Most marketing teams are using video as one of their largest forms of outbound communication and lead generation. It’s a simple yet effective way to reach target audiences while remaining inexpensive. For a long time, email has been notorious for providing a semi-personalized message to a large audience of recipients and being incredibly effective at it. However, with an increasing demand for personalization, email has taken a hit, and it just isn’t measuring up anymore.
Email is cheap and easily accessible, which means that everyone is doing it. The tool has become overly saturated and infiltrated with diminished value. Users can spot spam or a mass email from a mile away and will hit ‘delete’, likely without even opening the email. It’s no longer the shiny new tool that everyone is raving about, it’s now essentially a basic service every business uses.
So how do we take a widely-used communication tool and provide fresh, unique ways to reach our audience better than our competition? How do we not overload the inbox and provide personalized messaging that grabs the attention of our recipient instantly?
Integrating video into email marketing is a sure way to effectively drive the results your team is looking for. Time and time again studies show us that emails with a video CTA are much more likely to drive engagement and response than those without.
Wondering why? We, as humans, love video. Who doesn’t love a quick bite-sized message that engages and educates? It has the power to inspire, entertain or educate and is the perfect medium to meet your target audience where they are.
If you are new to the world of video, you may be slightly uncertain about the true effects that video can have on your email marketing efforts. Our team is here ready and equipped with best practices to ensure your next video-driven email campaign has a resonating effect on all your recipients.
Including a link in your next email with a video attached might not be the best way to grab your audience’s attention. It’s important to make it super obvious that you have something to offer your audience that is worth watching.
Adding a simple hyperlink with text like “Click the video link below to learn more” isn’t what will drive engagement. Chances are your recipient has a flooded inbox daily, so adding in a little extra touch other than a hyperlink is surefire to grab engagement from your audience. Links are out, but GIFS are in. Our eyes are drawn to look for a thumbnail image to queue our next action.
Let’s be honest – automated emails have gotten old.
When it comes to standing out in the inbox, even video emails can fall short of something personal. It’s easy to create videos for plug-and-play email templates, and those certainly have their purpose, but when you truly want to make an impression and grab prospect attention, a personalized video is a way to go.
Creating a personalized video takes a bit of work. It requires research, thoughtfulness, and time to create a personalized video email that truly resonates with your prospect.
Before you create a personalized video email, learn about your prospect. What is their experience? Where did they go to school? Where do they live? What does the day-to-day of their role likely look like?
While you don’t need to go into full stalker mode to find all of these things out, a quick glance at their LinkedIn or company bio is a great way to gather the information you need to personalize your message.
Give it a try. We promise it’s effective.
It’s unlikely that your prospect wants to see your face every time they open an email from you (harsh, but true). So instead of sending them a personalized video every time you send them an email, throw in a variety of emails.
Send them a plain text email, or an email with helpful content or an article you think they will find intriguing. After all, variety is the spice of life.
While personalized video emails are effective, you need to ensure that you are using them strategically and to your advantage. Consider sending an intro video, followed by a few emails without video, then another personalized video. Your cadence matters and your prospect will likely be appreciative of a less aggressive approach.
Conclusion
In the end, adding video email strategies to your prospect outreach is a surefire way to stand out from the crowd. With a little practice, research, and good timing, you can create a strategy that benefits your brand while nurturing more personal relationships with customers. All you need is a webcam or a phone. So what are you waiting for? Give it a try.