it?

Talking about infinite, do you now understand why you are born infinitely rich?

If you don’t, let me explain further. From the above, I hope you can now see that wealth comes from ideas. Then I pose you this question -- Are ideas finite?

You know, within you, that you have an infinite number of ideas. The only resource that is finite is time. So the worse sin you can ever commit, is to waste your most valuable resource -- TIME.

Want more money? Sure, no problem. Just complete the cycle by executing the ideas you have, and then focusing on what works.

Sounds simple? In words, everything is simple. But be mindful that you will encounter formidable challenges along the way. In fact, I guarantee you that the moment you start doing something about your ideas, some problem will come up to stop you.

Now what are you going to do about the problems you face?

At the most basic level, every challenge you face is a test of your faith. Do you waver under tough situations? Or do you steel your will and forge ahead? I certainly wish you choose to be the latter, for those with strong faith will have a higher chance of success.

Let me say this again -- the road to wealth is not supposed to be that easy. If it is, then there is nothing separating the successful from the unsuccessful.

Do you realize what I have just given to you?

I have just given to you the key to unlock the riches that have been lying dormant within you. Yes, infinite wealth.

The “ang bao” that I had just given had to be a virtual one, for no physical red packet can hold the amount of wealth that you already own.

I hope you like this virtual “ang bao” that I had just given to you -- nobody had ever done that before

After the lunar New Year, I have another new and exciting service that will help grow your business -- video marketing. (Yes, it’s finally coming!)

I thought about developing this service for ages, but haven’t figured out how to overcome some of the challenges that stood in the way. Now I think I’ve got it. It’s going to be a 100% original service that is simple to use.

I’ve already done some tests during the past few weeks, and here is a video that I’ve created and posted on numerous popular video sites. It’s about how to format articles properly for higher approval rates. I’ve leave you to enjoy the video….

And of course, let me know what you think by leaving your feedback below. Eh, and no spam please…it’s Chinese New Year you know…