About 4 years ago, when I decided to sign-up my kids for piano lessons, of course the first thing I did was to start thinking about which keyboard to buy.

I did extensive research online for keyboards: I did Google searches, visited an insane number of web sites, musician forums, read reviews on Amazon and other e-tailers, and even called up several music stores and asked for recommendations.

To make a long story short, it came down to two products: the Yamaha Motif XS and the Korg M3.

And I was really, really torn between the two, unable to make up my mind… until I saw this free video on YouTube…

Yup, literally one free video on Youtube sealed the deal for Yamaha, and they literally reached into my pocket and sucked $3,200 out of my credit card (it costs like $2500 now!)

So yes, video does help you sell better.

And actually, it’s not just about “selling”. Video basically helps you “persuade” and “close” better – regardless of what the goal is.

So video rocks whether you’re selling a product, building a brand, building a reputation, or simply trying to make a very cool viral video…

And creating such videos is a LOT simpler than you can imagine.

Andy Jenkins, a marketer whom I admire and am a big fan of, has released 3 spectacular videos that show you how easy it is to create videos that work.

Yes, the videos are free.

One thing I can guarantee you: If you’re not totally impressed by the production quality, humor, fast-paced and multiple-sensory-stimulating narration in the videos, then I will let you smack me silly and call me “Ravioli”

So click here to watch them all for free before they get taken down when the actual product launches in 2 days…

And don’t forget to leave a comment below about what you thought about this post (or Andy’s videos).

Cheers!

- Ravi Jayagopal

Awesome idea!

Know that thing that happens after you stare into the sun and then close your eyes? Know how you see a bright ring that then gradually fades away?

BMW came up with the same concept and created an ad that did that to viewers.

Now the idea itself is nothing groundbreaking. But what’s really cool is, that they actually did it, and now everyone’s talking about it.

I’m blogging about it.

And you’re reading about it.

And shortly you’re going to watch a video about it.

And then you’ll probably blog (or tweet, or facebook message) about it.

And thus the cycle starts all over again.

That’s the power in creating something “viral”. That’s the power of doing something that starts a conversation.

And that is what is cool about doing something like this.

Now go do something really cool yourself, somehow tie it to your product or service or brand. And see if you can get a conversation started about it.

… and so does “music” – especially when it comes to just about any kind of video online.

When your mother admonished you when you were young for dressing like a bum to your first job interview, you probably didn’t realize how important “presentation” is. But you’ll be even more surprised how much it matters, after you see these videos.

Artifact 1:

An original video what will knock-your-socks off from Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod. The video has been watched more than 11 million times (at the time of writing this).

And don’t miss watching it in full-screen mode.

Artifact 2:

Here’s a copycat video, with much different music, and a much different style. See if you can tell a difference in “impact”.

Artifact 3:

Completely different video, nothing to do with the above two – but simply had to include this in the conversation about using great editing and great music in an online video. And the beauty is, you could’ve done this too for your web site, with a not-very-expensive tool like Camtasia, but you didn’t . And neither have I

What a remarkable way to market your services through a viral video like this.

This is way too funny!

Do you sometimes bitch and complain and whine about your life?

If only your parents had given you the right education…

If only you were given your due recognition at work…

If only your family loved you…

If only you had more customers…

If only you had more people promoting your product…

If only you had a super-affiliate sending out emails to millions…

If only you knew how to write sales copy…

If only, if only, if only….

Here’s something that will help you stop bitching, and start counting your blessings.

Here’s how you “Work with what you’ve got”.

And trust me, you’ve already got a LOT!

The “3 Foot Giant”:

Life Without Limbs:

Once you’ve read this, also check out this post.

I started Techiiies.tv as a fun project, and I’m pretty confident that YouTube would run out of storage space before I run out of ideas for creating techiiie videos.

Oh, and by the way, if you’re wondering about the weird spelling of Techiiies, it was of course because the name “Techies” (with the single “i”) wasn’t available

And then Seth Godin published a book called “Tribes” and used the name Triiibes.com for its web site.

And I blatantly copied Seth’s idea, that is all

And ended up with Techiiies.com as well as Techiiies.tv

So check out a video that I created for the site.

Or, the truth is, I launched the web site just to showcase videos that I have created

- Ravi “GeekDawg” Jayagopal
PS: Also on YouTube at http://YouTube.com/Techiiies

Incredibly exciting, inspiring, and motivational video. 50% of the credit goes to the music and the “style” of presentation.

Excellent interview by Charlie Rose.

And the discussion about monetizing FaceBook is very interesting.

And a cool thing about Google Video (not to be confused with YouTube) is that you get a link right on the page, to download the video (iPod/iPhone friendly). So load up for offline viewing at the gym or on the train!

Last week, I searched YouTube (not Google) for how to “change wiper blades“, and watching a couple of the videos helped me change the wiper blades on my car in under 2 minutes (something I had been putting off for almost a year!)

Here is an interesting article about the shift in the way people are searching for information…

In November, Americans conducted nearly 2.8 billion searches on YouTube, about 200 million more than on Yahoo, according to comScore.

If you are not using video on your site, you are leaving a lot of money (and visitors) on the table.