It’s Monday . . . but Sunday’s Coming!

This week we’re going to focus on easy to execute last minute promotion activities that you can do this to help people learn about your Easter services next weekend.  Join in the conversation!  We’d love to hear your ideas!

What if this week you emailed out a video to your people reminding them about your Easter Services next weekend?

Video email is just a email that you send out that primarily points to a video to watch online.  These emails are typically more well received than just a straight email because they are more engaging and add a little spice to the week!  You can shoot this video with your smartphone and have that techy dude you know upload it to make it viewable.

A few tips to think through before sending out this video email . . .

• Think about the “Who” – Parse out a list of “insiders” to email to.  Make sure that you are asking your people to invite their friends . . . rather than talking with guests about inviting guests.  Typically volunteer and donor emails is a great place to start!
• Include a Screen Shot of the Video – Make sure that in the body of the email is a screen capture of the video so people can a quick glimpse of what they are clicking on.  This image should link directly to video on youtube or vimeo . . . and it should start playing as soon as you click on that link.  (Don’t make people wait.)
• Shorter is Better – 90 Seconds is the longest you want this video to be.  Most people will be viewing this video “on the run” somewhere . . . at work, in the car or just as they get home . . . so don’t make it a long thing to watch!  (Bonus: Somewhere close to the screen shot in the email let people know how long the video is going to be . . . I’ve noticed higher click throughs when I do this. Example: Watch this 1 Minute Video about Our Easter Services!)
• Don’t Over Produce It – There is something about a raw (but comprehensible) video that engages people.  Don’t polish it too much.  Don’t worry if everything is perfect.
• Compelling Content – Make sure to have a piece of compelling content at the core of the video.  Don’t just get on video and say “hey . . . who have you invited?”  Some idea starters:
  • Behind the Scenes – Give people a sneak peep at the prep that’s taking place this week.
  • Live from Home! – Shoot the video from your home and talk about your easter traditions.
  • In the Community – Take your phone out and shoot at the local park or coffee shop.
• One Direct Ask – Don’t beat around the bush or be vague.  Ask people to do exactly what you need them to do.  “Please email the attached PDF invite to 5 friends today.” or “Click the link below to visit our Easter Webpage and share that with your friends” or “Follow the link below to our facebook page . . . comment, like and share on the video on our page.”
• Send it on Wednesday – Studies have shown the email open rates are the best in the middle of week.  It also corresponds to the timeframe when people are making their decision about where they are going to attend church on Easter.

A quick video email this week could help your people encourage their friends to attend this Sunday.  If you do this . . . let us know how it went!  [Let us in on anything you learned in the process of sending your Easter video email.]