Has anyone perfected video emails?

Replies to This ADM Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ralph Paglia on April 7, 2008 at 5:46pm

Check out this video email:

There are many ways you can use online advertising to drive increased volumes of "self-generated" leads... Just remember this, learning how to become a good angler and eating fresh, wild-caught fish (your own leads) is a heck of a lot better than buying week-old farm raised and slaughtered fish (3rd party leads) at a Safeway Supermarket (lead provider)... IT may not be for everyone, but those of us who have done will never go back to being totally reliant on lead providers. Click on the image below to learn more:

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Permalink Reply by Ralph Paglia on July 23, 2008 at 6:07pm

Whether from Unity Works Media, SiSTer Technologies or any of the other reputable video content solution providers, every independent research study, every metric report I have seen from both small and large dealers shows that there is a measurable increase in the average amount of time each visitor stays on the dealer's website. There is no doubt that video content within dealership websites drives increased amounts of time that customers stay on a dealer's website. Conventional wisdom says that increased amounts of time that customers stay on a dealer's website inevitable leads t0o additional leads, phone calls and showroom visitors... However, I am no longer convinced that this is an immutable law of digital marketing. I have a major client that I am personally close to, and whose brand is a household name, that I will not specifically identify. They added significant amounts of video content throughout their automotive information website back in April.

These were not the "Pan & Zoom" fake videos that use photos from CDM and Dealer Specialties to "simulate" a video, these were full-blown Virtual Test Drives from recognized authorities such as MotorTrend Magazine, along with "How To" videos coaching people on how to get a fair trade-in value, or how their credit score impacts their monthly payments, etc. All of it was the type of content you would expect from such a major player... Their results were nothing short of incredible in regards to their average amount of time each visitor stayed on their site... And, here's the REALLY interesting part, their organic (free) search engine traffic jumped dramatically. I have their numbers in my hand right now. There Average Visit Length went from 4:07 (April 2008) before deploying the video library throughout the site, to 16:59 (May 2008) after putting video players and content on every page of their automotive site.

However, as good as that may look, their leads from web forms submitted were up in May 2008 by less than 10% compared to April 2008... My point is this; although I see evidence everywhere that properly deployed genuinely informative and entertaining video is in high demand by consumers and it does drive increased levels of consumer engagement and more time spent on dealer websites, I am not yet convinced that it takes someone who is visit8ing your website who is not in the market for a vehicle purchase this week, and then puts them in the market! As good as video is, I do not believe that it makes buyers out of tire kickers.

Am I saying don't use video? Absolutely NOT! Video content is one of the greatest things to come along to Digital Marketing in the last 5 years and demand for video is primarily driven by the widespread adoption of broadband (hi-speed) Internet access. I predict that within the next 5 years consumers will be watching more video on their computers than on broadcast or cable TV channels. I am also convinced that the right use of video is one of the strongest branding and communication tools a dealer can possibly use on the web. If you don't believe me, then visit the following website that my company DID NOT SELL, and I had nothing to do with other than finding it when I clicked on the dealership's display advertising on a website: http://www.drivethebest.com/

Then, go to: http://www.drivethebest.com/owners.php and click on the employee and customer profiles on the left side to display each of their video interviews in the window on the right.

I love the classy quality of the video and message at http://www.drivethebest.com/dealership.php

http://www.drivethebest.com/showroom.php

And then there are the video interviews with all the sales management and sales associates that go far beyond anything I have ever seen in conveying a message that THIS is the kind of dealership you will want to do business with: http://www.drivethebest.com/salesstaff.php

For those of you brave enough to check out Michael Schumacher's dealership website, you are in for quite a treat. It among the "Best In Class" in the use of video content that I have ever seen... And, I have seen far too many dealership websites!

Ralph Paglia
Director - Digital Marketing | OEM & National Accounts
ADP Dealer Services
505.301.6369 Cell | Ralph_Paglia@ADP.com
www.AutomotiveDigitalMarketing.com

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Permalink Reply by Scott Rainville on July 27, 2008 at 7:09pm

Jeremy,

My first question is what are you looking for in a video email provider-flash video like the BZresults sample Ralph left or video shot with a camcorder? What about templates? Do you want it integrated with a CRM? A bit more info might help us help you...

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Permalink Reply by Ralph Paglia on July 27, 2008 at 7:39pm

The sample I referred to at DriveTheBest.com for Schumacher European is not from BZ Results, but I am sure they would be flattered that you thought so!
The video production used by Michael Schumacherwas obviously shot in high definition and uses some advanced web site video display techniques not often seen on many dealer websites.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Rainville on July 28, 2008 at 5:31am

My bad Ralph-I was referring the the BZ results link above and the fact it is a flash presentation. The customer and salesperson profiles are the video example at Schumacher. Both styles are great if it delivers a message that adds value to the prospect.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Thompson on February 15, 2009 at 11:10am

I've used this company in the past - avimail.com. Their video actually plays in your email program, not just a link to a website.

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Permalink Reply by Ken Beam on February 15, 2009 at 11:32am

Hey Jeremy,
I have done a huge amount of research on video in email...... the overall answer; video & email is like oil & water, they don`t mix. I`ve have put together a few programs where I actaully had the video playing directly in the email, .....well sort of. Once it played back, there where too many different complications, where the coded in video wouldn`t play back correctly on various browsers or the overall finished email looked totally deformed as a result of the browser. I`ve tested many different formats/coses against numerous browers with absolutely no consistent success. I do alot of really interesting things with our E-Blasts by incorporating the video on a hidden page of our wbsite & then entice the client to either click on some text/& or a picture in the E-Blast. I have all sorts of counters in various places on my site so I can actually measure how many clients actually clicked the pic or test. This process seems to work quite well.
I use LIVE recorded videos of myself explaining the current sales event or promotion that we're having at that time. I do not believe that clients really care about how great your XYZ Dealership is or that you`ve been around since the days of covered wagons!~lol - There`s a place for this sort of dealership branding, but not necessarily on each & every E-Blast.
Clients want current content, not the everyday canned about "We`re the greatest dealership on the planet since sliced bread!" ....... as I mentioned, there is a place for that too. Visit our sites at www.DouglasAutoGroup.com & www.VWHotDeals.com to get an idea as to what I`m referring too.

Thanks,

Ken Beam
E-Commerce Mgr.

Douglas Auto Group
430 Morris Ave.
Summit New Jersey 07901

kenabeam@aol.com

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Permalink Reply by Paul Thompson on February 15, 2009 at 11:48am

Ken,
I agree with you on videos in emails. Too many different technologies out there making it difficult to work with. Your own website is a perfect example. I'm on a Mac computer and I cannot view your videos on your Infiniti site. I get an error message saying "Click here to download plugin", yet, when I click on it, it says "No suitable plugins were found". But, your videos DO play on your Pontiac and VW sites. Way to keep on plugging away with technology, though.

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Permalink Reply by Ken Beam on February 15, 2009 at 11:57am

Hey Paul,
Now I have a friend who uses a Mac & he watches all of my videos perfectly on his machine...... go figure right??? Glad you liked the clips! They`re very effective marketing tool & the best part is that we do all of it "in house" no 3rd party sources at all.

Thanks!

Ken

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Permalink Reply by Paul Thompson on February 15, 2009 at 7:05pm

Ken,
I tried viewing your Infiniti website in Safari and it played fine. Looks like Firefox was the problem, not the Mac.
I too, use videos that I create right here in my home office using factory footage and a professional voiceover talent, then I put it all together in Final Cut on my Mac. These videos are a great way to call attention to a special offer or promotion at a fraction of the cost of a television commercial. I only charge about $600 for a video like this one that I created for my Pepe Infiniti client: .
Paul

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Permalink Reply by Matt Watson on February 15, 2009 at 7:24pm

The key is to use FLASH based videos versus Windows Media, Quicktime, or Real Player which require other plugins

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Permalink Reply by Phil Whitehead on February 16, 2009 at 10:19am

Ken,

You mention that you have counters on your website to count how many visitors come to your hidden pages. Can you tell who they are from the links they followed in the original blast?

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