You’ve met a potential customer, and they seem really interested. What’s your next move?

When you’re back at the office you could send them an email, but that’s hardly going to set their world alight. Video mail, on the other hand, is a surefire way to get their attention, tell them more about your service, and take your business relationship to the next level.

In this post, we’re going to look at the most effective ways to use video to get your message across.

Creating your video messaging strategy

Welcome to the future, everyone! If it’s not possible to speak face to face to someone these days, we’ve got email, text, instant messaging, and voicemail (but does anyone really like voicemail?). And now, there’s video mail. 

The type of video you might include in an email campaign is different from video you might place on a homepage, in a blog post, or on a product page. It also requires a specific approach to get it right.

Importantly, email inbox providers do not support video playback in the inbox yet. If your campaign requires animation, use GIFs which are more broadly supported.

Since video playback is not supported in the inbox, your goal is to get email recipients to click through to a landing page containing your video. There, they can interact with your video, content, and calls-to-action, depending on the type of campaign you’re running.

How to set up a video e-blast strategy

  1. Decide what you want to achieve with your video message campaign. It helps to be specific and focused. For example, you could go with lead generation, more website visitors, or more sales.
  2. Brainstorm the most effective ways to achieve your objective. This is where you will think carefully about the type of video content that your recipients will respond positively to.
  3. Shoot the video. If that sounds daunting, we recommend familiarizing yourself with the points in our post A Crash Course in Video Production Management.
  4. Show the video to your colleagues, get feedback, then incorporate it.
  5. Consider what you want viewers to do after watching your video. A customizable post-play screen can help drive traffic to a landing page, capture leads, allow the audience to download content, or even display special offers. If you want to learn more about post-play screens, there are lots of useful tips in our post Four Smart Ways to Use Customizable Post-Play Screens.
  6. If you are aiming for lead generation, integrate with your email marketing platform of choice. SproutVideo makes email integration easy!
  7. Use the email embed code we provide to place an attractive image in your email campaign that links to your video landing page.
  8. We recommend aligning the copy in the email with your campaign, and staying focused on your goal. One email, one purpose is a good rule to stick to.
  9. Hit the send button!
  10. Measure engagement and use the results in your next video messaging e-blast. If you use a video platform like SproutVideo, it’s possible to tag and track every viewer, viewer location, device and IP address, total time watched, and average viewer engagement.

How to use video mail in your organization

Incorporating video messages in your marketing strategy is simple. If you feel that video is the best way to communicate, then go for it! Here are some suggestions to help you get started.

A word from the CEO

When it comes to communication, CEOs have a multitude of ways to talk to their staff. If you need to share important information with your team, video mail is an ideal choice. The personal touch is bound to resonate, and can help build a rapport, even with remote employees.

Perhaps you want to provide guidance on responding to media inquiries, or give your employees an explanation of the month’s financial results. Creating a video message will enable you to make your points concisely and memorably. Furthermore, the video can be watched whenever and wherever your employee wants.

For more information, check out these fifteen tips on leveraging video for internal communications.

How to’s

If you sell products or services, chances are that you regularly receive emails or phone calls from customers in need of crucial information. For instance, they might need to know how to assemble the stand for their Moses basket, or what to do if their device needs to reset. You’ve probably put together support documentation that you can quickly send out, but is that good enough?

It’s the little extras like a how-to video mail that make a business stand out and gain a reputation as one of the best. What’s more, you can use your video message to up-sell customers on additional features and services that they might find useful.

Organizations that sell a service typically need to update existing customers about new features. It’s certainly advisable to upload these videos to your website and share them on social media. But what about customers who don’t regularly check your site or don’t follow you on social media?

Use a video message to let them know about the great new features and how they will make a difference to the way they use your service.

Not sure how to get started? Here are ten tips on making a product video that doesn’t suck.

Customer testimonials

Fact: people respond to people. That’s why customer testimonials are so effective. When it comes to showing prospective clients the difference that your business can make for them, the account of a real customer is extremely persuasive.

A video mail featuring a satisfied customer is even more compelling than a traditional text-based message. Moreover, it will ensure it is authentic and relevant. Showing a customer using the product reassures prospective buyers that they’re getting a good deal. It also demonstrates to them that it meets their needs.

In order to create an effective customer testimonial video mail, we recommend holding a pre-shoot meeting with the customer. This will prepare them for what will happen. It will also ensure they are relaxed and behave naturally on camera.  For more tips on spreading the word about your service using video, check out our post 5 Tips for Awesome Customer Testimonials.

Video mail is yet another great marketing tool to enable businesses to reach out to customers. Once you have learned the basics, video messages will become an important element of your video marketing campaign strategy.

Questions about making killer video messages? Get in contact with the SproutVideo team below or on Twitter.