Email is a necessity for every business, and this doesn’t look like it’ll be changing any time soon. But using video email just makes your marketing much more effective. Research shows that 67 percent of business executives said email was the most effective marketing channel for building customer loyalty and retention. Of that same group, 44 percent said that email was also the most effective way to drive sales. Email is just great, but what happens when you add one of the most popular forms of content to an already powerful marketing channel? Successful marketing happens. What Makes Video So Great? We’ve all heard the content is king adage by now, but if we had to get more specific I think it’d be something like, “Video Content is Kingâ€. In 2012, online video is projected to be viewed by a total of 163 million US citizens or 53 percent of US citizens, which represents 70 percent of all internet users in the United States. In a survey that polled small business marketers, over 50 percent of respondents claimed that video email increased click-through rates and traffic to landing pages. Yes, video is very real and relevant. AND…. Just in case you’ve been living under a rock that last couple of years, YouTube is the #2 search engine on the web. Do I have really have to tell you that you should be using video email? I know some of you need the push here it goes…… YOU NEED TO BE USING VIDEO EMAIL!!! Services like GetResponse and iWowWe make using video email super easy. If you’re looking into using video I recommend you check them out. How to Use Video Email After talking all this video email smack, I thought I’d give you a few things you could do today to benefit from video email campaigns. 1) Training Courses/ Tutorials There are some things that are just better off being left for video. If I was to teach you how to set up autoresponders with Aweber (affiliate link) would it be much easier to understand if I made a video opposed to simply writing a blog post about it? Video training courses are a great way to share you expertise with your online following. You could have a video series sent out to all your new subscribers, or do a tutorial to show your customers how to navigate your new website design. 2) Product Demos Giving prospects a free demonstration of how your product works is a great way to boost sales. Product demos are a great way to eliminate or minimize risk. Video email makes it really easy to get your demos to your customers. A real person showing them exactly what type of experience they can expect puts people at ease and one step closer to purchasing. Scribe SEO (affiliate link) has a great video demo that shows prospects the functionality of their product and how it will benefit customers and get them results. Wouldn’t that help you make buying decisions? 3) Product Promotions Video is a great medium for promoting products and services, and pretty much anything else you could think of. Although it isn’t always utilized, video is great for spreading the word about your offering. People gets to see another human inform (and hopeful entertain them if appropriate) about a product or service that will add value to their lives. The bottom line is that people relate to other people, but what makes video so powerful is not only are they hearing a another person but they are getting a visual as well. People have a tendency to trust the actions and opinions of other people just like them. Video subconsciously uses social proof to persuade and influence viewers. 4) Customer Testimonials A testimonial is a form of referral, which is the most powerful and ideal type of endorsement a business could ever wish to have. People do business with people they know, like, and trust. How likely is it that someone would buy based off some feedback they got from a friend? Very People are more likely to believe the endorsement of a friend or average joe than that of a celebrity. Why? People trust regular people like them, plus it’s no secret that celebrities get endorsement deals. That communications a less-than-honest endorsement. Providing a short 3 minute video clip of customers raving about how great your product or service is with definitely boost sales. Trust me on this 5) Special Announcements Sometimes you just want to talk to your customers and bring attention to certain things. Sometimes you want to get some feedback, or announce a breakthrough or power move. Whatever the situation, video is fitting. Like email, video is great for building a personal connection while getting the overall message across effectively. Announce a contest, a new logo or web design. You could even announce a new and improved product offering. What I’m getting at is video email is always good for the job. source: Dewane Mutunga
