Video is Taking Over email. Why?
Why the video is winning over the email in business communication?
There is no doubt that the email marketing era is about to end. Customers seek more engaging forms of communication. According to Cisco, by 2019, 80% of traffic on the internet will be used on videos [source]. So here’s the next big thing for business communication – using videos for business purposes can increase conversion by 80%.
82% of marketers noticed a positive impact
of video marketing on their business.[source]
There are plenty of expectations for videos, depending on the audience or where they are watched. Forbes surveyed 300 C-level and senior executives, to find out their attitude towards using videos in the business. They admit that when searching for work-related videos, they most often seek out business news (74%), then KOL advice (64%), speeches and presentations (57%), case studies (56%) and product reviews (54%). The majority of them agree that they watch a video first if it covers the same subject text does. 65% of them declare they visited a vendor’s website after watching the video [source].
Research shows that video communication is a great solution for B2B, especially for decision-makers such as executives. But creating more and more video content is not enough.
Rather than using video exclusively as a storytelling mechanism, think of it as a tool for storymaking, in which consumers get to take part.
[source]
Videos, same as any other type of content, must be aligned to customer’s needs so the customer chooses to watch it – and the more personalized the video, the better. Customers point out that the most preferred length of business videos are between 3-5 minutes (47% of surveyed executives). 36% of them prefer shorter videos: between 1-3 minutes. You may think it’s not enough but according to Forrester analytic, James L. McQuivey, one minute of video is worth 1,8 million words…
Video vs video
But let’s widen the picture. Video is not only about posting on YouTube or advertising on a company’s website anymore. Today’s digital tools allow for fast and effective video communication with clients but many ask if it’s necessary or how it works. For example, to fulfill growing Pharma customer demands and build a strong relationship, representative or KOL can send a short video.
The most important advantage of such videos is they seem natural and that customers can see the sender’s body language, so the communication seems to be more personal – and that’s the crucial factor in the era of relationship marketing.
Say goodbye to email
Let’s follow some statistics: The average open rate for an email in the pharma industry is 19% [source]. Adding a video to the email can cause a boost of click-through rates even by 200% – and customers who have viewed the video are 1.7 times more likely to buy the product than customers who haven’t. But the email channel is very cluttered and engagement is poor. Companies should focus on solutions increasing open rate and engagement.
Emails that include video generate a 200% increase in click-through rates.
A great example of a tool allowing for 1-1 video communication between the representative and customer is Highp, powered by Connectmedica. Highp is a business video messaging system that combines videos with other components, such as images, hyperlinks, presentations, Call To Action, etc., sent through texts and emails. Using the SMS channel is a great advantage – not only is it less cluttered than email, but it’s also more personal as well.
Clearly, videos are becoming more and more popular – both for private and business users. It is up to companies how they use this knowledge. But one thing is sure: creating video content is not enough. The question is how to deliver it to the customers, to engage them properly.
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