First Attempt: No Users

[Danzaland]

I set up a video shoot for today for my start-up VideoandResume.com. I didn't get any takers. I know this is my fault due to lack of promotion on my end. Next time more flyers, a posted sign, and more word of mouth/networking.

In short I am trying to build a large talent pool of job candidates by shooting a video intro of them and posting it online (for $5). As the pool grows I will approach small and medium businesses to get them to sign up to look through my talent pool (via subscription). Today I had hoped to grow the pool to more than me and 2 of my friends.
I did how ever work out the jitters of putting myself out there, and used the time to come up with a better game plan for next time.

Want more info about this project? Let me know. Your comments and critiques are welcome.

 

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[bflbob]

Wait? You're disappointed that you didn't get any takers after one day? (Unless I'm reading this wrong.)

I was the better part of 2 years before I saw my first $ doing IM.

Patience...

 

[MikeC]

I personally think your website needs a complete redesign.

Less blog, more website. I wasn't able to watch your video as my internet connection is god awful right now, but if I was actually looking for a job, I wouldn't be convinced that this website would help me out.

Also, I don't really GET the point of your website, which is a definite problem.

I'd say getting a cleaner and more professional design and expressing the idea of what your website actually does for people would help you out substantially.

 

[Inphinity]

From your post, I get the feeling you were actually expecting people to come to you, physically, to do a video shoot? Is that correct? Can users also upload their self-shot videos?

 

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[snowbank]

First Attempt: No Users

You haven't made an attempt yet.

You have misspellings and gaps between words throughout the site.

Your business model is focused around videos, but your videos are dark and hard to hear.

Looking at the site it's hard to even figure out what's happening. It seems like a blog about resumes/videos but then there are video shoots happening at random delis that you are promoting.

I didn't get any takers. I know this is my fault due to lack of promotion on my end. Next time more flyers, a posted sign, and more word of mouth/networking.

You don't have anything to promote yet. What if you gave 1 billion people flyers ahead of time? The results wouldn't have been much different because you don't have anything of value for anyone.(minus the deli guy)

In short I am trying

no you're not

to build a large talent pool of job candidates by shooting a video intro of them and posting it online (for $5)

I cannot tell if posts like this are serious or not anymore, and I always feel like the bad guy when responding to posts since it doesn't seem like many new people here are putting in any effort at all.

If someone approached you and asked you to pay them to put a video of yourself on a website promoting some deli that has misspellings and gaps all over on an unfinished blog that gets no traffic, you would whip out your wallet?


You are not offering anyone anything of value. It's actually a cool business idea imo, and would have been awesome to discuss/give strategic advice on it if you were going to implement it, but you're miles away from putting any effort in to get to a stage to need that advice.

 

[Danzaland]

@ Mike C: Yes I am designing a better website now. I set up the (FREE) wordpress blog in an attempt to get a minimum viable product/prototype up. I understand your confusion about my current muddy website. Point to clean up.
@Inphinity: Yes I am hoping users would come to me to get the video shot. To allow for scale user-generated videos will be able to be uploaded.
@snowbank: Humbled. Thank you for your honesty. Fastlaner comments and judgements definitively have more insight and hold more water. I am not giving up at this point!

Overall, I am trying to do what I can to grow this idea. I know that I am a business nube. The wordpress blog was a quick and easy way to get the general idea up to be able to talk about it to others. I am working with a guy who likes the idea and is on board with the bootstrapping idea (getting paid at a later date) to build a SQL database to handle user information.
I see the value in building out the talent pool and then approaching small/medium businesses about my service for their next new hire.

Thank you all for the comments and reality check, and by all means keep them coming.

 

[rocksolid]

Do you have money for marketing. Maybe you can get a table at a job fair? How about going to local colleges and handing out flyers there or putting an ad on the bulletin board.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

The first problem I see is that the site has no clearly defined purpose. I looked at it, and I have no idea what the purpose is, or what the value play is -- or in other words, why should a I use it? Sign up? Give you money? What exactly is IN IT FOR ME?

You have 5-7 seconds to communicate your BENEFIT to the web surfer. Instead, you've overwhelmed the user with huge blocks of text and video, with no clear definition of "What's in it for me?"

For example, if you look at the website for my book, (TheMillionaireFastlane.com) it clearly states the BENEFIT -- Unleash The Millionaire Entrepreneur In You! This tells the web user within seconds, what TMF is about and how it can benefit them, and why they should buy it.

On this forum, unregistered entrepreneurs see the headline "Talk to Other Millionaire Entrepreneurs ... For FREE!" - again, the bold statement to the web user about WHAT THEY ARE GETTING and WHY THEY SHOULD REGISTER.

You site hasn't addressed the most important thing in website copy and no matter how much $ you pour into marketing, the result will be the same because the first thing people will ask when they see your site is "Huh? What is this? I don't get it"

If people can't figure out the benefit to them within seconds, the odds become unwinnable.

http://diythemes.com/thesis/before-you-write-sales-copy/

 

[Sparlin]

I gave you speed for taking action on an idea. This is about the 4th time I've had an idea and then another member begins to act on it.

As MJ says, Action always trumps Ideas. Good job in that respect.

Regarding the website, the only positive thing I saw was the domain name maybe. I do understand that what you have is a blog for SEO reasons, but even that is dull.

You're really going to have to step it up if you don't want people to bounce off your page.


First of all.... Pay $100 bucks to have your logo professionally done on a backdrop other than a cinder block wall. I know you weren't at your own facility, but something portable that can be set up quickly would be better.


Second... Try to infuse some personality into your interviews. Your clients are trying sell themselves. Having them stand there while you describe them like they are up for auction just doesn't work.

Third.. as stated by others... make it clear what you want your target audience to do. "Click here" to sign up, or view resume's, or whatever. Just make sure there is a call to action which promises the results the user wants.

I have about 4 others things I would do different, but these are just my opinions so take it for what it's worth.


I think you have a good idea, just make sure it's executed in a way that your competition won't blast past you. DO IT BETTER THAN ANYBODY ELSE is the idea that MJ advocated.


After all, the last thing you want is this........


[video=youtube;vgqM7zrgCLI&NR]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgqM7zrgCLI&NR[/video]

 

[Inphinity]

I've read the thread, and I've looked around the site, and I *STILL* don't really get "it". The only thing I got out of the whole site is that the Full Belly Deli has a funny name but claims to have good food.

You really do, as others have said, need to make it immediately obvious what it's all about, and why I, as a job-seeker, should pay you to list me, when many of the major job search engines don't cost the seeker.

 

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[Danzaland]

Thank you everybody for the input. Sometimes a bubble forms around you and you don't know it.
I am now working on honing the message/benefit statement and getting the site squared away.

Again, Thanks.

 

[Talisman]

Moved to join the forum and reply - just to say: congratulations on getting something up, and putting yourself out there.

Some great feedback for you already, take it and run with it, I think it's a great idea.

My suggestion is to take a domain along the lines of "VideoCV" and "VideoBio" - that sort of thing (Résumé Synonyms, Résumé Antonyms | Thesaurus.com). When I read "Video and resume dot com", I thought it was a youtube type thing - as in "I've pressed pause and now Im going to play/resume" as opposed to résumé.

Cheers.