So you want to try a video in your next email marketing campaign. Good choice, but one that requires a bit of planning.
The decision to include video in the email should be made in the early stages. Trying to make it fit further into the planning process will ensure it deflects from its purpose. You need to make sure the video will not dominate, taking attention from the rest of the email, and that it supports the purpose of the campaign.
Don't indulge your creative urges. Aim for something around 30 seconds or so in length, especially in the case of your first attempt. Your subscribers will be used to your normal campaigns and the video will come as something of a surprise.
Work out what feature of your product is shown to its best advantage in video rather than, for instance, an image. For some strange reason, many videos in marketing emails do not include movement. For a lesson in what to cover, watch a trade fare demonstrations of a new cooking tool, where speed and efficiency are demonstrated. It is all energy.
Forget the patter. The demonstrator will emphasise what is the main wonder ingredient of, for instance, the apple peeler. The deft, easy moves where the user does not have to concentrate on the process will negate any worry about learning complex skills.
If you are offering places in a seminar then a short video of a facilitator is a way to go. Pick a person who comes over well on screen, rather than, perhaps, the one who receives great feedback. Ensure there is movement and include participation of the attendees, who are obviously very comfortable in the superb surroundings. A choice of bottled water looks cool.
An essential is that the video supports the main thrust of the email. If you want to show how beautifully the hotel is situated, then a panning sweep from a balcony would be more effective that a paragraph of copy or even an image.
The strength of a video is in getting a message across in a quick and effective manner. Other aspects, such as SEO if it goes viral, are secondary considerations.
The technical matters will be covered in a later article.
