How Generate More Leads, Close More Business and Grow Your Sales with Video Email
Let’s face it, how we’re communicating is changing. Could you have ever imagined twenty years ago (1999) how differently we’d communicate? I remember a world not too long ago when texting was a faux pas, and Facebook was used strictly to post drunken college party photos…(which reminds me, I should probably take some of those down).
This space is constantly evolving, but here’s a quick picture of all the ways one could communicate with their prospects and customers:
(Source)
Yikes! That’s a lot of ways to get ahold of someone! Honestly, the more I look at this mind map, the more nauseous I feel! Where does one even begin? Even with all of these tools, why are so many salespeople settling on sending boring, text-heavy emails that blend into the masses of email?
This is what I’m talking about:
Standing out today in sales has never been easier because so many salespeople aren’t offering anything new. If you want to stand out from the masses one of the best ways to do so is through video email.
What is video email you ask?
Video email is using different technology platforms (I’ll get into the who you should use) to send custom emails, with a custom message. Here’s an example of one I made for you:
Check out this video: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/g8PcNKiz71biq83B7fGQ9m?
Pretty awesome right? Even though Mom always said that I had a face for radio, compare this email to the boring text email.
No comparison right?
The message in both can be virtually the same but the difference is in the medium of how it was delivered. My video email stands out in a chaotic inbox, whereas the text-heavy one blends into the masses, destined for delete.
Here’s a quick example of how I once used this video email strategy to become one of the most popular figures at an industry conference, and I wasn’t even presenting!
A few weeks before a big industry event that was reserved for executive management of companies I targeted I received the guest list. There were easily 100 people I wanted to meet with, and could potentially partner with us for future projects.
After getting my paws on the list, I went to work! I started recording individual video emails for each and every person I wanted to get in touch with. The video was short, with a quick introduction, reason for the email (we’re going to be at the same event) and an easy call to action (let’s talk about partnerships, let’s meet).
Each video email took me anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. I started to get pretty fast towards the end. The results of this little campaign were overwhelming. First off, I had 64 of the 100 people that I reached out to actually respond to the email. And the response was incredibly positive.
Here are just some of the comments:
“This is amazing!”
“My sales team doesn’t do this, but they should.”
“Yes, I will meet, this is the coolest video I’ve ever seen.”
“Awesome effort, I usually delete emails like this but I loved the video.”
In fact, this simple email radically changed our strategy at this event. We had so many requests of people who wanted to meet that we had to quickly scramble and organize a cocktail hour that we hosted just so we could see and meet everyone.
I knew this video had an impact when strangers were walking past the “famous” people in our industry to say hi to me! Yes, yours truly was being stopped in the hallway, at the coffee station, and during breakfast by complete strangers that were impressed and interested in my approach.
Our team was thrilled. Normally you spend a ton of money at a conference like this, and for the most part, you're lucky if you come away with a handful of decent connections. With video email, we blew that out of the water. We had meetings with and formed dozens of partnerships on the spot. We walked away from that conference making a big splash in our market, and the effects (revenue) are still being felt today.
The big takeaway for you, dear reader, is that video email is one of the simplest and most effective ways to stand out from the masses in just about any situation. If you or your team are responsible for outbound calls, and emails to prospects, this has to be in your arsenal.
If you’re using it already, good for you, keep using it! Find more ways you can incorporate personal video email into your strategy. I recently started using video in a weekly email sent to my prospects and customers and my click-through, and open rates have already improved.
If you’re not using it, I’m going to walk you through the easy steps on how to get started today!
If you’re more of a video person, you can follow along here!
Soapbox - How to Get Started with Video Email
Step 1:
Have a computer that has a camera built into it, or get a webcam, literally just about any will do.
Step 2:
Go to https://www.vidyard.com/govideo/ and download the free web extension. You could also use Wistia’s Soapbox. These are my two favorites.
Step 3:
After downloading some operating systems may have you restart your computer.
Step 4:
Every time you want to make a video you’ll need to first go to www.vidyard.com and then click on the green icon in the upper right of your web browser.
Step 5:
The Vidyard extension will open and you’ll have the option of making three types of videos; tab, screen, and the camera only. Pick whichever video is going to best suit your needs.
Step 6:
Press the record button and you’ll be taken to a new window which will start counting down from 3, 2, 1 and you’re live. I always wave or move around for the first 3 seconds (I’ll tell you why in just a minute). I often hold a whiteboard with the person’s name on it, giving it some real personality and flair.
Step 7:
Record a personal and witty video with a strong call to action. I aim to keep my videos under a minute, making it easy for people to watch and consume. When you're done with your message press the stop button on the web page and your video is done, but we’re not ready to send just yet.
Step 8:
You’ll now see a rough draft of what the video web page will look like when someone watches your message. Now to add some personality. In the title bar above your video change the name from Vidyard GoVideo Recording to something personal. “Video Just For Steve” or “Steve, Check This Out!”
Step 9:
In the lower left-hand corner of the video, you’ll see a button for “Thumbnails” click on it. You’ll be given the option of how you would like your video to present to the recipient in the email inbox. I always chose an Animated GIF. This turns your static image into a moving GIF of the first three seconds of your video.
Side note: imagine scrolling through email abyss of your inbox with one sales pitch after another. All virtually the same touting their experience, quality, and how they “really care.” Blah, blah, blah all the same sales pitch that’s a cookie cutter of the last one. Now imagine coming across an email with the recipient’s name is written on a whiteboard, and the image is actually waving or moving at the reader. Even if they have no interest in your product, chances are they’ll click on and watch the video out of sheer curiosity.
Step 10:
Once the GIF is ready you can then have it placed in an email ready to send if you're a Gmail or Outlook user. Click on the mail button in the top right or copy the link and send away!
Step 10.5
Never repeat the same message in the text of the email and also in the video. I always try to leave a little bit of mystery as to why I’m sending them this video so they’re compelled to click and watch.
A great feature about Vidyard is that you’ll know if someone has actually watched the video and if you enable alerts, you’ll know exactly who and when watched your recording. I’ve called people upon getting that alert, asking them what they think of my video! It’s an immediate way to gain a commitment or schedule a meeting.
o secure the client of a lifetime or close a trillion-dollar deal or magically have your calendar filled with new appointments. However, with some persistence and consistency, you’ll be able to get in touch with more prospects than you ever have before. At every company we’ve implemented this strategy or shown them this tool, their connection rate immediately goes up. Heck, you might even become a mini-celebrity at your next conference! :)