Using Video in Sales Emails to Increase Open Rates and Revenue

We’re all looking for a new sales approach that will drive just a bit more revenue. Something to separate our messages and emails from the noise and all of the other sales reps out there sending email and making calls.

As reps, we’ve A/B tested our email subject lines, adjusted the size, color, formatting of the text we’ve sent, and we’ve probably also followed best practices around sequencing and cadencing. Basically we’re putting in the work.

But here’s the thing. Every rep is sending more and more email everyday, and there are more and more tools competing in the ‘personalization’ space. This means that the inbox is only going to get harder to get your messages into and over time the emails are going to increasingly look like they actually came from a real person.

So why not actually be a real person? Why not send a really, truly, genuinely ONLY YOU message.

And here’s the thing – you can do it now, and it’s really pretty easy to do. So we’re excited to share with you a new tactic that you can add to your arsenal of ‘best practices’ to drive more replies, conversations, and most importantly, revenue.

That tactic is: video.

Interestingly, there are few methods of communication that are more effective than video at reaching and holding the attention of modern consumers.

• 80 percent of all consumer Internet traffic is video [Cisco]
• 25% of Instagram ads are single videos [Sensor Tower]
• Sixty-four percent of consumers make a purchase after watching branded social videos [Tubular]
• Video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80% or more [Tubular]

But why aren’t we using video in the workplace? What’s missing for the everyday sales rep?

Until recently, video production was costly, required specialized skills, and a lot of editing time. But now, creation and sharing of video is easy and takes only a few clicks. And now sales teams can use video to help achieve success.

Reps that use video in prospecting, sales demos, and sales emails see 5x higher open rates and 8x higher open-to-reply rates.

Let’s jump into 3 ways that you can use video to drive faster revenue growth and win more deals.

1. Prospecting
2. Building and nurturing a relationship
3. Closing Deals

Video can be used in Prospecting Emails

As we mentioned earlier, standing out can be really challenging. You need to make sure that you reach out:

• At the right time
• To the right person
• With the a clear and compelling message
• Personally and authentically

Here’s an example:

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Video can be used to Nurture and Build Relationships

Getting someone to reply can often be one of the most challenges parts of sales, but after you’ve got their attention, most prospects aren’t going to buy from your right away. And that’s especially true if you have a product that takes a lot of handholding, championing, and budget. So to make sure that you are nurturing and building relationships to support the sale (pre and post sales), you need to stay top of mind with relevant content, information, and training. You need to make sure that:

• You’re providing something truly valuable. Not just a forwarded email or “Hey saw your post on Linkedin”
• You can share progress of a new feature that they are waiting on or expecting
• You can provide an overview of a recent demo you gave and highlight specific relevant points
• If you’ve noticed that they haven’t used one of your features yet that is critical to their success, highlight and explain it

Here’s an example:

Video can help you close and win more deals

When it’s finally time to close the deal, there are so many things that can go wrong. You need to clearly communicate the price, the billing period, answer questions about contractual obligations, actually show them how to enter their credit card or sign your invoice. The whole darn thing is just complex — even when you have the simplest of tools to help you wrap it all up.

As leads get closer to the point of purchase, you need to stay engaged with them throughout their journey, and you need to give them the information they need when they need it. Most sales reps LOVE to say “Let’s just get on a call.” but I think we all know that a 30 minute call to answer a 1 minute question is really doing a disservice to the customer and a waste of the reps time. So why not use video close the deal?

Use video to:

• Show a prospect a demo video, with CloudApp’s free screen recorder, of how to sign your esignature product
• Show a prospect how and where to enter their credit card information
• Show a prospect exactly what they are going to get as a mini-demo of the product once they buy
• Show a reminder of *WHY* they thought they might want to buy in the first place

Or you could send an image through CloudApp’s snipping tool. Check out CloudApp’s ‘Sales Persona’ page for more information on using video in sales.