How many emails do you receive in a day? For me, that looks like 20-30. For some professionals, it may be 100+.
Yup, that’s the number of emails your sales outreach may have to compete against if you’re looking to get the attention of ever-busy professionals to pitch your product. Don’t forget the constant distraction of social media, messaging, podcasts… In short, you’re competing with the internet.
How can you grab the attention of prospects, while also educating them about your product and building their interest? Say hello to video for sales.
Videos are a great way to cut through the noise of cookie-cutter sales emails and make a lasting impression.
In the next few sections, we’ll take a look at why video is important for sales emails, the different types of videos salespeople can use, and best practices for using videos in sales emails.
Why you need video emails for sales
A video in a sales email makes prospects sit up and take note. It helps you get heard over the cacophony of a bustling inbox and work demands.
Here are some reasons why videos work well in sales emails:
They’re popular with customers
As one study found, videos in email increased click-through rates by 96%. Another study by SuperOffice found using the word “video” in the subject line increases email open rates by 6%.
They help boost sales
59% of senior executives reported they’d rather watch a video than reading text, while 50% of those who viewed an online marketing video went on to make a purchase.
They help you make sales human
Sales prospecting has largely shifted online due to Covid 19. In the absence of in-person meetings, video emails are the next best thing you can offer prospects to keep the human touch alive.
Let’s say you’re a new sales rep at ABC Corp. You could start your sales outreach by sending a generic introduction email to 200 prospects, or you could create a quick introduction video of yourself and build a personal rapport with your clients. Which approach do you think works better?
They’re more powerful than text
According to a study by HubSpot, consumers are most likely to pay close attention to video content, as compared to social media, long-form content, and podcasts.
In short, video is a powerful way to get the attention of busy prospects and close more sales.
In the next section, we’ll take a look at the common types of videos to include in sales emails.
Different Types of Video Emails in Sales
Not all videos are created equal. To strike a chord with prospects, it’s important to choose the right type of video, depending on where they are in the buyer’s journey.
Let’s take a look at some common video types to include in sales emails:
Prospecting video
Prospects at this stage are unaware of your solution or brand, though they may be aware of the problem your product solves.
A quick introduction video talking about yourself as well as your company would serve as a good icebreaker for such prospects. It may also encourage them to learn more about your product.
Remember, at this point, your goal is to only get them intrigued, not make a sale. Focus on how you’ll help them solve a problem, not on your product’s feature set.
Demo Video
A short demo video helps to show the functions and features of a product. This, in turn, will also keep the prospects engaged so that they understand what solution is provided by the product. E.g, A demo video of a spiral mop cleaning the floor quickly and efficiently.
How-to Videos
Apart from racking up views on YouTube, your how-to videos can be an excellent way to convince interested prospects about everything your tool is capable of.
These videos are appropriate for buyers in the decision-making stage. They are likely considering two to three options at this point, and a how-to video is a great way to tip the scales in your favour.
For example, this video from monday.com explains how the tool can be used as a CRM. Now imagine sending this video to a prospect who expresses frustration at not being able to manage sales leads effectively. No prize for guessing whether they will convert into a customer or not.
Testimonials/ case studies
Testimonial videos are generally sent to prospects in the last stage of the purchase journey. These prospects are considering several alternatives to solve their problem.
Testimonials are a great way to build credibility for your product or brand. When customers share their experience about how a product has benefited them, it’s a stamp of approval for other customers.
Best Practices for Using Video Email for Sales
Now you know the different types of videos to use in sales emails, let’s take a look at some best practices to keep in mind when adding video to a sales email.
Determine video length by goals
There’s no magical video length to guarantee views, but we found some interesting statistics from LinkedIn research on video ads. We can glean some insights from it on the ideal length for B2B videos.
Videos under 30 seconds reported a 200% lift in completion rates. Thus, LinkedIn recommends using shorter videos for brand awareness. This could be helpful when sending your first introduction video to a prospect.
On the other hand, the same study found an equal number of clicks and views on longer content as short videos. This is because long-form content can better explain complex features and stories.
Your demo videos will likely run over 10-15 minutes, and that’s okay, as long as they are sent to the right prospects.
Personalize your video
A whopping 84% of customers would rather buy from a company that treats them like a person, not a number. After all, who would like to be treated as #566-on-a-cold-email-list?
Unsurprisingly, marketers reported an average 20% increase in sales when creating personalized experiences.
How can you personalize a prospect’s experience when sending sales emails?
Here are some tips:
Segment prospects
into different buyer personas for your business, such as decision-makers, users, and those who will be doing technical research when buying your product. Based on their pains and challenges, you’ll want to tailor your outreach. For instance, for decision-makers, you’ll want to highlight product ROI, while for users you’ll want to highlight the ease of use of your product.
You can also personalize your outreach based on the industry of the prospect, company size, and seniority level.
Track prospect
activity on your website to gauge which pieces of content they’re most likely to be interested in.
Send personalized video follow-ups
based on your last interaction with a prospect.
Focus on solving a problem, not selling
You’ve probably heard the copywriting rule, ‘benefits over features’. It’s also a helpful lesson when creating videos for sales.
No matter what type of video you’re sending, be sure to focus on how the customer benefits from your product and how you’re solving a real challenge for them. This is the fastest way to get their attention.
To be clear, you shouldn’t shy away from talking about features at all, but it’s important not to center the entire video around it.
Pay attention to logistics
This is for those trying to make a self-recorded video for sales. You’ll want to use a good mic, so you’re clearly audible, and record in a silent, well-lit space.
Also, don’t forget to use a professional background. You don’t need something too fancy, but you don’t want a bunch of laundry in the background either.
Keep in mind even though you may be making a video from the comfort of your home, you don’t want to be wearing your favorite PJs in a sales pitch.
This doesn’t mean you should go full presentation mode, but try to dress appropriately so your clothes don’t attract unnecessary attention.
Invest in the right tools
While you can create a decent video using just your iPhone, it helps to go the extra mile to make your videos look more professional.
What tools can take your videos to the next level?
- A high quality webcam or camera: This will help you shoot a professional-quality video.
- Microphone: Prospects need to hear you loud and clear and what you say. This will take care of that.
- Video editing software: Look for software with the ability to trim, edit, add effects and audio to your video.
Choosing the right equipment and investing in each of these tools sounds time-consuming & expensive. Instead, you can use a video customer experience platform that allows you to record, edit, and share video emails in a simpler way. All you have to do is connect your sales tools (Gmail/Outlook, LinkedIn & CRM) with the video platform to easily send out video emails from them.
Write a video email script
A good video script ensures your video doesn’t ramble around and conveys a clear message. Whether you’re creating an introduction or how-to video, keep a good script handy before you press ‘record’.
How do you write a good video script? A few points to keep in mind:
- Think of the goal of the video. Is it awareness, explanation, or making a sale? This will determine the length and content of the video.
- Focus on your brand tone and personality. Avoid using phrases that may be difficult for your target audience to understand.
- Build a narrative arc. No matter what your video type, be sure to start with a conflict (your customer’s problem) and end with a resolution (your product).
- End with an appropriate call to action. Do you want them to visit your website? Sign up for a demo? Watch another video? Be sure to add a clear CTA.
Make an emotional appeal
As humans, we don’t always do what’s rational or good for us. Why? Because we’re more motivated by emotion than we are by rational reasoning. This means emotions are a powerful way to get customers to buy into your product pitch.
Think about the problem your product helps customers solve. Say you’re selling a team collaboration tool. So, you help teams work better.
But think a little more about the actual problem you’re helping customers solve. When teams collaborate better, they save more time. That time can be used to refresh, take more breaks from work, spend more time with their loved ones. Play your favorite Jigsaw puzzle game etc.
What’s more, productive employees are also likely to achieve more of their personal and professional goals.
There you have it. You’re selling teams a better way to manage their time and improve their overall wellbeing.
See how emotions can immediately take a bland product pitch and make it more attractive to customers?
Adding an emotional aspect to your videos makes them more interesting and helps you win customer trust.
How to create videos in under 5 mins?
When we talk about videos, many of us can’t help but admit it is not easy to manage creating serveral videos for various different settings or processes. It leaves you exhausted and in the end can even discourage you from keeping up with the momentum. However, this shouldn’t stop you from leveraging the most efficient tool for your benefit.
To help serve as a solution and democratize the way people use videos inside emails, a feature like video templates can come in handy. It will allow you simply join pieces of finished videos together and additionally lets you stitch personalized videos inside. It delivers the same impact of a fully recorded video otherwise done in a studio, or outdoor setting minus the effort.
Video templates can be a life-saver for sales managers who would like to bring about a certain discipline in the way emails are sent without the risk of eating away salespeople’s precious time.
Video templates follow a predetermined flow. Brand-approved videos/images are uploaded. Pre-recorded videos uploaded will work as the intro and the outro. Personalized videos can be recorded inside this flow sandwiching them between already existing videos helping you create customized video templates.
These templates can be used later for a variety of purposes such as demo or product walkthrough, altering only the personalized video portion without the need to redo the entire exercise thereby reducing the time taken to create new videos by half.
Video templates can be an excellent option in the following scenarios
- When you are short of time to create multiple videos.
- Working on multiple projects that require several videos creation.
- Want to send out personalized messages that follow a certain brand guideline.
Don’t underestimate the power of video emails for sales
We’ve seen how powerful a tool video can be in sales videos. It helps increase conversions and click-through rates like few other channels can.
When creating videos for sales, it’s important to keep the goal of the video in mind, along with the customer you’re sending it to.
Also, focusing on solving customer’s problems rather than selling a product is a surefire way to get your prospect’s attention.
Do you have any special tips to make videos in sales emails even more effective? Do share with us below!
