Pepper Group turned 25 years old recently. To celebrate, I’ve been posting marketing tips every month. Here are two more things I’ve learned since founding our agency.

Throughout the year Tim will be posting more of his top 25 pieces of marketing advice.

Don’t Trash Email Marketing

The “In case you missed my previous 15 emails …” type of approach is never going to be attractive to professionals. Unsolicited emails are maddening at times, but 83% of people do prefer email as one of the channels to receive promotions from brands they trust. By sharing valuable information to educate, inspire or challenge the status quo, email is one of the more dependable types of content that builds trust and makes recipients happy to hear from you. Remember to be creative with that subject line (and don’t use the “suspicious words” that will land you in the JUNK file).

The Power of Video

Website visitors are an impatient bunch. They prefer video 4-to-1 over text. The good news is that video is a much more emotional media than text. You can control not only the content but the mood, the tempo, the storyline—and ensure consistency of your message. Yes, it’s a larger investment than some other content formats, but it’s going to have a larger ROI, too. Be smart—there’s a time for long-form productions and a time for small bites, like using clips from the long-form as great teasers on social media. And don’t forget your in-person presentations. Usually, these are on larger screens with more robust sound systems, making an even bigger impression.