Appreciate your feedback on my muse - building a digital home

[neilsara]

I have been creating an information product on "how to build a digital home". Basically, I'm creating step-by-step videos that show anyone how they can implement the elements of a digital home, fully bring the power of technology into their house. This includes: using our computers and smartphones to control lights, locks, appliances, security cameras and thermostats; using new digital tools to reduce your energy consumption; and, getting our digital audio and video anywhere we want in the home.

My basic argument is that new off-the-shelf products are making home automation accessible to all of us. Home automation is no longer simply the domain of those who can afford expensive proprietary systems.

My site is here: http://betterdigitalhomes.com

Appreciate any thoughts, comments, suggestions that people have.

[aussietom]

I think you have an extremely solid muse, and a great little blog.

The one thing that I think that oculd use some optimisation is your home page, I would go for the sell on the home page as well. The homepage just feels a little empty to me.

But great Muse! I love it.

[Musetester]

To piggyback off Tom, definitely state the benefits you provide, a risk reversal statement and also have a call to action (a statement urging the user to click buy now) on the landing page.

[BlindSquirrel]

I like your concept. Home automation products are so expensive. I'm glad to see someone trying to bring value to this niche.

Good luck!

[AlexMoen]

A little clarity and salesmanship here could probably reel you in quite a few customers. Put a call to action, and clearly show what your site is for. If I had to guess offhand by what I figured out from my first 30 seconds on your site I wouldn't know if you're shipping products, simply offering information, or sending contractors to come do the work.

A few tweaks and you're probably set though.

Good job and keep up the good work, you're almost there.

[neilsara]

thanks everyone for the great feedback. I'll do those -- hope you don't mind if i check back in a week or two to see if I'm on the right track.

Neil

[kprimo25]

I think you've got a good idea here. I'm selling a video on my site and having a quick peek at what they can expect definitely gives you a competivie advantage.

On your page, you ask them to contact you to get that quick peek, and I think a lot of people who might otherwise watch your video might be hesitant to give up contact info just for the preview.

What I did was use a program called video light box. Just google it, and I think it costs about $49. You upload your video to youtube (I keep all of my samples in an unlisted account so they aren't found by youtube searches), copy the url and paste it into the program, and it creates a thumbnail and some code.

You can put that thumbnail on your page, customize the player/skin, etc. I've got two examples on my landing page -- one with a customized thumbnail (the TV ad) and one with a hyperlink. Go to www.diylegal.com (http://www.diylegal.com). The thing I liked about it was that you don't have to pay for the bandwith when they play the video, because it's streaming through youtube.

Good luck!