NextMark recently enabled you with the ability to add videos to your data cards. There’s been a lot of early interest in this new feature because it adds an exciting new dimension to the data card.  In fact, DM News ran a story and early adopters such as RMI and Millard have already posted more than 90 videos in the first week of availability.

But there have been a lot of questions, too. In this tutorial, I’ll try to answer the question many of you have been asking: “What should I include in my video?”

The purpose of videos is to enhance your data card in a way that creates more interest for your mailing list. Don’t simply regurgitate the facts on your data card because it’s easier to just read them and those facts will frequently change and make your video obsolete.

Instead, you should tell them some things about the list that they might not find on the data card or might miss when scanning the data card.

Before I get into some specific recommendations, I want to encourage you to use your creativity when creating your videos.  You want your lists to stand out from the rest and you won’t do that by following the same formula.

But I do want to give you some ideas for creating a good video for your data card.
First, you should describe the people on the list. You should certainly illustrate the typical profile of the list members.

But, whenever possible, try to tell a story.

For example, for a list of dog owners, you might say “These people love their dogs. They go to great lengths caring for them by feeding them the best food, keeping them fit with exercise, and socialize through doggy play dates with other dog lovers.” It’s a great idea if you can use pictures, videos, illustrations, sounds, or other media to help tell your story. For dog lovers, you might show pictures of dogs with happy owners or videos of them frolicking in the park.

Your list owners and everyone else will appreciate it when you treat the people on the list with great respect.  You should honor them – don’t treat them like data.

Your video is a great way to tell others how your list is unique.

You should say why your list is different from all the other alternatives. On a doctors list, you might say “Unlike other doctor lists, this is a list of doctors who have specifically opted in to receive information on experimental cancer treatments.”

You should also say why it is better.

By saying something like “and because of the source method, results have shown these doctors are more likely to respond to relevant promotions.”

Your video can also advise the viewer on the best way to use your list. You should give information on how the list has been used most successfully through recommended uses, historical facts on usage, and you might want to tell some real life stories.

For example, you might say “In a recent promotion, Acme Corp tested this list in their widgets campaign and this list outperformed other lists by 15% in sales, 20% in ROI, 12% in response rate, and 20% in average order.”

It’s a very good idea to mention the controls on the list. Outside the list business, most people don’t realize how tightly controlled response lists are. Plus, your list owner will appreciate this.

You should mention the privacy policy. For example, you might say “Only those who have opted in to receive 3rd party mailings are available for rental.”

You should mention the approval policy. You could say something like, “Please note that any mailings to this list requires list owner approval. Your offer must be deemed relevant and in good taste to be approved.”

And you should mention how the data is secured. By saying something along the lines of “Your mailings must be delivered through a trusted 3rd party service bureau – you will not receive name and address data directly.”

Finally, and I probably don’t need to remind you of this, you should close with a call to action. Tell the viewer how to get more information or to place an order with you. One thing that’s often overlooked is showing your contact information on the screen because this will make it easier for the viewer to follow up.

If you have any special promotions, you should mention them.

For example, you might say “We’re offering a 25% discount on new tests to qualified buyers for all orders placed before June 30th.”

If you have any questions, you can call our customer support group at (603) 643-1307, email support@NextMark.com, or Visit www.NextMark.com.

And remember, video data cards is a free service. I look forward to seeing your creativity and I hope this helps your business!