This is a really good question because so many marketers bite me personally to the nail, “Oh I got to give them all the downloads, got to give them the downloads in every single format.” If they make the video – I mean it is possible for you to not just stream a video on your blog but give it in a downloadable .wmv, the iPod file, the mp3 audio, and even the transcribed version. But the question is should you? My answer is no.
The first reason for this is because most of the time, a transcript of a video is not going to be any more helpful. Those will keep them busy. People most of the time who ask for a transcript just want something else to read, and it kind of makes me sad, especially because what they really want are the notes. So, should you give them the transcript? Usually not. Should you give the transcript for every single video? Usually not. If you make a very important video, you might want the transcript, but even then, whenever I read transcripts of audio interviews, video webinars, there’s a bunch of extra stuff in there. I just want the outline. I want the bullet points. So, transcripts are expensive and aren’t necessarily what they need. They might need the notes or they might need something below the video or the audio that says, “Skip to 5 minutes and 32 seconds to get this part of the video, to get section no. 2.”
So, transcripts cost you money and the money does add up, and if you’re doing it just because one single guy is asking or because you want to make everybody happy, then try a membership site or try making some videos where all they get is the video. Try a membership site where they do not get the downloads, and if they are asking for downloads, why are they asking? Are they asking to collect it, are they asking because they’re used to you, because you’ve trained them to get the downloads, or because one guy is just being difficult and is asking you? The thing is they are paying you money in exchange for good information.
You don’t owe to them to put the information in every single modality possible. I would rather promote a good blog post and encourage comments and make the post itself worthwhile than to give them five different ways to download it. And if you make the content simpler, if you make it so it’s just a video, so that it’s right there on the blog, unable to download, the person watching it will have less confusion, less choices, and have more of a chance to comment. And if you really feel the need to transcribe a video in some way, why not take the best blog comments or tell someone to take notes and leave it as a comment and then package that along with the video and there’s the notes, there’s the reduced-down transcripts.
So, I’m not saying transcripts are always bad, but most of the time, you don’t need them, and I want you think about why you are providing transcripts – if you’re doing it because it helps to understand the information or because people are just bugging you because they want something to keep them busy. Think about it the next time you try to transcribe content for your membership site.
How should you set up your membership site? What should you use to make the content? What plugins are best? How will you get members? Find out the answers to all these and more at www.membershipcube.com.