'Net Features : video email

Video Email Marketing Study 2010

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:30:00 GMT

Email service provider GetResponse released some interesting data related to video and email marketing today.

While I personally am not entirely sold on the notion of including video in email as it stands today, I am confident it will have its place in the future and that seems to be a shared sentiment among Web professionals. The survey revealed that 80% of respondents plan to use video emails in 2010, even though just 15.7% did so in 2009.

It's the lift in conversion that is attractive to many Web/email marketers. According to the study, 65% of marketers believe that video email marketing can have a moderate or significant influence on conversion rate. 64% of those already using video email claim significant rate increases.

When it comes to the different uses of video email by small businesses, 28.8% of SMB marketers consider training courses as most effective use of video email, with Product Demos, Product Offers, and Customer Testimonials taking the next 3 places respectively. Branding came in at the 5th position.

The study is a rather interesting look at a trend that is still struggling to gain a foothold. Review the report at GetResponse for additional insights into video email marketing.

GetResponse 6.0 - You Need This

Pete Prestipino — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:02:00 GMT

Online marketing solution provider Implix just announced the launch of GetResponse 6.0 - and it's got some newy features that should not (or will not) go unnoticed.

This release of the popular email marketing platform is the first that I've ever come across to offer audio and video recording capabilities, and Twitter integration (if you're an iPhone user there's even an app just for you available in the Apple App Store).

Website Magazine was fortunate enough to speak with Simon Grabowski of Implix and demo the GetResponse 6.0 release last week. In addition to those features listed above, other platform enhancements which really impressed us within this release are online surveys and Web forms, email analytics, split testing (test up to five messages simultaneously), dynamic content, and 300-plus new email design templates.

While split testing, analytics and templates are great, by adding video/audio features GetResponse has seperated themselves from the ESP (email service provider) pack.

“In email marketing, message frequency is good – but when it’s uncoordinated and impersonal, prospects respond by hitting the delete key with equal frequency,” noted Gartner Research Director Richard Fouts. “Moreover, the current generation of IT buyers have little time and a short attention span, so marketers are getting above the email clutter with audio-video, mobile and social media components in their campaigns. Vendors like Implix that not only help companies implement email and video marketing solutions, but also offer insights and advice on current best practices, could play a central role in this evolution. Being able to click on a one-minute video vs. reading a page of text is already proving to be an effective strategy for online marketers, and a welcome relief for consumers.”

Streaming Video in Email at Goodmail

Pete Prestipino — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Goodmail Systems formally released CertifiedVideo, a technology that enables marketers to incorporate streaming video into the body of email messages.

Video has been slow coming to email because of security concerns. Email provider prevent video from playing or from reaching users altogether. To ensure that CertifiedVideo messages work as promised, Goodmail analyzes prospective senders’ video players for code stability and platform compatibility. Once approved, senders can leverage Goodmail’s existing CertifiedEmail infrastructure to affix cryptographically-secure CertifiedVideo tokens to outbound messages that instruct receiving email providers to deliver them directly to the inbox with video content enabled.

AOL is the first email provider to implement CertifiedVideo, enabling its Webmail users to receive CertifiedVideo messages. The first CertifiedVideo senders include Country Music TV, DailyCandy.com, Fox Digital, iVillage (NBC Universal), LiveNation, The New York Times, Target, Thrillist and Turner Networks.

“CertifiedVideo merges the best of the Web with the email inbox, delivering breaking news and sports, exclusive movie premieres and product demonstrations directly to an audience of opt-in subscribers,” said Peter Horan, CEO of Goodmail. “Americans watched more than 14 billion online videos this past January alone. With CertifiedVideo, consumers can now watch videos within their email inbox without having to click to an external Web site, and brands can tap into shifting media consumption habits and craft truly interactive, email 3.0 marketing campaigns.”

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Internet PR & Video Email

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:22:00 GMT

Tech public relations firm Softscribe launched its Video Email Snacks social media product, aiming to help its clients reach out more effectively to key audiences. The video emails are essentially just brief personal messages from a company executive that can address or link to more in-depth material. There is no new technology here, however, so there's nothing really to get excited about, other than the idea of sending video email itself. Unfortunately, no real guidance was offered on how to make that happen.

There is some value in video and video email, I suppose: educating consumers quickly (diffiult concepts as well), establishing tighter client bonds, driving clients to existing content on forums or social media sites, etc. SoftScribe managed to develop an example ("Twitter - Are Your Customers There Without You") which is worth a look, but in the end it's little more than a video and most serious marketers have been leveraging that platform for many years.

"Video Email Snacks are short, entertaining, high value 'face mails' that a viewer can access at the best time for them during their day," said Michael Squires, president of Softscribe Inc., which provides marketing and communications programs for green tourism and hospitality, green government and related markets. "It works. In a case study on how to add video to an email, Marketing Sherpa reports up to a 25% jump in conversions."