At the Email Evolution Conference in Miami, Kath and I learned that video is a great way to engage an audience - and when featured in an email, they tend to get a lot of clicks!

I'm a big fan of animated videos, that's why I invited guest author Manroop Takhar of of Qudos Animations (turn your volume down before you click!) to write a short blog post on how to create animated videos:

How Animated Video Can Boost Your Marketing Message Delivery

by Manroop Takhar

Welcoming visitors to an inspiring animated video, away from the bustling mayhem that is the internet, can make an invaluable first impression.

Attracting visitors to your animated video is not always easy, though.

Here are my top tips for producing a video that attracts, gets shared and makes an impact.

Tip 1. Simple is attractive

With so much content crowding the web, people can become overwhelmed. 

So making your video simple yet striking can be the best way to retain attention and encourage click-through.

It is best to provide potential customers with the minimal information necessary at first. Don’t push them, but captivate them with an inspiring thought.

Don’t forget, simple can still be original and make you stand out from competitors.

 Tip 2. Educate and explain complex concepts

You can simplify complicated ideas this with the use of various elements in animated video – i.e. imagery, music, voiceover, special effects.

These also stimulate the viewer’s senses.

One minute of video is the equivalent of 1.8 million words of text, according to Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research.

A personable or authoritative voiceover can help viewers relate to an educational video.

Tip 3. Trigger an emotion

Appealing to the viewer’s visceral emotions can be an effective method for keeping them engaged - whether happiness, excitement or shock.

Viewers are then more likely to hear your message, and these emotion-rendering videos are most likely to be shared with their friends.

Tip 4. Create memories and enhance brand recall

If you look back at the most memorable television adverts you’ve seen, the chances are that many of these will be animated.

The simplicity, imagination, unusual voices and often vibrant colours make these often unforgettable; and these can become synonymous with a brand.

Paired with a positive message and this can be invaluable to brand image and loyalty.

Tip 5. Create appealing characters

Give your story a hero - or several.

Some marketers will make the brand the hero of their story, but this often does not answer the questions that your customers have.

It is more effective to tell stories about the problems your customers have faced, so that they can relate to the hero.

For example, if your prospects are animal-lovers, tell a compassionate animal-rescue story.

With your customer taking the lead role in the story, you as the company or brand might take the role of the sage, providing them with answers.

Tip 6. Include gaps and cliffhangers

To engage with your audience, you need to understand the importance of the disparity that exists between what the hero of your story wants and where he/she is now.

As the hero closes in on his/her goal, viewers follow and expect to see their accomplishment, but an unexpected cliffhanger can add to the story’s lure.

Your audience also have gaps in their lives and goals to reach, which they’ve invested a lot of energy in to. A story that recognises this can have power.

Tip 7. Take time choosing your style

There are many methods and styles of animation to choose from, some with potentially different benefits.

A quirky paper cut-out animation can inspire creative minds, while the most up-to-date motion graphics with special effects can appeal to a different target audience.

Find the best style to put across your message to your audience, adapting it to your creative ideas, and this could give a considerable boost to your brand image.

I wish you all the best in creating your animated masterpiece!

This blog post was written by Manroop Takhar, who is the founder of Qudos Animations, an animation studio that creates engaging advertisements and high impact explainer animations for businesses.

Kath and Tamara are planning a couple of live events as well as an online email marketing course in the next couple of weeks. So if you want to learn about email marketing, now is your chance!

5 keys to increase your email marketing conversions
London, 19th February 

Advanced Email Marketing Masterclass
Antwerp, 24 February 2014

Getting Started with Email Marketing
Online course

by Liga Bizune, Mailigen

The day of love rapidly approaches, and for marketers it’s time to think about a perfect Valentine’s Day email campaign.

Follow our tips to develop a smart strategy, build an eye-catching design, create relevant content and make subscribers fall in love with you and your brand.

#1 Kick off at the beginnging of February 

Love is in the air long before Valentine’s Day, so start early with your marketing communication. February 14^th or some days before would be okay if you are sending an e-card or promoting ready-to-use products or last minute offers. But if your campaign needs more engagement, kick off before or at the beginning of February:

• Tease about your upcoming offer in a February or even a January newsletter
• Send your special offer campaign at the beginning of February. Resend it with a different subject line to those who haven’t opened it, and with a slightly changed call to action to those who haven’t clicked on it
• Remind about your offer with a last call campaign some days before February 14th. This is the right time to surprise with outstanding email design and wish a happy Valentine’s Day
• A few days after the celebration, thank those who benefited from your offer and ask for feedback via an online survey.

#2 Let them fall in love with your offer

Offering the right thing is crucial for your email marketing ROI. Think about the most suitable products and services a person would like to receive on that special once-in-a-year day.

If you are in a fashion, food, beauty, travel or a similar industry, you are lucky! For you, Valentine’s Day may be as profitable as Christmas. Use email marketing wisely to get the most out of it.

• When preparing a Valentine’s Day email campaign, roll out special offers for couples, romantic style gifts and bonuses
• Include an entertaining video or gif animation in your email campaign to attract and engage more in your offer
• Add tips and tricks to your email campaign offering where to go, what to do and how to make this day awesome
• If your business doesn’t offer things that are marketable on Valentine’s Day, send a beautiful e-card. Thus you will remind the customer about your company, show you care and increase loyalty to your brand

#3 Treat your lovers differently

I’m sure your subscribers’ inboxes will be stuffed with Valentine’s Day emails. But to make them pay attention and read your email, send what your subscribers really want. 

Split your target audience into segments by:

• Gender – different offers to your male and female audience are vital when we talk about Valentine’s Day. Just change the roles this time: ladies would like to receive gift offers for their boyfriends, while guys – how to surprise their ladies
• Age – young adults would be more interested in news about places and events where they could meet their Valentines, while more mature customers would look for exclusive gifts or travel deals to surprise their loved ones
• Interests – use all the information you have gathered from online surveys, sign up forms, profile update forms or other resources to produce campaigns that suit your customers’ interests and get better engagement from your email campaigns
• Activity – send a series of emails to your most active subscribers and a compelling reengagement email campaign to your inactive subscribers.

You can also segment by activity within one campaign. Resend your email with a changed subject or call to action to those who haven’t opened or clicked your Valentine’s Day campaign. Or, if you have several offers within one campaign, check out who has clicked on what but hasn’t proceeded and then send an exclusive offer for the product to each customer who was especially interested. 

#4 Flirt with hot email design

Valentine’s Day is a perfect time to fully express your creativity in email designs. Instead of your usual email template design, prepare or order a custom email template design including today’s web design trends.

• Go beyond traditional cupids and candies, and choose stylized images
• Apart from the traditional red and pink, shine with pale pink, silvery white and other colors from this season’s top hues
• Use responsive email designs to make your email campaign easily readable and clickable to mobile users
• Try today’s flat metro style design in your email campaign
• Include video or GIF animations in your email campaign to make it more attractive and engaging

#5 Surprise with compelling email content

Content is king, especially in email marketing. It has to persuade the recipient, firstly, to open the email and, secondly, to take an action.

• Alongside hearts and arrows, include interesting symbols in your subject lines to make your Valentine’s Day email stand out in crowded inboxes
• Ensure your call to action displays immediately without the necessity to unblock images by using email design with CSS3
• Keep your email campaign short and straight to the point, highlighting images and other visual elements

#6 Be their Valentine…

Not everyone is in love on Valentine’s Day. So, for the single customers, all the talk of love and other romantic issues may be quite annoying. When creating a Valentine’s Day email campaign, think about offers, activities and gifts that all subscribers can enjoy regardless of their relationship status. Be their Valentine and express your love and care via personal email campaigns.

If you start planning early, prepare the right offer to the right recipient and pack all this in a beautiful design, a Valentine’s Day email campaign may bring you both great business results and customer loyalty. Make use of our tips to share your love and to receive it back. Wishing you a happy and fulfilling Valentine’s Day!