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Prepare to become a global superpower!

Posted by Josh Mellicker on May 14, 2013

The Leaping Brain platform gets localized for Spanish, English and French

People rarely order DVDs or Blu Ray discs cross-border. The wait is usually weeks, and shipping plus duties costs can double or triple the price. Three years ago, 30% of sales through our platform were to customers outside the USA. Of course, ordering a digital download that crosses the ocean in minutes makes far more sense than ordering a disc. Many of our clients have seen international sales increase by a factor of 10 or more when offering digital fulfillment.

Another advantage is that video downloads play perfectly even if someone’s internet connection is too slow or flaky to play a video stream, which is common.

Media sales in countries like Brazil, India, Russia, China and many other southeastern Asian countries are growing faster than the U.S. or Europe, and today, 57% of sales through our platform are to countries other than the USA– almost double the percentage in just three years!

As we’ve seen this trend accelerate, we have been working to localize the entire platform, both web and desktop, and plan to launch the localized version in the next few weeks.

To start out, there will only be two languages: English and Spanish, accessible by a menu. When you switch to Spanish, all the platform text will be in Spanish, from the shop to alert messages, thank you pages, the CloudPlayer, customer receipts and so on. So initially, all this means is that non-English-speaking people will have a more comfortable shopping and media viewing experience. We will be adding other languages gradually, and since all the hard work is done, if you’d like to help us localize in your language, contact us and we’ll work something out!

Of course, products will be unaffected, including product titles and descriptions, which will remain as they were written. But we offer full subtitle functionality, meaning that, for example, if you were to subtitle some or all of your products in Spanish, you could now offer them to a Spanish speaker that knows no English at all.

We’re working hard to expand your potential audience, and this is an important step.

Would you sell DVDs that only worked for 2 out of 3 customers? The State of Video Streaming in 2013

Posted by Josh Mellicker on April 26, 2013

The State of Video Streaming in 2013

Let’s say you publish DVDs for sale.

Disc replicator A says they can provide DVDs that work for 99.4% of customers.

Disc replicator B can provide DVDs that work for 65% of customers.

Imagine the hassle of customer complaints and refunds if you went with disc replicator B!

If the costs were close, the choice of which replicator to go with would be very clear. In fact, even if disc replicator A charged 50% more, you’d come out way ahead not having to deal with the extra customer service costs.

But while this logic is clear when it comes to DVDs, there’s a lot of confusion when it comes to internet-delivered video.

In a nutshell, if you don’t want to read further, I’ll just say that Leaping Brain Labs is replicator A. Streaming-only providers are replicator Bs.

Now, for the details:
Akamai just published their “State of the Internet” report yesterday with valuable information for those of us in the field of internet delivery of video. Herein I will address the current state of delivery of streaming video.

Theoretically, under ideal conditions you could view a 1.5 Mbps HD video stream with a solid 2 Mbps connection. But only if your connection is pristine, not shared, you are using Ethernet, your ISP is exceptional and you have a late model laptop or other device with fast networking.

In reality, however, you will rarely find ideal conditions like these.

The truth is, to deliver a quality fullscreen HD experience, you need a consistent connection of at least 3x to 4x the bitrate of the video you’re delivering.

Why 3x to 4x?

The additional bandwidth required is called “overhead”. Internet video is delivered in packets that are constantly hopping around on the tubes of the interwebs, meaning extra last mile bandwidth is needed to sustain playback when internet congestion delays delivery of data packets.

If someone else in the household is playing Halo with friends, watching YouTube, downloading MP3s or even surfing the internet on their iPad, the total bandwidth to that household is divided between all the connections requesting it, usually by a several-year-old $79 wireless router, not exactly enterprise-grade equipment. Wireless networking itself has its own overhead requirements and bottlenecks. And individual devices, from Google TVs to laptops to smartphones each have processing and bandwidth overhead.

Most HD video, depending on the content, can be encoded in fairly decent quality at anywhere from 1.2 – 4 Mbps – if you are expert and using world class tools like SampleLab in DV Kitchen.

So, as a benchmark, by the authority vested in me as a respected internet video pioneer and expert, I will say you need a solid, sustained connection of a bare minimum of 4 Mbps to have an acceptable experience viewing decent quality streaming HD video over the internet.

So how many people have a connection this fast?

The Akamai report shows that in the U.S. (and Great Britain), only 65% of connections surpass this mark.

internet connections over 4 mbps from Akamai report

In other fertile media markets, such as Ireland, France and Spain, about half pass the test. Only 1 in 3 of our friends down under qualify. And in important emerging markets like Thailand (25%), Brazil (13%), China (5%) and India (3%), it’s clear that streaming video is not an option.

Also remember that ISPs go down and whole areas lose internet connections. People’s wireless routers sometimes break. Servers go down on a regular basis, even Amazon’s. All this flakiness means one thing:

It is not a smart plan to rely on video streaming as the only way your customers can access your video content.

The Leaping Brain Fido™ downloading library ensures media delivery even to emerging markets with highly intermittent connections, and perfect fullscreen playback even if the user’s net connection goes out entirely.

Bottom line: If you want to 99.4% of your customers to have an excellent video consumption experience, the Leaping Brain platform is your only choice.

Check out the map here.

What you give away comes back to you

Posted by Josh Mellicker on April 16, 2013

Strategy 1: “Freebies”

“Freebies”, as I’m referring to them here, are usually short pieces, maybe 5 – 15 minutes long, that allow people to experience the instant delivery and easy access of your digital platform. We’ve found that with some clients, over a third go on to make a paid purchase at some point. For anyone familiar with internet marketing, this is an amazing stat!!

We have noticed a very definite correlation between free content and overall success of a digital library, with our most successful clients having a smattering of freebies sprinkled through their catalog.

The sale might not happen for many months or even years after the download of the free content, but that 35% number will rise over time as more and more of the people who downloaded only free content in the past become buyers.

Freebies should not be “teasers”, they should contain content of real value and demonstrate not only the quality and style of your paid courses, but also demonstrate your generosity in sharing your knowledge for free!

 

Strategy 2: Free for a limited time

Ever noticed a “free this weekend” post about an iOS game or other app? App developers have started using this technique to generate huge buzz about their products, and after the weekend is over and tons have downloaded their app for free, the publicity ripples continue and sales of that app maintain a level far higher than they were before the free promo. And, they can use that app to advertise their other apps, leading to greater success overall.

(Of course, you are far better off with Leaping Brain than the Apple App Store, since with us you do capture your customers’ email addresses even for free customers so you can add them to your regular marketing list.)​

Making one of your video titles free for a short amount of time could be an excellent way for news of your digital catalog to go viral.

 

Strategy 3: First title in a series free

The most effective use of free content we’ve seen, however, is to offer an “Intro” or “Volume 1″ course of a long series (having perhaps 5, 6 or 7 titles) for free for a limited time, and promoting the heck out of it. A huge percentage of the people who take the free course continue on and buy the whole series, as well as spread the word virally.
Overall, people tend to share news about free content more often on social media, bringing new customers to your flock.

 

How does this marketing strategy correlate with marketing free content on YouTube?

Great question. YouTube is an excellent place to put free previews of your products, with a “buy now” or “more info” link right below the video (always above the “fold”, meaning they don’t have to click to view the link). Here’s an example. And here’s more info about marketing on YouTube.

By placing content on YouTube you capture people who are searching YouTube for videos in their area of interest. (By the way, use YouTube as a “one-way street”  to your website. Never send people to YouTube from your website, that’s going the wrong way!)

But people value content more where they have to go through a process to view it, such as registering for your digital shop. So overall, I would use YouTube for some trailers, teasers, and freebies, but lead people directly to your digital platform (as shown above) to capture their email address and bring them into your world.

And I would never put a whole title on YouTube for free, so for Strategies #2 and #3 above I would always use the Leaping Brain platform to avoid devaluing your content.

Welcome Martial Fusion!

Posted by Michelle on April 12, 2013

Martial Fusion Coral Gables

The creator of Martial Fusion™ a training discipline that fuses Aikido, Kickboxing, Karate, Yoga, Qigong and Zen meditation into a unique fitness system for self-development. The director of Aikido Miami in Coconut Grove, Florida, currently a certified Shidoin 4th degree black belt in Aikido by Hombu Dojo Aikikai (Tokyo, Japan) and the International Aikido Federation, that has trained martial arts for over 25 years in numerous places around the globe, including China’s legendary Shaolin Temple and Hombu Dojo Japan.

international aikido federation

Sensei Guillermo Gomez has worked with thousands of students, many private companies and corporate groups including SONY Latin, GAIAM, Comcast, Marriott, Club Med, The Sports Club/LA, Equinox, Crunch, Coral Gables Athletic Club and has taught at numerous international events and industry conventions worldwide like Italy’s Rimini Wellness, London’s Multitrax, Washington’s DCAC, New York City’s TSI Summit, Montreal’s CIELO Studios, Mexico’s Acapulco Fitness, Spain’s YPD Camp, AIC Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile.

A featured consultant and industry expert, Guillermo has appeared on several television shows including Univision, Telemundo, CNN, America TV, Jaime Bayly – Mega TV, Coral Gables TV and in international publications such as Fitness, Balance, Selecta and Black Belt Magazine. He is the star of 10 fitness and training DVDs available in main retail stores nationwide.

His Martial Fusion Kids program is currently being used by the Miami-Dade County school system (the 4th largest in the country), as part of their physical education program. Sensei’s trainings are seen in over 750 schools and after school programs nationwide and in 49 states.

When Guillermo first discovered martial arts at a very young age, he found that the techniques and principles he was learning inside the dojo applied to all aspects of his life. Today, his teachings range from martial arts, zen meditation, qigong, weight loss, self-discipline, health, wellness, relieving anxiety and stress, conquering fear, overcoming obstacles and challenges, developing focus, increasing awareness and finding inner-peace.

Providing ancient wisdom for the modern world, Sensei Guillermo Gomez combines physical movement with spiritual and mental exercises as a vehicle of self expression to help others improve their quality of live through inner-transformation.

“My work is to create an experience for self-development, inner-transformation and evolution.”

Click to launch their shop!

Welcome Ilyse Baker!

Posted by Michelle on March 20, 2013

Bring out the dancer in you!

 

about-ilyse-baker
Meet Ilyse Baker, a woman whose personality is as contagious and charismatic as her enthusiasm for fitness and dance.

CEO and creator of the new dance fitness program Dancinerate™, Ilyse is currently a Reebok Global Fitness Ambassador and a Presenter, Master Trainer and Choreographer for Qignition’s QiDance and QiForze programs. Based in Los Angeles, Ilyse is a Dance and Fitness Expert to celebrities including LeAnn Rimes, Rihanna, and Daniella Monet, Trina Vega from Nickelodeon’s “Victorious.” Named Top Trainer in the Country for Dance by Exercise TV, Ilyse has also appeared in numerous fitness DVDs including workouts with “Biggest Loser” instructor Kim Lyons and ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” champion Cheryl Burke.

Having danced professionally and toured throughout the United States and the Caribbean, Ilyse was chosen to represent dance fitness at the Asian Academy of Sports Fitness Professionals in Beijing, China. She has been featured on EXTRA, LA 18, Access Healthy Hollywood, FOX’s Everyday Denver, CBS’ Talk Phillyand on Exercise TV and Fit TV. Ilyse has been showcased in American Fitness Magazine, SHAPE, SELF Magazine, Bella, Redbook, Diets in Review and Girls Life as well as on SheKnow.com, examiner.com, sweetfit.ca, Skinnymom.com and many others. She was also nominated as Best Choreographer for her ZUMBA video game commercial and is a Master Instructor for SHAPE magazine’s annual Summer Beach Tour. Ilyse is an AFAA Certified Fitness Instructor, has a B.A. in Dance Performance and Dance Education from Point Park University.

Never one to stand still for too long, Ilyse is a Top Ten Trainer for FitOrbit, contributes online workouts to FitnessGlo and teaches dance to at-risk youth in the greater LA area. Praised as a dance teacher like no other, Ilyse is dedicated to sharing her passion with “anybody that comes to me.”

Click to see Dancinerate!

Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2011-2016  [Visual Networking Index (VNI)] – Cisco Systems

Posted by Josh Mellicker on March 19, 2013

I was just looking over this article and found some amazing stats!

Like:

“Video-on-demand traffic will triple by 2016. The amount of VoD traffic in 2016 will be equivalent to 4 billion DVDs per month.”

via Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2011-2016  [Visual Networking Index (VNI)] – Cisco Systems.

The best instructional and self-improvement video library in the world!

Posted by Josh Mellicker on March 15, 2013

Hover your mouse over the cover images below and use your mouse scroll wheel to get an idea of the quality and breadth of our vast digital library. Click on any cover image for more info. Amazing! All the best educational video content in the world in one place!

If you’re interested in adding your content, click here.

For a more organized browsing experience, click here.

MOD Mobile for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad now free!

Posted by Josh Mellicker on February 25, 2013

MOD Mobile for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad now free!

We are happy to announce that MOD Mobile, the app that allows customers to copy products they own to their iPhone, iPod touch and iPad to view offline is now free, and will stay free!

You are welcome to let your customers know, if any of them hesitated at the $1.99 price then they will be happy to know!

MOD Mobile for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad on the iTunes App Store.

Four ways to profit from your MOD Shop

Posted by Josh Mellicker on February 19, 2013

Four ways to profit from your MOD Shop

mod-shopWe have worked hard to create a platform that offers you many opportunities for success. Now our challenge is communicating those opportunities clearly.

In this article, we’d like to detail four ways to profit from your MOD Shop:

1. Publish content.

If you are a content publisher, publishing and promoting your own products will always be the centerpiece of your digital strategy, and for most, the biggest revenue stream. But the three strategies below could bring in substantial additional revenue, as well as increase your success with #1 synergistically.

2. Become a distributor.

Adding other publishers’ content to your MOD Shop is a quick, easy way to increase your profits, since increasing your selection increases the likelihood that someone browsing your shop will make a purchase. We now have over 2,800 products available in our MOD Warehouses that are available for you to add to your shop.

You could either:

  • add other publishers’ products to your main shop, or
  • create a main shop with only your products, then launch a second shop with a much wider selection

Here’s a how-to:
http://clients.leapingbrain.com/mod-shop/how-do-i-create-a-modshop/

3. Sell MOD Shops.

You might not know this, but you can actually sell MOD Shops right from your MOD Shop!

Wow! But why would you want to?

First, you make an instant $50 profit per shop sold. But there’s a bigger picture here. Let’s say you produce the world’s best piano lesson videos. And, let’s say you start selling MOD Shops to piano teachers. Now, the piano teacher has a shop where they can sell your lessons right from their website or Facebook page, and make additional income along with their teaching income.

And, teacher by teacher, you are building out a wide digital distribution network for your brand to expose your products to new audiences- the website visitors and students of all those teachers. So you’re actually increasing your profits two ways: the $50, plus additional sales of your products. Pretty smart, right?

What if you are a fitness instructor? Think about how many personal trainers there are in the world who wouldn’t mind making a few hundred extra bucks a month. What if you’re a martial arts video producer? Think how many martial arts schools there are in most cities. What if you produce kid’s videos? Think how many early childhood development experts there are around the world.

Here is a page that describes the opportunity for those considering buying a MOD Shop:
http://modshops.leapingbrain.com/

Feel free to copy any text you wish from that page to use on your website to promote the opportunity to your audience.

4. Sell Publishing Suites.

Another thing you can sell that you probably didn’t know about are MOD Machine Publishing Suites.

What is this?

Simply put, it’s our entire platform “in a box”. To anyone to produces video, it’s a turnkey solution for digitally publishing, selling, delivering, presenting and syndicating the video they produce.

But why should you consider selling Publishing Suites?

First of all, you make an instant $50 – $99 (that’s 50% of the sale price, which is either $199, or, the Suite is often on sale for $99). Second, you make 10% of the first $10,000 in sales from that publisher, so you make a total of up to $1,099 per sale. Ka-ching!

And, since the people buying Suites from you are most likely in your vertical market, this both builds out your digital distribution network further, and provides you with a wider variety of content you can promote from your own shops. That’s a win-win-win!

To add these items to your MOD Shop, just go to your Dashboard, edit your shop, and check the “Program” Warehouse. Then you can get link codes just like any product.

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