How to Enhance Your Brand With Personalized Video

In 2012, marketers will turn to online personalized video to stand out among their competitors and provide each consumer with a unique, interactive online shopping experience. As marketers explore the opportunities with video personalization, it’s important to understand the basics.

What's Video Personalization?
Video personalization combines the trends of online video with personalized marketing. This concept allows you to market with video that's highly relevant to each shopper. Personalized videos engage each consumer by displaying a tailored message with offerings that are relevant and unique to the individual that's watching at the time that they're watching. Unlike other online marketing tools, personalized online videos are scalable and can be used anywhere within the customer lifecycle, anywhere on the site and beyond.

Why Use Video Personalization?
Simply put, videos help your brand get found online and shoppers are attracted to videos. Instead of requiring users to navigate, scroll and click to access information, online video is a one-stop shop for information. Video takes less time to engage the user than reading. Plus, the user is engaged until he or she is ready to follow an embedded call to action.

Personalized videos can also offer viewers the attention and service associated with the in-store shopping experience. Using personalized videos created on the fly allow e-businesses to bridge the gap between live and virtual experiences. Personalized video enables your brand to provide better customer service, which builds customer loyalty and brand awareness, and, in turn, increases overall return on investment.

Here are a few ways your business can use video personalization:

• Product showcase videos. A product showcase video (i.e., a video that shares product information) enhances search engine optimization efforts and can increase traffic to product pages by as much as 10 percent. Conversion rates are increased when a consumer is presented with a product he or she wants and the product's features are quickly shown.
• Personalized video pre-roll ads. New video technology takes targeted advertising a step further by presenting qualified prospects and abandoners with video pre-roll ads that are personalized and generated in real time. The ad is based on the consumer's shopping history and presents relevant products and current deals most appropriate to their browsing behavior on the site.
  • Retargeted pre-roll ads outperform traditional retargeted banner ads with higher conversion rates and often with above-average order value, leading to a 200 percent return on ad spend. According to eMarketer, retargeting ads produce an upsurge in website visitation of 726 percent, more than double any other form of advertising. Retargeted customers are 70 percent more likely to complete a sale than other visitors.
• Email campaigns. An increasing number of online retailers are using personalized videos in confirmation emails, newsletters and other mailing campaigns. All customers want a personal connection, but scale, time and cost limitations make this a challenge. With personalized videos, customers feel appreciated when viewing a personalized video that addresses them by name and offers relevant promotions and offerings based on their shopping history. This appreciation shows up in your bottom line.

Will Personalized Videos Increase Conversions in 2012?
With today’s video solutions generating compelling, personalized, real-time video experiences, companies can easily provide consumers with what they need to know in the most engaging, entertaining and informative way possible.

Campaigns with targeted messaging based on users’ interactions typically generate 30 percent higher conversion rates, raise customer value and increase overall profitability. Video catches prospects’ and customers’ attention and encourages them to engage with the brand. In 2012, personalized video is the best way to stand out among your competitors.

Yaniv Axen is co-founder and chief technology officer for video generation platform SundaySky. Yaniv can be reached at yaniv.axen@sundaysky.com.