Video success story: MailChimp

Sandra Vega

By Sandra Vega

June 28, 2017

Video on Twitter has grown significantly in the past year, and there's no sign of it slowing down. That's why many brands are adapting their marketing content to video.

With GIFs, native video, and Periscope, there are plenty of options to choose from when creating a video strategy to tell your brand's story. One brand that stands out with their innovative use of video is MailChimp. From funny puppet GIFs to product how-to's, MailChimp has found their sweet spot with engaging video. 

We chatted with Jay Maldonado, Senior Social Media Manager, at MailChimp in Atlanta to go behind their Twitter video strategy. 

How does video play a role in MailChimp’s Twitter strategy? 

We post a variety of videos on our social channels such as GIFs, short-form videos, and long-form videos. We're currently planning to incorporate live streams as well. Video is great because it engages multiple senses and has the ability to evoke emotions. Best of all, it usually results in a higher retention rate for your message.

Videos have lasting power and at MailChimp, we use video to let users know about new features, attract candidates to join our awesome teams, or to simply entertain MailChimp’s advocates. 

MailChimp Tweets some really compelling video content. How does your team decide what ideas should become pieces of video content?

Between our Marketing, Design, Content, and Partnerships teams, we’re a diverse group of passionate, nerdy, artistic and — most importantly — collaborative people. The first step of any project is getting the right people in a room together, listening to everyone’s ideas and perspectives, and then deciding how to proceed.

Can you give us an example of a video that stands out to you? How did you measure the success?

From a product awareness perspective, there was our recent free automation video featuring our mascot, Freddie. From a creative perspective, our recent “Did You Mean MailChimp” campaign, which plays off of people getting the MailChimp name wrong, also comes to mind.

We partnered with Droga5 to create several videos around this theme. You may have heard about MailShrimp, JailBlimp, or VeilHymn. We released our Black Hole video series (another Droga5 collaboration), which highlights our shift from email marketing product to multichannel marketing automation platform.

Finally, we created dozens of custom GIFs to reply to customers on social and generally delight people.

MailChimp has a bold and fun brand identity. How do you make sure your videos are consistent and on brand?

We have brand guidelines and rely on gut checks from our coworkers. Our teams collaborate pretty closely on projects, which helps to make sure everyone’s on the same page.

Producing a video can require a lot of resources. How do you repurpose video content to get the most out of your investment?

Usually, when drafting the concept, we consider the lifespan of the video and make tweaks that will prevent a short expiration date. We also think about the different cuts that can be made from one video. You can pull several GIFs or short-form pieces from a long shoot, for example.

How do you measure success with video content on Twitter? How do you use this information to decide what to Tweet next?

Our definition of success depends on the objectives of a given video. Views are a great indicator of a video’s impact, but may not always lead to the action we're trying to produce. Other times we simply want to inform, so awareness or reach is enough.

Of course, we also pay attention to the way our audience engages with our videos. What’s the sentiment of their reactions? What are they saying about it when they share?

Any final tips for businesses just getting started with video content on Twitter?

Test, test, test. Every brand’s voice and tone are different. Every brand has different target audiences. Twitter is a great place to experiment and learn what your audience likes, and how it intersects with your business’s brand. Find what works, and then do more of it.

Ask yourself, how is your video going to bring value to your audience, and how is it going to uniquely stand on its own? While you’re at it, try to have a little fun.


Know a brand doing interesting things with video? Tweet us @TwitterBusiness.


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