SEND & TRACK VIDEOS USING MAILCHIMP
IT'S EASY TO CREATE AND SEND EMAIL CAMPAIGNS AND TRACK INDIVIDUAL VIDEO VIEWS WITH MAILCHIMP
It's super-easy to share a Brandcaster video via email.
Just click Share, then the yellow Email icon, and your default email application will open an email ready for you to address, modify as desired and send. Your Statistics button will keep count of how many clicks your video receives.
But what if you want to know specifically who watched.
To know who opens your email and clicks to watch your video, you'll need an upgraded Voodoo account or a 3rd-Party email service provider (ESP) like MailChimp or Constant Contact.
MailChimp is the largest ESP in the world and offers free accounts for up to 2,000 contacts. Here's how to create an email in MailChimp linked to a video in your Video Brandcaster account. It takes some effort to create an email template the first time, but after that, it's a breeze.
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STEP 1 — Set up a free MailChimp account.
If you don't already have one, click to register for a free MailChimp account.
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Already have an account? Login here.
STEP 2 — Create an email with a Video thumbnail and link it to your video's custom URL from Video Brandcaster.
Set up your MailChimp campaign and email template:
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Click Create Campaign > Create an Email.
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Name your campaign.
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Choose the list of contacts you want to receive your email (as shown below) and click Save.
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Choose a MailChimp template and modify the content as desired, starting with your logo or header image, if you want one.​
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Outside MailChimp:
Create a Video Thumbnail Image
A video thumbnail image usually shows one carefully chosen frame of your video, which recipients will click through to watch the video.
An easy way to create a thumbnail image is to screen capture your favorite moment of the video by playing the video, pausing it at the desired spot, then doing a screen capture.
On a Mac, press Command-Shift-4, then click-drag from one corner of the video diagonally to the opposite corner.
On a PC, find complete instructions here. (Or use an easy screen capture and annotation app like Snagit from TechSmith.)
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Add your Video Thumbnail image to your MailChimp template. (Note: some MailChimp templates require you to replace a default photo with your video thumbnail as shown here.)
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Now Link your Video Thumbnail image to the custom URL of the video from your Video Brandcaster account.
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In the sample email template below, the video appears to be embedded right into the email, but it's not. The email contain a simple thumbnail image of the video which is "clickable", i.e., it links to the video's URL address.
You can also see a display text link (to the same video, using the same URL address). It's hidden behind the words "above video" in the text.
Where do I find my custom video URL in Video Brandcaster?
You have two options, depending on whether or not you want Video Brandcaster to provide a backup click-through count:
OPTION 1: Click-through stats in MailChimp only.
Locate your video's custom URL by visiting your Video Library and clicking View for the video you want.
The resulting browser window will have a URL bar near the top. Select and Copy the entire URL address from the bar.
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OPTION 2: Detailed click-through stats in MailChimp, total clicks also tallied in the Statistics > Email category in Video Brandcaster.
Click Share for the video you want, select the yellow Email icon. Your default email client will open and email draft with content pre-populated. Copy the complete video URL from the email body text.]
For either option, back in MailChimp, Paste into the Insert or Edit Link window as shown.
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Finalize your email template by modifying and/or deleting any remaining template elements as desired. We recommend including a second display text link to your video URL as shown. When you’re done, click Save & Close.
STEP 3 — Send a Test Email, confirm Tracking Settings, then Schedule or Send your eVideo campaign.
ESSENTIAL TASK: Always Send a Test Email to yourself to see how the email will look in most inboxes.
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The options for click Track clicks and Track opens will automatically be selected — keep those options enabled.
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When you are ready, click Send or Schedule.
STEP 4 — Monitor your email campaign Opens and Video Click-Throughs.
Video Link-Click Tracking
MailChimp offers detailed reporting and click tracking for Open and Click-throughs including the individual contacts who click your video link.
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Thank you, good luck and happy tracking!