[tweetmeme]Using videos in email is starting to gain grounds among marketers. In fact, according to the study “The 2010 Video Email Marketing Survey and Industry Trends Reports,” about 70% of marketers surveyed use online videos for marketing. About 73% of the respondents believe that integrating video with email marketing will increase click through rates.
One business that has seen the effectiveness of using videos in email marketing is Homebase Abroad. They have found video emails to be an important and effective tool in reaching out to target prospects and improve their sales.
Homebase Abroad is a luxury villa rental company offering high-end rental properties in Europe and the United States. The villas that they rent out typically have at least four bedroom and four baths, with average rental of over $20,000 a week. Hence, the company typically attracts affluent customers with high disposable incomes.
They’ve contracted with FLIMP Media to create Flimps (flash interactive marketing platforms) video brochures that they email to potential clients. The video brochures allow Homebase Abroad to instantly send the properties to customers who inquire about their properties and satisfy the need for information about the villa. The visual nature of the videos helps make it easy to showcase the properties.
Specifically, the use of videos in emails have helped Homebase Abroad in a number of ways:
1. Cost saving.
Turning brochures to videos have allowed Homebase Abroad to save huge amounts of money. Prior to creating the videos, the company burned images and information on CDs, printed out high quality and expensive brochures, and have these materials delivered overnight to prospective clients. The video emails have eliminated this repetitive and costly process.
2. Allows for instantaneous distribution of information.
The video emails also have allowed the company to speed up the time to get the information out to customers and prospects that are interested in one of their properties. Instead of waiting overnight for the materials – and risking clients losing interest, finding other properties or changing their minds – the video emails can make sure that the clients get the information they need and how the properties look very quickly.
3. Allows them to reach more prospects.
Doing everything through email also makes it cost-effective for Homebase Abroad to reach more prospective customers. Given that their type of travel services caters more to groups than individuals, it was common for customers to ask them to send the same brochure and marketing materials for that one villa to several of their families and friends who’ll accompany them on the trip. The cost of sending about 5 or more of the same materials overnight to different addresses quickly adds up fast. As the video emails come with a Share to a Friend feature, the video brochures quickly become viral and can be easily shared to as many friends and families they have – without the added expense of sending individually to the members of the group.
4. Improves engagement and responsiveness of visitors.
The company analyzed the performance of 1,986 emails sent with the emailed videos. They found that their open rate is a very high 74% with about 43% clicking to watch the video. About 24% clicked on the call to action in the emails.
While video emails may be beyond the reach of many home-based entrepreneurs, it is best to check how well suited the video emails to your business.
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