Video killed the email star

Short, personal videos are more persuasive than text-based messages

By Kim Burgess

12 Apr 2018

Pop quiz: When was the last time you misinterpreted an email? It’s easy to do: humor, warmth, sarcasm and other nuances of tone often get lost between the lines.

To make better connections with customers, prospects and employees, consider sending a short video instead of a text-based message. Switching to video will boost your persuasiveness and save you time: The average person can speak four times faster than he types.

Garret Griffin, national sales manager for Finance of America Mortgage in Dallas, recently said his company has been seeing good results with BombBomb, a platform to create, send and track short videos.

“There are so many creative and great ways to put these videos together,” he said. “I call it next level. We are starting to see more people do videos. You can use it to convey a message. It is personal and effective.”

The videos

Steve Pacinelli, BombBomb chief marketing officer, highlighted video’s capacity to leverage your most critical asset: yourself.

“It is hard to say no to a smiling face,” he said. “When you want an answer, and you want it to be yes, video is your best option short of being there in person.”

Of course, the idea of going on camera — particularly on a bad hair day – can be daunting. Here are BombBomb’s top tips to overcome your fear of video.

Don’t overthink it

The single biggest obstacle you’re likely putting in your way is the impossible, unreasonable, and unnecessary pursuit of perfection. You’ve been trained that television and movies are the standard. They’re not. This isn’t a “production.” You’ve been trained that this is about marketing. It’s not. It’s about communication.

Don’t worry about your appearance

You are – by far – your own harshest critic. You care so much more about your hair or your misspoken word than anyone else; they don’t much notice or care. Most people are far more interested in either a) how you’re going to provide them value or solve their problem or b) what their hair looks like. Let go of perfection. Let go of your hangups. Just be yourself.

Don’t worry about making mistakes

Like any other new skill or activity (foreign language, musical instrument, sport, hobby, etc), communicating with simple videos takes a little practice. Each video you make will be a little better than the one before it. The benefits of becoming a better communicator extend far beyond simple video into other aspects of your life. Well worth it!

Set your intentions

When you’re clear about your desired outcome, the message is much easier for you to convey. Do you want a reply? A click? A call back? You’ll be more comfortable and confident if you take 10 or 20 seconds before you hit record to be clear about your conclusion or call-to-action.

Just do it

When you hit record, the single most important factor in your success is confidence. You feel it and the person on the other end feels it. So hit record with confidence and share your message. Your smile and posture can help build confident thoughts, feelings, and physiology, too.