Video Email: Spread Holiday Cheer to your Sphere

Our November 11^th post, Successful Selling During the Holidays, highlighted the value of prospecting during November and December. Often considered a “down time” in the industry, we reviewed how it can be anything but down to agents who up their prospecting game during the holidays. And, of course, because of historically low interest rates, most areas are seeing heavy activity as we enter December.In addition to aggressive, year-end prospecting, this is also an excellent time to reach out to your sphere of influence with a simple, holiday “check-in.” Top performing agents know how important their sphere is, especially with regard to long-term repeat business and short-term referrals.But as we wind down this year of unprecedented disruption, there is a simple, human purpose in reaching out to connect with your sphere, especially those past clients who’ve been a part of your network, and life, for many years.In this spirit of holiday connection, we thought it would be a good time to remind those in the Espresso Agent family about the power and intimacy of video email. Your Espresso platform includes StoryTellr video emails. StoryTeller is one of the industry’s leading, video email providers. So, if you’re currently using Espresso, and haven’t tried StoryTellr, the holiday season is the perfect time to give it a try. A video email, from the heart, is the perfect way to engage your sphere on a personal and intimate basis.Many Espresso agents already use StoryTellr as part of their ongoing outreach. Again, it’s simple because it’s built into the platform. What makes StoryTellr unique is that it was designed by real estate agents with real estate agents in mind. StoryTeller provides helpful tutorials to guide you through the process of creating your first video email. Plus, you’ll have access to various StoryTellr upgrades that provide advanced assistance with things like creating video business cards and promotional videos.In all, Espresso Agent’s StoryTeller application is a simple, yet powerful way to take your prospecting and outreach game to another level. More importantly, adding video to an email can dramatically impact performance. According to Campaign Monitor, video within an email can increase open rates by 19% and click-through rates by as much as 65%. At the same time, it helps to reduce unsubscribe rates by 26%.But video email isn’t about statistics. It’s about making a more meaningful connection with your sphere, allowing them to put a face to a name. To that end, we wanted to share a few simple tips to guide your holiday video email outreach:

• Soft sell: Of course, everyone’s style is different, but a video email tends to work best as a soft-sell strategy, remembering that you’re dealing with your sphere as long-term, repeat-business opportunities. In other words, it’s a much different approach than calling expireds and FSBOs who have an urgency to sell. “Hi, I’m calling to wish you and your family a happy and healthy holiday season…”
• Friendly reminder: While your video email might not be hard-sell, it still has a place for a friendly reminder that you’re there to help if their needs change. This reminder could include a brief overview of the market dynamics, just to dispel any mistaken ideas they may have about “selling during the holidays.” The message should also serve as a request for referral: “I realize you might not be ready to sell, but given the state of the market, if you have a friend who might be interested, I’d appreciate it if you’d share my contact information.”
• Minimize scripting: Try your best to be natural, genuine and authentic when creating your video email. Don’t forget to smile. Don’t forget to play back what they say so they know they’ve been heard. And don’t forget to end on a positive note: “I really think that we’re going to have a great, new year. I’m always available if you need anything.”

A StoryTellr video email helps to keep you top-of-mind with your sphere, and can set a positive note for the coming year.IMPORTANT: While video email can be a powerful tool, it is critical that you utilize it in a legally compliant manner. Agents MUST follow your own legal opt-in protocols to avoid being flagged as a spammer.To learn more, check out StoryTellr video emails at EspressoAgent.com