Rehumanize Your Business Read online

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  If you teach, train, sell, or serve in any capacity, video can help you reach your desired outcomes faster, because it leads with your strongest asset … you. No matter where you fall on the Myers-Briggs, DISC, Birkman, Enneagram, or any other personality assessment, who you are matters. You're the difference-maker. Everything you've achieved so far has been achieved with and through other people based on your personality, expertise, and other qualities difficult to capture and convey in the typed-out messages you rely on every day. You're uniquely qualified to rehumanize your business.

  VIDEO FOR RELATIONSHIPS, NOT JUST FOR MARKETING

  When most people think of “video” in a business context, they think of scripts, lighting, casting, equipment, editing, postproduction, and other polishing touches that require a significant investment of time and money. We call this “marketing through video”—traditional video that's created in the style of a television commercial or a movie trailer. And this is a perfectly valid and useful effort. Videos with a long shelf life, wide audience, or high profile can provide a return on that investment in a “professional” production. For any person or company committed to marketing through video, keep going!

  The personal video revolution drops the gloss and polish and capitalizes on video for its communication value in a no-fuss way. You smile, hit “Record,” and talk to each person as if you're leaving a voicemail. You don't need a script for a voicemail. And you don't need any special equipment to say, “Thank you,” “Nice to meet you,” “Here's an update,” “Happy birthday,” or another message in this more personal way. You need only what you already have: a smartphone or a webcam, along with a message that's delivered better in person than in plain, typed-out text. You can see the difference with just a glance at Figure 1.3.

  FIGURE 1.3 Marketing through Video versus Relationships through Video

  We call this type of communication “relationships through video.” By losing all the extras, the video doesn't just feel more authentic—it is more authentic. It's you … a person we can look in the eye, hear out, and connect with despite the time and distance between us. You're communicating as if you're sitting across the table over coffee or lunch. And, like that experience, there are no do-overs—you just record and send. It's warmer and more complete than a typed-out message. It's faster and easier than writing, producing, and editing a video. And it's a return to the way humans have exclusively communicated for thousands and thousands of years—eye to eye, face to face.

  The simple video style can be used in a variety of ways. Nearly every social network now has native video features that allow you to record or upload videos. YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook Live, Facebook Messenger, Facebook posts, LinkedIn posts, Instagram Stories, Instagram's IGTV—and that's just a short list of places people are hosting, posting, and sharing simpler videos. Though you'll be able to apply what we explore and explain to video in social posts, it's even more applicable to videos in text messaging and social messaging. Posts are broadcast. Messaging is personal.

  Personal video can be used in emails, text messages, and social messages.

  You might be thinking: This approach seems insufficiently professional. Too casual. Too informal. And you can find people who share this opinion. The irony is that these qualities are exactly why it's so effective. It's imperfect and makes you more approachable. Personal videos are more honest than marketing videos. When a video opens up with flashy, whooshy animation and stylized graphics, the viewer's guard goes up against a production that's designed to sell something. When a video opens up with a smiling face, a little wave, and a greeting to you by name, your guard goes down and you're drawn in by natural human connection.

  If you've never done video, you can start with relationships through video. If you're marketing through video, you should layer in this personal style and equip your team members to do the same.

  IT'S LIKE WE'VE ALREADY MET

  As my coauthor Steve walked down a Chicago street, he heard his name shouted from across five lanes of traffic.

  “Steve Pacinelli!” the person called out.

  “Charlie Foxworth!” Steve shouted back.

  Even though they'd never met in person or even spoken over the phone, Charlie felt enough confidence and enough connection to shout over to Steve. Even though he'd only “met” him through webcam videos, Steve recognized Charlie's face, recalled his name, and excitedly returned the greeting from 25 yards away. Years later, Charlie still tells that story. He recently shared it on a panel discussion that Steve moderated at a leadership conference. That moment years earlier clearly left a huge impression on Charlie and it was only possible because they had built their relationship through video. It was like they'd already met.

  When I approached Andy Alger from across the room that day, it felt as if we'd already met, too. In the moment, I wasn't clear whether or not we had ever met face to face. This is something I've experienced with many other customers, too. In these moments, we smile, hug like longtime friends, then take a moment to establish whether or not we'd ever actually met in person. This happened with Ryan Shields, a sales professional from Brandon, Manitoba. By the time Ryan and I met in person the first time, I'd sent and received videos, written about him and his wife Jenn in our blog, told the story of the couple's journey into video success in a training course, and connected on a couple of social networks. When we finally connected face to face, it felt as if we'd already met. Further, it seemed unlikely that we hadn't.

  One of the most consistent pieces of positive feedback we hear from people using video this way is that their recipients “feel like we've already met” when they initially meet in person. Leads, prospects, referrals, and other people with whom initial contact is digital are best greeted personally. These days, “digital” increasingly means visual, but for the past decade, direct communication's been all text all the time. Putting a face with your name in a personal video provides a stark and wonderful contrast to the standard … plain text.

  VIDEO MAKES YOU MORE FAMILIAR AND APPROACHABLE

  Building relationships through video isn't limited to one-to-one videos in emails, text messages, and social messages. It's not even limited to simple, casual videos. For decades, people sat in their living rooms and formed relationships with local television news anchors and weatherpeople, with game show hosts, and with fictional characters. That psychological connection is bred through frequency of exposure and creates a level of familiarity that brings us back night after night, week after week, episode after episode.

  Prior to joining BombBomb, I spent nearly a dozen years running marketing teams inside local NBC, ABC, and FOX television stations. Our on-air talent often went out to live events like parades and festivals where viewers could meet them in person. Most who approached to connect and converse knew how long they'd been watching and offered one or two specific reasons they watched that anchor, reporter, or weatherperson. Many approached them as celebrities—with a degree of awe. Others, though, approached as if they were longtime, personal friends. These viewers shared deep and detailed stories about specific experiences watching that news or weather person on television.

  Whether it's a Tina Fey sighting on the Upper West Side or a local news anchor sighting in the produce section of your neighborhood grocery store, we often experience a moment of “Hey, isn't that …” And this same familiarity is happening for normal, everyday people who are sending videos in order to communicate. Not for putting on a video “persona,” but for being who they are. They're making themselves more approachable by getting face to face at scale. By humanizing their messages, processes, and businesses, they're no longer faceless email signatures and voicemails. They're familiar people.

  As someone who's sent more than 8,000 videos in email and as someone who's embedded hundreds of videos in compa
ny blog posts, I've enjoyed dozens of customer conversations that I'd never have had otherwise. This happens most often at trade shows and starts with “Hey, Ethan,” or “Hey, BombBomb guy,” whether I'm standing in line for coffee, walking into a keynote session, or riding an elevator back up to my hotel room. And it happens whether or not I'm wearing an event badge with my name or wearing a company logo. It happens even more for Steve, who's not only sent thousands of videos but who's also delivered more than a thousand stage presentations.

  More and better conversations as a consequence of sending video isn't restricted to in-person meetings. When I sent a personal video reply to one of our customers yesterday, I got a video email back with the subject line, “You are the MAN!!! Thanks for responding to me personally, I have finally arrived Ethan :)” A four-year customer, Connor MacIvor had sent more than 2,500 videos himself and was excited to have a personal video exchange with someone he felt like he knew by watching my videos over the years. It feels good to get a reply like that, and it feels great to share mutual respect with a customer through video.

  This commitment to replacing some of your text with video creates a sense of familiarity that can function like minor fame or celebrity within your own network. This dynamic is often an excuse people make not to record videos. They think it's egocentric or begs “Hey, look at me.” Just like any other piece of communication, though, video isn't about you unless you make it about you. If you're a humble servant, you come across as a humble servant in your videos. If you're a selfish egocentrist, that will come across, too.

  Personal video should be rooted in customer empathy and consistent delivery of value. You become more recognizable, approachable, and connected in the process.

  THE NUMBERS: VIDEO EMAIL VERSUS TRADITIONAL EMAIL

  We've received countless anecdotes about the benefits of mixing personal videos into day-to-day business communication. In fact, I just received one from salesperson Justin Doornbos. Preparing for a speaking engagement, Justin reached out to the event coordinator for details, so he could book his flights and hotel. The response to the relatively unremarkable webcam video he recorded in his office: “OMG that is the BEST email I have honestly EVER received! I mean no joke. It made me smile and I will give you any agenda you need! Wow! Totally made my day!” And later in their email exchange: “That was the best email I have ever received and I get plenty of emails each day.”

  What was the coordinator trying to do with the ALL CAPS and exclamation points? She was trying to give back the positive energy and enthusiasm Justin delivered in his video simply by being himself. We get some version of this “more and better replies and responses” story all the time. So we sought to quantify the benefit based on that feedback. We asked people who have sent at least 10 videos what improvements they received from video email compared to traditional email. Here's what the nearly 500 participants reported:

  81% get more replies and responses

  87% get more clicks through their emails

  68% have increased lead conversion

  90% stay in touch more effectively

  56% generate more referrals

  One in six doubled or more than doubled their reply rate

  One quarter doubled or more than doubled their click rate

  One in 10 doubled or more than doubled their conversion rate

  One in four doubled or more than doubled their ability to stay in touch

  One in 10 doubled or more than doubled their referrals

  Overall, 77% of people surveyed told us that video improved their results compared to text and 20% doubled their results.1

  When we ran the same survey specifically for people recording, sending, and tracking video emails directly inside their Gmail inboxes through our Google Chrome extension, the results were similar, but higher across the board.

  84% get more replies and responses

  90% get more clicks through their emails

  71% increased lead conversion

  92% stay in touch more effectively

  53% generate more referrals2

  We also collected verbatim feedback in the survey to understand more specifically how and why they reported the lift. Here are some comments from coast to coast.

  “I'm in the relationship business so my messaging through video has made a HUGE difference in my business and in the responses I receive!”

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  BRADENTON, FLORIDA

  “I use video to follow up with my remote coaching clients after our calls. I think it really helps for them to see my smile and hear my voice, and so even if they never come to Durham, they feel like they know me, and in turn can trust me. Plus, being able to track my open and click-through rate is very helpful.”

  __

  DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA

  “Video is personal and a big part of my business. It instills trust and builds relationship quicker. It can also save time, as people will know if they want to work with you or not. My smile is my brand but doesn't convey well in a simple email. It's also different than all other salespeople who've not even figured this out yet. Plus, I enjoy it!”

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  BARRIE, ONTARIO

  “I've been able to close some fairly large and important deals, and I've been able to get the attention of some fairly high-level authority figures (in my world, anyway) that otherwise would have been very difficult to communicate with. Video has made a huge difference in my ability to communicate in an effective and engaging way that gets real, tangible results.”

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  GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

  “It allows me to communicate with people and it feels more personal because they see my face. When I meet them in person, I notice they are so much more relaxed in themselves than if I did a normal email. We sent videos while we were doing missions overseas and were able to show our supporters exactly where we were and the kids we were interacting with. It made fundraising overseas so much easier. Now I use it a lot to communicate with coworkers and to get RSVPs for events.”

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  PARKER, COLORADO

  “It's all about building trust with people you don't know or don't know very well. Personal video has the ability to cut through the clutter and noise consumers are bombarded with and puts a face and a voice with a name.”

  __

  LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA

  “Video gives me a fantastic way to stay connected, to solidify relationships, and to build new ones because of the eye-to-eye conversation. Since using video, I have become one of the top recruiters in my company and I absolutely can say 100% that personal video plays a role in that. My customers appreciate the personal messages!”

  __

  HUNTINGTON BEACH, CALIFORNIA

  “Video has provided me with the ability to make clients and potential clients feel important and that I care. I recently had coffee with a client who recently was promoted to Executive Director of the nonprofit where he began as a part time worker. He shared with me that he got many messages of congratulations. The one that meant the most to him was my video email. It made him feel important because in the midst of my busy travel schedule I took the time to send him a personal message. When watching the video, he felt like I was talking to him live in person.”

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  FEDERAL WAY, WASHINGTON

  The themes are obvious. This new way to communicate, connect, and convert is more personal than the status quo's faceless messages. Simple video builds trust and relationships. This is the foundation for sales acceleration and better customer experience.

  THE STATS, CLAIMS, AND HYPE TO IGNORE

  Over the years, we've seen all kinds of hyperbolic statistics about video come and go. I've even cited one or two of them myself (I blame youthful ignorance). The use of these stats and claims is like the use of inflammatory political memes on Facebook in that they don't serve anyone well and hinder substantial, meaningful conversation. So, let's go beyond the hype …

  A Minute of Video Is Not Worth 1.8 Million W
ords

  The trope goes like this: if a picture is worth a thousand words and a video is 30 frames per second, then video is like 30,000 words per second. This book contains a mere tens of thousands of words—let's say it's 60,000 words long. If a minute of video was worth 1.8 million words, we'd be able to deliver the entirety of the contents of this book to you in two seconds of video. That's ridiculous.

  Video Does Not Produce a 200–300% Increase in Click-through Rate

  This one is still being trotted out after making an appearance in a 2008 Forrester report. Rather than being an actual, measured result, it's completely anecdotal. I used it back in 2009 when there were no real stats and few real video email practitioners. There's absolutely no reason to use it today. Expect increases in engagement when you use video, but don't expect a tripling or quadrupling unless you're adding the video play itself to your other link clicks. Video provides human connection, not magic.

  It Doesn't Matter That 82% of All Consumer Internet Traffic Will Be Video

  The Cisco forecast that 82% of all consumer internet traffic will be video is solid, but using this statistic as an argument that you should be using video is foolish. Video is dramatically larger in file size than audio, photos, and graphics, which are dramatically larger in file size than text. As the image quality of videos continues to improve, gaps in traffic volume will grow even larger as it'll require even more bandwidth. Further, video's share of consumer internet traffic is driven far more by binging all nine seasons of The Office on Netflix, crushing hours of FailArmy videos on YouTube, and hosting billions of hours of commercial and residential security video recordings than it is by sending thousands of 52-second videos to prospects, customers, and team members.