How to Use Video Emails for Attendee Engagement
It’s a fact. No other marketing channel can communicate as quickly and successfully as video. We see it on websites, social media and other online platforms – and it works. So using video in your event’s email marketing makes a lot of sense if you want to boost engagement, drive brand engagement or simply get people to click through and sign up!
After their hugely popular post on top subject lines for event email campaigns, we decided to once again speak to email marketing automation experts, Moosend, to understand exactly what are the benefits of using video in emails, what kind of tools organisers can use and what forms of video work best to boost engagement with attendees.
What is Video Email Marketing?
Video email marketing is an email marketing strategy that uses, as you might have already guessed, videos. Alternatively, you can also have GIFs (both animated and cinemagraph GIFs), static images with a play button that redirects the recipient to the actual video of the sender’s choice, and of course, HTML5 videos.
The amount of engagement this tactic can bring is crazy. And events are all about interaction and engagement.
As seen in a report by Forrester, a video in your email marketing campaign can help you increase your CTR by 200-300%. Some reports also show that just by including the word ‘video’ in an email subject line can have enough of an impact to increase your open rates! This is the first benefit you need to keep in mind.
Secondly, moving images appeal to a prospect’s curiosity and can satisfy it quicker and easier than simple images. This is why video tutorials, for example, are so popular.
Lastly, videos have the tendency to get shared around pretty quickly, resulting in a brand or company going viral.
So, increased CTR, social shares, going viral and more attention to your marketing emails? Not too shabby, especially when promoting an event, right?
Top Tools for Video Email Marketing
You can go nowhere without knowing what you can use, in order to make video email marketing work for you. Below is a list of tools we’d recommend using:
Moosend – You’ll get the benefit of including a static image with a play button in the email. If one clicks on the image, they get taken to the video. No muss, no fuss, no video code issues that could get your email into the spam folder.
TailoredMail – This platform promises to allow users to embed actual videos in their email campaigns, as well as podcasts and carousel images.
Mailchimp – One of the best-known platforms, Mailchimp uses the static image approach as well. It will get a thumbnail of your video and merge it into the content of your email with an overlay of a play button.
MixMax – With Vidyard by MixMax, you’ll be able to select a video in your camera roll or record and upload a video on the spot, and embed it in your email.
Hyperise – This platform allows you to create hyper-personalised images and embed them in emails. Combine that with the overlay of a play button and there you have it!
Lemlist – One of those platforms that use personalised clickable thumbnails to save you the HTML5 time and hassle. Oh, and it specialises on cold emails, too!
As you can see for yourself, there are not many platforms that can embed actual HTML5 videos in their email campaigns, mainly because this form is not supported by most email clients and you can’t risk to afford your email going to waste.
So, by using the personalised GIF and/or static image with a video button overlay tactic, you’re bound to entice more people, as most email clients support those.
Top Considerations for Your Video Email Campaigns
Let’s look at the first steps you need to take if you want to be sure that video email marketing is definitely what you need, the moment you need it.
1. Who Is Your Target Audience?
Defining your target audience is one of the first things you’ll need to clarify, even before you create a marketing strategy and decide on your marketing collateral.
An appealing message will make all the difference. Not everyone needs to see a testimonial video and even if they do, they don’t need to see the same things.
By knowing your audience you’ll make sure you can create a video email marketing campaign that will resonate with them and the goals you’re trying to achieve.
2. What Are Your Goals?
You need to take a good look at your data and see which segment of your audience would be interested in the message that would serve your goal at that specific point in time. And then work with what you have.
So, let’s assume now that your target audience simply loves videos and you see great results in those video email marketing campaigns. Take some time to review what you did send.
Why did it work? Was it luck or good relevant content?
3. Can You Match the Video to Your Content Strategy?
You’ll need to align your video content with your overall content strategy. The reason behind that lies in your target audience. Just take a look at some not-so-rough numbers:
(Source)
As you see, your tone of voice is one of the most important things for your brand. It makes you memorable, it builds trust and it can make your audience identify with your core values.
Remaining true to your brand’s tone will create a seamless experience and will allow your prospects to share your content around if they feel like it. This will increase the possibility of your video going viral.
Oh, and mind you, your brand’s tone includes brand colors. So, be very careful about that.
Related reading: 3 Important Content Marketing Tips for Event Professionals
4. Aim for a Clean Email List
None of your email marketing efforts will work otherwise. A clean email list is pretty much your best and surest shot at success. Why? Have a look:
- Reduced bounce rates. Lower bounce rates mean lower spam rates.
- Higher deliverability rates. This will get ISPs to trust you. Good reputation gets you everywhere in life and in email marketing.
- Hitting the inbox every time. Emails that bounce, emails that get no response and those that get delivered to inactive accounts will do you no favours.
A clean email list is your most important tool when it comes to getting your event’s message across and hitting that fantastic ROI.
Top Video Emails for Marketing Events
Okay, so you’ve decided what your brand’s tone should be, you’ve nailed your data, you’ve even set your goals and created your marketing strategy.
Now what?
Well, now you need to find the type of video that would make your audience RSVP easier. What type works best will depend on your event’s campaign and goals.
1. The Pre-Event Video
This kind of video should be a roundup of all the things leading up to your event. What was it that urged you to create it? What are the needs of your audience that the video addresses?
This type of video in your email marketing campaign will work beautifully for first-timers. People who don’t have a clear image of what your brand is all about will be able to see why you felt the need to create such an event.
If you’re about to host an event for an online school opening, send a “How to start an online school” sort of video that will be able to show bits and pieces of the process.
This video’s aim is to inform with snippets of what’s to come, through brief, fun and engaging explanation.
2. The Behind-The-Scenes Video
In these types of videos, it’s all about showcasing the preparation process behind your event. Perhaps you can include bloopers, too!
This type of video differs from the pre-event video in one key thing: The behind-the-scenes bits can be anything. From the concept or creation of a product or an idea, to introducing one of your employees or one of the key people behind your event.
Your data will be the ones to show you the type of audience this would work best for. Use your event management software to segment your lists according to the data you have on people from registrations or past events. Look into your website analytics too.
This video aims to inform your prospects about your own actions and brand as an event organizer and it would be, much like the pre-event video, perfect for first-timers as well as fly-bys.
3. The Former-Event-Video
A video that features snippets of former events that took place, along with the coverage of the press for the event(s) mentioned, could be one of the best means to advertise your brand and how it works.
If you’re targeting new attendees or would like to engage one-timers to become returning delegates, this sort of round-up video email marketing campaign is for you.
A former event video can showcase the end result and, combined with social proof, will definitely keep those you want to nudge gently (further) down the sales funnel, on their toes.
It will be a great way to showcase what your actions are and the quality of the events you can plan.Also, the former event video in your video email campaign can serve as an explainer video and a gentle reminder of the quality of your services.
4. The Testimonial Video
This is one of the most useful. Testimonials of attendees from previous events are the best way to use social proof to your advantage.
These types of videos can be used to engage those that have never attended and those that are not sure if they’d like to come to another one of your events. If you combine that with influencer marketing, then you’ve got a certain win.
Check, for example, how selling on Instagram works. Influencers are constantly promoting products, services or events through videos. Imagine how much engagement brownie points you could get from collaborating with an influencer on a testimonial video!
Related reading: How to Choose the Right Influencers for Your Event Marketing Activities
The Event Follow-Up Video
The event follow-up video will serve as a thank-you to all attendees. It will also keep them posted about future events. This particular video email campaign would be what would showcase the value of your event, after everything’s been said and done.
So, let’s assume that you’ve organised a fundraiser. By sending out an event follow-up, you can thank attendees for participating and inform them of how much money was raised. It’s important that you make clear that none of that would have happened, had it not been for them.
This format works best for those that actually attended your event. You need to thank them first. And, perhaps, urge them to share your message around.
Conclusion
Of course, video email marketing in and of itself is not the only tool that can help your efforts. A pre-event video can be paired wonderfully with a landing page that will be optimised according to the advice of your trusted SEO services, especially for that lead-gen and sales aspect.
An online form that features a small snippet of what’s included in your video email campaign would be perfect for those lead-gen opportunities.
And our last-but never least-honourable mention should go to content that is shareable. Urge your prospects to share your email that features the video you’re trying to promote. Nothing is a better new lead magnet than shareable content and turning your prospects or attendants to brand ambassadors.
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