Video Email: When, Why, and How

Presented by theEmail Experience Council

Video Email: When, Why and How

October 13, 2011TWEET! #eecweb

Presentation available today following the webinar, including PPT, audio/videoSubmit questions via Questions panelInteractive polls – Vote!

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Announcements & Housekeeping

October 13, 2011TWEET!

#eecweb

Luke GlasnerRed Pill Email@[email protected]

Your Speakers TodayJustin FosterLiveclicker@[email protected] Rory

CarlyleCarlyle [email protected]@carlyleinc.com719-623-9498


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mailto:[email protected]


http://twitter.com/videocommerce




http://twitter.com/rorycarlyle




What are you most interested in learning about?

a) Video content productionb) Examples of video in emailc) Deliverability issues & subscriber

experienced) “How-To” guide for video emaile) All of the above

Interactive Poll


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How familiar are you with using video email?

a) Not familiarb) Somewhat familiarc) Very familiard) Expert

Interactive Poll


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Video


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180 million (86%) of the US Internet audience viewed online video in August 2011comScore Video Metrix, Sept. 22, 2011

Viewing time increased 26% YoY from August 2010 to August 2011comScore Video Metrix, Sept 22, 2011

Video Consumption is Prevalent


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In 2014, video could account for more than 50% of all Internet traffic Cisco, REELSEO

June 2010

Video Adoption Growing


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Marketers Embracing Online Video

Video ad spend poised to increase 22% from 2011 - 2012 eMarketer,

August 2011


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Marketers Embracing Online Video


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Creative Budgets for Email Rising


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Why video?


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Video TrendsEntertainExcite

Engage

Video products (movies, TV shows, commercials)New product launchesBrand experiences

Entertain, Excite, Engage


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Full video and audio integrated

in the inbox.


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Build Trust

Video reviewsBig ticket product introductionsExpertise-based differentiationHumanize a commodity product with a service-oriented sell

Build Trust


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Stir the Imagination

Aspirational messaging (automotive, destination travel, furniture)Services requiring visualization to understand benefit (before & after)B2B / complex or involved value propositions

Stir the Imagination


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Persuade

Product videos / features & benefitsConversion focused / immediate transaction

Persuade


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Why does video interest you?

a) Entertain, Excite, Engage subscribersb) Good medium for building trustc) Stir the imagination/aspirational

messagingd) Persuasive medium to use when

prompting someone to take an action

Interactive Poll:


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“Video in email can increase click-through rates by as much

as 2X to 3X.” -David Daniels, Former VP, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research


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SUBJECT LINE: Video: Explore our new virtual tours and videos

2X higher CTR than average

campaign100% higher CTR in-email

video v. static image October 13, 2011

TWEET! #eecweb

http://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/12306418413e2d0b

67% higher CTR than average

campaign

Created a new

experience for

customers


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“People are excited

about launching video…”

“The feedback is positive!”


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Fundraising /

Appealing for a Cause


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When should video be used with email?


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Executed well, video will:

1. Differentiate the inbox experience

2. Boost subscriber engagement

3. Drive clicks and conversions


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1. Annoy subscribers

2. Create a distraction

3. Distance a marketer from customers

Executed poorly, video will:


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Video viewing creates an implied contract between

marketers and subscribers


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Time & Attention

Value

• WHO to engage

with video?

• HOW can video add

value?

The ability to visually convey the switching of covers delivers an impact that would be impossible to communicate using images alone.Not “video for video’s sake”

Example: Dell Inspiron Covers


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Broadens the impact of the brand lifestyleDelivers an integrated multi-channel experience with TV and web shoppingVideo aligns with the sense of excitement and “freshness” of the message

Example: Express Fall 2011 Launch


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How to make the video happen?


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Leverage existing assetsDon’t make it more difficult than it isConsider the level of quality that’s really required to align with the brand

Content Production


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Going solo? Have nothing? Basic product? Budget $4,000 - $5,000On-site studio (minimal set, in-house talent) $2,500 HD camera (Canon 5D Mark II) $500 lighting (CFL 3 softbox set) $500 audio (mic/mixer inc. wired lav) ~$500 video editing software (Premiere

Pro/Final Cut)

Content Production


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Leverage creative team or vendor creativeBudget can go from zero to infinity…Really.

Content Production


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Final Cut Pro is the “industry standard” for professional video editingAdobe Premiere Pro is also widely used and considered a standardWindows Movie Maker can work fine for basic videos (and it’s free!)

Editing


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Most formats should work, BUT for best results I recommend sticking to:H.264 encoded videosMP4 container16x9 (HD) or 4x3 (SD) aspect ratios29.97 frames per secondNo raw/uncompressed video

Formats / Codecs


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How to make the email happen?


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PROS: Compatible with nearly all mail clients No learning curve Established best practices

CONS: It’s not really video in email Subscriber must click through for video and audio

Use strong visual cues to indicate video presence to encourage subscribers to click through to web-hosted video.

Static Callout – “Click to Play”


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Animated .GIF?


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PROS: Compatible with most mail clients

(~75% - 90% for most) Displays video directly in email Does not cause ISP blocks

(if not directly embedded) Does not require the end user to download the video prior to viewing

CONS: No audio Works most places, but not everywhere No player controls in email (autoplays) Requires enabled images Poorer quality output than full motion video

Animated .GIF/.PNG Video


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30 seconds or less – remember: no sound!Use text callouts to prompt clickthrough (e.g. “click for sound”Support the video with subject line – critical. .GIFs auto-play so expectation setting is important.Use interstitial text to support the animation

Animated .GIF Video: Best Practices - General


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Rule of thumb: 400x300 pixels or less for 4x3 videos (SD aspect ratio). Reason = preserve quality.Experiment with color palette and compression options to achieve the best quality.Use animated .PNGs for Firefox (quality)

Animated .GIF Video: Best Practices – Design/Technical


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• 29MM iPads sold to date (not counting Q3 ’11)• Hotmail support as of July 2011

HTML5 Video


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PROS: The only way to get “real” video – with audio – into the inbox Player controls including pause, play, and volume Less constrictive than animated .GIF video if you need to deliver the full message to the inbox

CONS: Most marketers will only be able to deliver this format to 25% - 50% of the audience, depending on list composition Player controls are not consistent between mail clients, for example Hotmail requires a right-click to play (unless autoplay/no sound is enabled) Will not work in any webmail clients (including Hotmail) if the web browser does not support HTML5 playback

HTML5 Video


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Shorter videos tend to convert best. Try to stick to 2 minutes or less (1 minute or less if possible) if the goal is to convert/drive CTRAutoplay offRelevance, relevance, relevance…

HTML5 Video: Best Practices - General


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It’s not clickable – no <a href> tags around the HTML5 video.Include a failover – static image at minimum, or animated .GIF video for max video coverageDetect Hotmail and display a message to prompt for a right-click video play

HTML5 Video: Best Practices – Design/Technical


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What works where?

Hotmail iPhone mail client iPad mail client Apple Mail 4 Thunderbird Blackberry (BOLT 2.1+)

All webmail clients Outlook Express – 2003 Lotus Notes 6.5 – 8 Entourage Windows Mail

HTML5 Video Animated .GIF/.PNG


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Mail client penetration


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Source: Liveclicker, Campaign Monitor, June 2011

HTML5 Video (Full Video in Email with Audio)iPhone 12.39%Hotmail 12.14%Mac Mail 4 7.98%iPad 2.77%Other (Thunderbird, iPod Touch, etc.) 2.06%Total 37.34%

Animated .GIF or .PNG Video (Silent Video in Email, no Audio, Reduced Quality)Outlook 2003 17.88%Yahoo Mail 9.54%Gmail 7.02%Windows Mail 1.84%Android Native E-mail 1.70%AOL 1.25%Other 10.54%Total 49.77%

Static Image w/ Play Button (User Must Click through the Email to a Landing Page to see Video)Outlook 2007 9.37%Outlook 2010 0.37%Apple Mail 2 & 3 3.15%Total 12.89%

Keeping it Real


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Content CalendarsKeep marketing campaigns on track

across marketing media – video is a cross-channel medium: explore synergies across departments

Identify opportunities to create content (customer testimonials at trade shows, on-location events, even meetings with co-workers!)

Keeping it Real


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Lead TimesA lead time of 2 months for video

production and campaign building for a new video with high production values is not unreasonable for a first effort.

If you already have content, plan for an extra 1- 3 days in the campaign planning/post-production process for a first-time launch. Thereafter plan an additional 2-4 hours for each campaign involving video.

Keeping it Real


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Internal Education is CRITICALEspecially for video in emailClearly define the goals up frontDo not over-hype expectationsPlan for multiple campaigns to

determine which video content is most effective for the email channel

Keeping it Real


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Should You Adopt Video Email Now?


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Video IN email vs. Video WITH email = empty argument.


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It’s a Creative Decision.


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Which of the following topics would you like to see a “deeper dive” on?

a) Previous successful video email campaigns

b) Internal mgmt /campaign coord. of video email

c) Content production techniquesd) Video encoding, formatse) Mail client examples

Interactive Poll

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Questions & Answers

Luke GlasnerRed Pill Email@[email protected]

Thanks for Attending today Justin FosterLiveClicker@[email protected] Rory

CarlyleCarlyle [email protected]@carlyleinc.com











Technology

Video Email: When, Why, and How