Are YOU using a streaming video serial autoresponder yet?

A recent article on "Email Insider" (http://blogs.mediapost.com/email_insider/?p=634) makes a pretty strong case for either having an elaborate mailing and tracking system for sending multiple emails to prospects, or utilizing a tool like Global Video Technology's Streaming Video Serial Autoresponder (http://www.globalvideotech.com/videoautoresponder.cfm).

The Internet has made sales cycles longer. “Selling now takes more time and resources then ever before. The sales cycle has become 22% longer as buyers are taking longer to consider their decisions. Plus, buying is being managed more professionally.” (Source: Sirius Decisions)

Longer sales cycles require more contact with the prospect, adding complexity to keeping track of who gets what mailing piece and when.

The author argues for segmentation of your email market, rather than a "one size fits all" email blast and we agree with that approach:

"Not all prospects are the same –you may have new buyers (never before purchased from your company), active buyers (or customers who are currently using one of your products) and lapsed buyers. Tailor the message for each, featuring the information you know they need to make a decision. Present the information in a compelling and credible way, and you can shorten the research phase for them (and close deals faster). Further segmentation can be done by product line or category, and by allowing prospects to select information that is most interesting to them (what we call self-segmentation)".

The Global Video Technology Streaming Video Serial Autoresponder product allows you to create individual automated sales cycles, each one containing up to 12 streaming video email messages that can be directed to each unique segment.

The timing of when to send the streaming video email is important, as the article points out:

"Cadence counts. Match your prospect email marketing to the buying cycle — send less email when your prospects are not in market, and send more when they are actively in market and researching for solutions to their problems".

Our Streaming Video Serial Autoresponder customers have the ability to control the time delay between individual mailings from one day to 9,999 weeks per mailing.

The author makes a very important point about the message being very important:

"Tap the prospect’s desire for unbiased information by presenting benefits, not features. Speak in a friendly tone, but avoid hype."

Don't play "feature poker" and describe all the whiz bang widgets your product has on it, describe how using your product will increase sales, reduce customer inventory, etc. Stress the benefits your product offers to a customer rather than the things the product does.

The author presents a very clear and strong argument for the use of a tool, like our Streaming Video Serial Autoresponder:

"Storytelling sells. Prospects are researching — that is what is lengthening the sales cycle. Use a series of email “conversations” to help them compare competitive sets (the more honest you are, the longer they stay on your site!)"

The choice really comes down to how you will manage all those email cycles. Will it be by hand, and risk missing prospects in a cycle, sending out the wrong email message to a prospect or sending late, etc.? Wouldn't it be better to have a "set it and forget it" tool that handles the messages, the list and the timing for you?

When the going gets tough, working smarter is preferable to working harder. Maybe it's time to take a closer look at the Global Video technology Streaming Video Serial Autoresponder (http://www.globalvideotech.com/videoautoresponder.cfm). We'll even let you try it out at no cost to you.