Using video in e-mail marketing

As you might have noticed online video is growing rapidly. More and more people are watching video on the web.

Recent studies also suggest that video articles in e-mail actually get higher click trough's than traditional text articles.

You can use video for many purposes; demos, customer testimonials, education, in sign-up forms etc.

Content
Start looking internally to see what video material you have today. Some of it might be useable.

If you don't have content internally start thinking about how you could get started. Perhaps your next customer testimonial should be a video clip instead of a printed piece of collateral? Or a supplement to the printed version.

Or your next trade show invitation should include a video greeting from the key note speaker? You can choose to host the video content yourself or you can create an account on i.e YouTube. It's free and quite easy to do.

Video in e-mail
Video in e-mail can be devided into two categories:

1. Link to the video is in the e-mail
2. The video itself is embedded in the e-mail and will play in the e-mail client. Since this is still in it's infancy we recommend you keep embedded video content out of the e-mail it self.


Heres a simple recipe to be successful adding video in your newsletter:

1. Take a screenshot of the video displaying in a video player.
2. Place a prominent "play" button to the center of the image.
3. Put the screenshot in your email, linked to the page where the video is hosted.

I recommend that you put a still image that triggers interest so the reader wants to know more. You should also provide text links with call to actions.

Hvorfor koster videoudlejning det samme online som i Blockbuster?

Jeg har et par gange anvendt diverse online videotjenester til at leje video film via bredbånd. Det er super smart og bekvemt. Jeg må ind imellem gå på kompromis med udbuddet, men for det meste finder jeg det jeg gerne vil se.

Kvaliteten er i fin, og jeg kan nemt overføre signalet fra min computer til TV'et.

Hvad jeg ikke forstår er at prisen stort set er det samme som hvis jeg gik ned i Blockbuster og lejede en DVD. Jeg lejede "Up" online hos Film2home. 39 kr. Stort set samme pris som hos Blockbuster.

Hvorfor koster det samme? Der er ingen distributionsomkostninger, ingen håndtering i butik, ingen slidtage på DVD skiver, intet print, ingen kasette. Kun et digital signal.

Og ingen af de tjenester jeg har anvendt indtil nu (CDON OnDemand, www.Film2Home.dk, TDC Ondemand) forstår at udbytte det digitale medie til deres fordel.

Ideer:
Hvad med at tilbyde film til 10 kr. hvis jeg lejer 3 film?
Hvad med at tilbyde mig 10 film til en særlig gunstig pris?
Hvorfor ikke give mig en gratis stykke musik sammen med min film?
Et særligt tilbud på soundtracket til filmen jeg lige har set?
Eller hvad med en invitation til en særlig biograf version?

Blockbuster er på vej til en død i USA og inden længe helt sikkert også i Europa og DK. Netflix og andre følger efter.

Spørgsmålet er om deres død giver bare sender mere profit tilbage til filmbranchen eller om den nye distributionsform kommer kunderne tilgode.

Hvad tror du?

Your customer has signed-up for your newsletter - what now?

Have you experienced signing up for a newsletter and then nothing happens for ages? At best you get a "Thank you" screen after submitting your most precious - your e-mail address.

I have experienced this many times. It shouldn't be that way.

You as a marketeer should use the opportunity to start the dialogue when people approach you. The ball is in your court.

After the customer click submit on the sign-up form you send him an e-mail welcoming him to your newsletter. Tell him that you are happy to have his trust and look forward to the dialogue.

Tell him what he can expect from you, like i.e regularity of your newsletter, coming newsletter themes etc. Or you could promote your blog, website and other info that is relevant for the customer to stay up-to-date until the first newsletter hit his inbox.

Perhaps you can also offer a little unexpected extra bonus, like 10% on first purchase, a free white paper or another thing that adds value for your reader of the newsletter.