Success with Video in Email Part Two

This is the second in a three part series about video in email.

In Part One, we help you determine if video in email is right for you.

You have your audience, your strategy so what services should you consider to realize your objectives?

Unless you have resources in house, you will need a way to create video, host it, manage it and deliver it to your audience.

• Goodmail http://www.goodmailsystems.com/
Provides the CertifiedVideo service which allows video to play in email. Currently this is limited to AOL’s webmail service. It is not currently support in the AOL desktop client software.
In addition, the sender is responsible for hosting the video contents. Goodmail does not host videos for customers.
Their focus is on maintaining the relation with the ISP.

• FLIMP http://www.flimp.net/
This company has a solution that allows you to easily create a flash video landing page, with built in analytics. They can be used as sales collateral or as landing pages for a variety of communications.
Their focus is on hosting and managing video content.
 
• Vismail http://www.vismail.com/
Based in England, with an office in the States, and recently expanded into Australia, Vismail offers an email marketing platform which they say can deliver video and its player within the email itself without the use of ActiveX or executable attachments. Unable to tell how scalable the solution is.

I requested examples, which arrived in my Outlook inbox with a .wmv file attached.
 
When I clicked the image in the email to play the video, my browser opened to play the video.

There was a link on the browser allowing me to download something to make Outlook play the video in my email.

After running the ActiveX control, the video played.

This seems like a hurdle for customers.

• Liveclicker http://www.liveclicker.com/
A video hosting and image management service, whose clients include eBags (former Yesmail client) and Drugstore.com

• Veodia http://veodia.com/
An enterprise video host service which offers live streaming as well as on-demand video.
Their focus is on Business Professionals, IT professionals and Educator / Trainers.

• Brightcove http://www.brightcove.com/
An on-demand online video platform designed for use with professional websites. It provides everything you need to publish and distribute online.
Their focus is on creation, hosting and publishing.

• Google Video for business http://www.blogger.com/www.google.com/apps/business
This service allows you to share video with co-workers without sharing with the whole world.
This is useful for B2B or internal communications.
Their focus is on hosting and managing.

If you have the coin then you probably afford a service that meets most of your needs, otherwise you will have to coordinate two or three to meet your objectives.

In Part Three, we address common questions about execution.