Video is an effective marketing tool to attract prospects, boost engagement and increase sales. By using video, you maximize your chances of closing a deal. Here are five ways to use video in prospecting and sales emails in order to build relationships and help you increase sales:
Capture viewers’ attention
Sales prospecting emails need to capture the attention of those who don’t know your brand yet. The human brain can process visual media must faster than text. In fact, 90% of information transmitted to the brain is in a visual format. This is why using video in your prospecting emails is so effective in capturing your audience’s attention.
Subject line and thumbnail
Using video can help you to stand out and improve the open rate of your emails. Start by using the word “video” in your subject line and include a thumbnail in the body of the email.
Also, using a thumbnail image with a big ‘play’ button can increase your email click-through rates.
Embed videos in your emails
Embedding your video directly within your email transforms the way you communicate with your audience. If you’re using a reliable video hosting platform, your viewers will experience quick loading times no matter what device they’re using.
The video is the star of your content, giving your readers a useful burst of information. Link the video to a landing page, making sure to redirect your readers where you want to.
Prospecting email video types
Videos in prospecting emails must be short and educational. They must also promote your brand’s main values, be personal and to-the-point. Offering fun insights and tips will increase the interaction with your content so they want to learn more about your brand and your products or services.
“At the awareness stage, video is a highly effective tool to spike prospective customers interest. Focus on delivering fun, entertaining, informational content – without trying to sell anything yet.”
Make it personal
Incorporating personalized video in your sales process is a great way to establish personal contact with your prospective customers. In fact, personalized videos including specific information such as the first name, make the recipient feel like you are talking directly to them. It adds a personal touch to mass email automation and it makes people feel more valued.
Segment your audience
One way to introduce personalization is to segment your audience. Segmenting your audience allows you to offer customized messaging to different groups. For those who fill out a contact form, you can thank them for doing with a short and sweet “thank you” video. If you have a group who attended a webinar, you can mention it and ask questions about it.
Record on your webcam or smartphone
Recording on your webcam or smartphone immediately gives off a more personalized laid-back messaging, making viewers feel as though your video was made especially for them. On the other hand, polished videos that look highly produced might give the impression that it was created for mass use.
Show a friendly human face
It helps to start and end a video with your face as you maintain that human connection with a prospect or lead. Introduce yourself at the beginning and close off with a friendly goodbye. It also helps to show a human face in the thumbnail of your video as the first impression can increase click-rates.
Keep your content relevant
Segmenting your email list will make your videos more relevant to the targeted audience. You can offer your prospects videos to suit every stage of their journey.
Once they’ve passed the awareness stage where you’ve captured their interest, they reach the point where they may be considering using your products or services. At this stage, you can begin nurturing them with more in-depth information.
Understand where leads are in the customer journey
For content to make the biggest impact, you need to know enough about your leads to give them what they really want to know. It’s all about being approachable and encouraging dialogue with them, rather than having a monologue.
You need to offer helpful, educational material and listen to their input and queries if you want to build a trusting relationship with your potential customers.
Use testimonials, reviews, and user-generated content
Adding a customer testimonial to an email can work in a series of welcome emails or near the end of the sales cycle when you’re about to make a final pitch. Current customer stories are highly effective to give the extra push to future customers. User-generated content is very persuasive as is it genuine and people tend to trust it more than a video created by a brand.
Further along in the journey, your videos can be about benefits, offer discounts and use promotions.
Send demos
Sending a quick demo video can help to highlight a feature or answer a question. They’re a perfect way to engage with leads in a personalized, helpful way. Creating demo videos is particularly useful for marketing in the SaaS space, where selling a physically intangible product can be a challenge.
The online software company, Planning Pod, creates demo videos that can be used in emails to show customers how to use an event-planning app. The emails it sends out include links to video tutorials. Another link in the email allows customers to set up an appointment with a member of the sales team.
A demo video shouldn’t sound like a sales pitch. It should show people how they can benefit from your product. When you include a link to watch a demo, always include a compelling call-to-action.
Whether you sell online software or power tools, showing your customers how to use your product is always a win-win.
Follow-up
Once a sale has been made, many companies forget about the importance of following up with customers. Videos provide the perfect way to follow up in emails. They can help to build customer retention and loyalty by giving them tips and tricks, thanking them for their support. Here a personalized GIF or short video can do the trick!
Video emailing can save time for both receivers and senders. Videos provide one of the best ways to offer information and can make complex subjects easier to understand.
When it comes to following up with a customer who has a problem, making a quick 1-minute video offering a solution saves having to write a long explanatory email that may be difficult to understand. All you have to do is make a video using your smartphone and attach it to the email.
Using video allows prospects to feel as though they’ve actually met you. They can hear your voice, see your expressions, and hopefully pick up on your genuine interest in helping them with their issue. Additionally, attaching a smiling human face to customer support can do a whole lot to make your customer feel cared for.
In place of text-only emails or voice-only phone calls, you can create more human-to-human experiences when you use video as a medium. Marketing and sales teams that use video effectively in email marketing are sure to see leads, sales, and customer relationships grow.
