SalesMail Blog

We get it, getting on camera can be daunting.  

It’s perfectly normal to feel uncomfortable recording yourself, not to mention actually sending that video to another person. But with a little guidance and practice, you’ll learn that it’s not so daunting after all. Even better, when you hear positive feedback and get great results, you’ll understand why video mail is the differentiator you need to thrive in a competitive market.  

As so many users will attest, video mail is a powerful tool that can revolutionize your asynchronous communications, whether that is through email, text messaging, social media, etc.  

We’re here to give you the best resources for maximizing the potential of your video mail messages, so keep reading to learn five Dos and Don’ts for video mail that will empower you to confidently create compelling and effective video messages!

New to Video Mail?

Do Tell Them Who You Are 

It’s always a good idea to introduce yourself. When sending a video mail message, you’ll want to establish who you are and why you are contacting your recipient. This can be in the video message itself or in the copy above your animated GIF preview. This will warm your recipient up to the message they are about to receive. It will also help establish some instant trust and credibility.  

Example: 

Let’s say you oversee staffing at your company. If a promising candidate applies to an open position, you can send them a video mail message introducing yourself, thanking them for applying, and giving them information about the next steps of your hiring process. The point of your video message is to inform them about the next steps in staffing, but you also have given them a brief introduction to who you are. 

Do Prep Your Audio and Visuals 

When recording videos of any kind, you’ll always need to consider your visuals. How is the framing, lighting, audio, etc.? Prepping your video can seem overwhelming even though it’s really not! Here are some good rules to follow: 

1. Record Facing a Window – The natural light coming in from the window will brighten up your video’s subject. Avoid having a light source in the background of your video as it will make the foreground appear darker. 
2. Place the Subject in the Center of the Video Frame – Whether the subject is a person, group of people, or physical space, you should put that subject in the center of your video footage.  
3. Test Your Audio Beforehand – To ensure quality audio for your video mail messages, do a brief test before recording your official message. Check to make sure your speech is loud and clear. If it is not, check to make sure your microphone is not obstructed in any way. 

Don’t Assume Anything  

When you have labored over anything, whether that be a video, email, text message, etc., you can often be blind to information you already know. Make sure you give context to your message so that your recipients don’t find themselves confused by your reaching out. Odds are, most people haven’t received a video mail message before, giving you a unique opportunity to stand out and dazzle them with your video. 

Example: 

Let’s say you are a leasing agent for your company. You’ve been communicating with a prospective resident over a couple of weeks, and you are finalizing their leasing agreement. You decide to send a video message to let them know they have been approved for a particular unit. If they were a candidate for multiple units, you should reiterate which unit they are approved for, potentially via a quick walkthrough of their particular unit. This will remind them of their new space, which will likely make them more excited for their new home. 

Don’t Over Rehearse 

We all want to be perfect, but being authentic is what truly resonates with others. This also applies to your video mail messages. Rehearsing over and over won’t make your video perfect, it will make your video dry and impersonable.  

The key feature to video mail is that it humanizes what would otherwise be cold, plain-text communications. When you script out and over rehearse your videos, you take some of that human aspect away. Here are some good tips for keeping your video mail messages fresh and lively: 

1. Allow Human Aspects to Slip Through – If you mess up, don’t stop recording! Stuttering, saying “um,” pausing, etc., are all natural parts of speech. If these verbal mistakes happen, keep going. Allowing these mishaps to stay in your video mail messages will remind your viewer that you are a human just like them, which makes you more endearing and natural. 
2. Write Bullet Points, Not Paragraphs – If you feel like you need some written content to keep you on track, consider drafting some quick bullet points. You can reference these points in a casual manner without sounding robotic reading from a paragraphed script. 
3. Remember Another Human Is Watching – This video is going to another person; therefore, speak like you are chatting with another person. You will be perceived as more genuine when you keep a conversational tone rather than a presentational one.  

Do Be Yourself 

You’ve likely heard this time and time again, but we will say it anyway, be yourself! 

Nothing makes a video mail message more compelling than seeing someone's genuine personality on the other side of the camera. The best way to build trust with your recipient is to simply be your authentic self.  

If you consider yourself funny, make a joke. If you feel awkward on camera, own that and let them know. Telling your recipient exactly who you are and how you feel will make them feel like they know you. In turn, this will create a more personal relationship between the two of you, resulting in better outcomes for your business objectives with that recipient.  

Summary 

Gathering the courage to put yourself on video is hard enough, let alone sending that video to someone else. However, the power of video mail is too strong to ignore. Video mail gives you the power to humanize email or text messaging with a face and a voice versus black and white text. Not only that, the visual of a video in your recipient’s inbox can increase your click-through rates by 65%! 

We hope you find that this information has given you the confidence to create compelling and effective video mail messages.  

New to Video Mail? 

Video mail is the term for sending videos via email. This is different from a video attachment or a hyperlink out to a video elsewhere on the internet because the video’s contents appear directly in the body of the email.   

Using video mail has revolutionized the way we think about and plan email campaigns. By adding video into your emails, you are introducing a new medium that will break up the monotony of text and images that your recipients so often receive via email. A personal video message could be the key component to break through a prospect’s filters and grab their attention. There is no other medium that can quickly and effectively communicate your message than video! 

Try SalesMail! 

SalesMail is a market-leading branded video mail application that allows you to instantly record personalized video messages that you can send in just a few quick clicks. With SalesMail, you instantly build trust, develop great relationships, and get responses faster. For more information head to SalesMail.com.  

Ready to get started with SalesMail? Request a demo today!