Okay. Let me share with you my latest Clubcard statement.
No, wait! Really. Watch this.
Hell yeah! 9 coupons. Living the dream.
The fact is I have numerous 'loyalty' cards. I get sent numerous postal statements and emails from them... and do I really read them? Here, Tesco have found a way to bring a stale, all-too-regular communication back to life. They're reminding me what I can do with all their perks and for that matter what their store looks like (minus the screaming kids).
How did Tesco do it?
Okay, so from a technical point you might be saying 'Hello Stephen! How have Tesco made their Personalised Clubcard Statement video?'
They're using Idomoo - a video marketing service that can mix video with a company's CRM data to create incredibly personalised videos in real time.
What does that mean? There's various versions of this technique where coding meets video, but basically Tesco filmed a live action video and put in it some 'placeholders' for text to be generated from data in their Clubcard CRM. One of the placeholders is even audio so the man says my name (although no one calls me Stephen unless I'm being told off so I thought the man was going to rebuke me for using more than 5 items in the quick-checkout).
It really could get even more personal that it has done. After all they know my eating habits and because it's done in real-time they know what the weather's like where I am (they know exactly where I am)... so they could have made a video where the man subtly walked past a load of Ben & Jerry's on offer or said 'on a day like today, we thought you might fancy our freshly baked mince pies and hot chocolate, come on fatty!' etc
What does THIS MEAN for your business?
The key thing to take away here is this:
Online video is NOT a TV advert. It's not a billboard. It doesn't need to be generic to a mass audience. It's being watched by one person on one device.
A PERSON... so talk to them.
There's no reason why you can't be more 'Personalised' in your approach to making videos. You might not think you have the resources to do what Tesco have done with Idomoo but that doesn't mean you can't get personal with your videos just by making different edits combined with targeted email marketing.
This will definitely set you apart from your competition. Not that many brands are doing it.
So think about it.
No really. Think about it. What do you offer? What do you know about your customers?
Depending on your CRM, I bet there's a lot you can do.
Let's say you're a car dealership. You know I bought an estate car 2 years ago. Instead of bombarding me with texts and emails and post telling me there's a Sale event on... why not send me a video saying you hope I'm still enjoying my estate... but have I considered upgrading to this 4x4 and SHOWING me a family enjoying it, followed by a link to easily book a test drive?!
Okay - what about an optician? You know I bought a pair of glasses 3 years ago. You know they were a desinger brand. How about showing me a video of men (yep, not women) wearing cool designer brand glasses that are new in store? Quick link to book an appointment.
I work with a big B2B corporate who have the vision to make individual videos for use in their pitches. So they appeal directly to that particular client they're trying to win. It's a lot of effort, but it works for them and the value in return is huge.
I could go on. But really, use your imagination because I've got a 9 coupon spending spree to be getting on with.
Of course if you'd like to bounce ideas off each other over cake and/or ice cream, please do get in touch! Call me Steve though, not Stephen.