OK, folks, a couple of things about sending a video and actually getting it to your intended viewers:
1. If you simply attach a super-large movie file to an email, most anti-virus programs will treat the message like it’s a virus. Now, I’m all for viral marketing…but your movie will NEVER be seen in quarantine.
2. Large files are often blocked by ISP’s. Again, your movie–the really great one you made about your company and all your company’s cool products–will never be viewed.
3. Ready to send your expensive new marketing video using your normal email program? Let’s put it this way: The Outlook is not good for your video ever getting seen. Why? Spam programs monitor the number of recipients you list in a single email and toss the message to the JUNK folder if you’ve got more than a handful of recipients. You don’t want a big chunk of your marketing budget junked.
Reel SEO recently had an interesting article on “The Three Types of Online Video for Business” that got me thinking about why sending video in email makes so much sense. Author Daniel Sevitt takes us back to 1999 when people used to pay for internet service by the minute (remember that?!?) and video was considered a nuisance because of the long download time and large file sizes. Now fast forward to 2009 and in just under 10 years video has become a central part of most marketing campaigns.
According to Sevitt, the three types of online video for business are 1) Viral Video, 2) Conversion Video, and 3) Educational Video. Each aims to accomplish a goal with customers or potential customers such as driving traffic, sales, or building a relationship or loyalty. Each of these three types of video are also either found on your website or posted on a video site such as YouTube where you hope it will be found. Which brings up the question- Why are we just waiting for these videos to be FOUND?
If you are using video on your website and have received positive feedback about then you know how powerful a video message can be. And after spending the time and resources to create such an effective marketing tool… why are you passively waiting for current/potential customers to visit the company website to watch them? Moreover, if you’re already using email to notify a customer database about video on your site…why not just make it easy and send the video to them directly using Open My Video? Sending video email with OMV allows you to be proactive, whether its a personal message for one customer or a campaign of viral/conversion/educational videos.
The new iphone 3GS has been tempting you with all of its apps and cool features like video messaging hasn’t it? I wrestled for weeks trying to justify letting go of my perfectly good blackberry (we’d been together for years), paying the fee to cancel mid-contract with my service provider, and then biting the $199 bullet (complete with obligatory 2 year AT&T contract of course) to get my hands on that shiny, perfect phone. When all was said and done, it was worth it. I LOVE my new iphone.
Whether you’re having a similar internal struggle or have already gone through an iphone upgrade chances are you’ve probably got an old phone or other electronics at home that aren’t being used. Recently CNN Money highlighted Gazelle, a company with a mission to help consumers get rid of their old stuff AND here’s the best part- get paid for them. Gazelle.com keeps things green by recycling your old phone, camera, laptop, etc. to other consumers who will put it back to good use and rewards you with cash. Sounds like a win-win to me- saving the earth AND getting paid for my old blackberry? The tiny bit of residing guilt over my iphone purchase is officially non-existent. After all, it practically paid for itself and it is our duty to recycle right? Here’s to keeping things green!