Using BombBomb's Chrome Extension with Gmail

Ever wish you could send your BombBomb videos right from your Gmail account — without having to login to the BombBomb site?  With the BombBomb Chrome extension, you can! This extension allows you to: 

• Access and send videos straight from Gmail
• Create canned responses to avoid re-creating the same messages
• Include an option to "reply with video" so your recipient can reply to your video with their own
• Track opens, clicks and plays and receive real-time desktop notifications 

• Download the Chrome extension
• Send a video 
• Record your screen
• Send a video from your video library 
• Reply with video option
• Use Snippets for canned messages
• Track your emails 
• Manage your notifications

1. Download the Chrome extension

Follow this link to find the BombBomb Chrome extension. (Alternately, you can search "Chrome Web Store" and select the Chrome Web Store Extensions link in the results. Then search for "BombBomb.") Click the "Add to Chrome" button to the right of the extension and then the "Add Extension" button on the pop-up.  

Where is it? You've installed the extension, but you might be wondering where it is! You can find any extension you've added to Chrome by clicking the puzzle piece icon to the right of your url bar. Then select "BombBomb Video," and it will pop right up. To make sure the extension always shows up on your url bar, click the Pin icon to the right of "BombBomb Video" to permanently pin this extension. 

Once the extension has been installed, refresh your Gmail page or log into Gmail. You will see a pop up window to start a free trial with BombBomb. Click "Sign In" at the bottom of this pop up. You'll be prompted to log in using your BombBomb credentials — the same login information used to log into your BombBomb account. Then, click "Connect" to activate BombBomb in your Gmail account. 

 

2. Send a video 

To send a video email, click the "Compose" button on the left of your screen, as you normally would. In the lower right of your composer box, you will see the BombBomb logo.

 

When you hover over the BombBomb logo, it will turn to a red record button. To begin recording, click the red circle.

 

From here, you'll have the choice to change your microphone or video input, by clicking on the Gear icon, record yourself by clicking the red circle in the center, or recording your screen by clicking the Screen Record icon on the left. (See more on screen recording below!)

 

Once you're finished recording, you have the option to re-record the video, play back the video, snap a screenshot for your thumbnail image, or add a Call-to-Action banner. (Note: If you select a thumbnail, it will override the animated preview.) When you're satisfied with your video, click the "Save" button on the bottom right.

 

The video will then populate the body of your email. Add your recipients, subject line, and text and send your video email! 

 

3. Record your screen 

If you would like to email a recording of your screen, you can do that right from Gmail! Open a new email, and click the red circle/BombBomb logo in the lower right of the message. 

 

From the record screen, click the Screen Record icon in the lower left.

 

This will open a permissions page. Click "Open BombBomb Screen Recorder." If you'd like this to open each time without asking for permission, click "Always allow desktop.bombbomb.io to open links of this type in the associated app." 

 

Navigate to the page you'd like to share, and click the red circle button in the lower left corner of your screen. Click the square button to stop recording. From here, you can choose to re-record your video, play it back, or save it. If you save the video, it will automatically insert it into your email. Navigate back to Gmail to edit and send!  

 

4. Send a video from your video library 

If you want to insert an existing video from your BombBomb video library, open a new message and hover over the PowerWheel (that's what we call the BombBomb logo/red record button) and click the "Videos" icon on the top of your PowerWheel. 

 

This will take you to your video library. You can search your videos or choose from different labels by clicking on the drop down next to "All Labels." Click on the video you'd like to include in your email and click "Insert." 

 

5. Reply with video option

With the BombBomb Chrome extension, your recipient can reply to your video email with their own video — even if they don't have a BombBomb account! You can use this feature as long as there is a video in your email and your recipient has a camera.

To turn this feature on, hover over the PowerWheel, and click the "Reply With Video" option on the bottom to turn it on. If the icon is a lighter gray color, this feature is turned off; if the icon is a darker gray color, this feature is turned on.

 

6. Use Snippets for canned messages

Do you find yourself typing out the same email many times? You can create a snippet, or a canned response, that you can save and use at any time. To do this, highlight everything you'd like to save as a snippet in an email. You'll see a pink "Save" icon appear. Click this icon.  

 

This will bring up your snippet in an editing window. Here, you can edit the snippet title, subject line, email body text, etc. When you're finished, click the "Save" button at the bottom. (Note: This won't change the text in your current email.) 

When you're ready to use the snippet, open a new email, hover over the PowerWheel, and click the Snippets icon on the right.

 

You'll see a window with all of the snippets you've saved. Click the Plus icon next to the snippet you'd like to use. This will load the snippet right into your email! 

 

You have a few other options on this screen: 

 Use the Snippet icon to create a new snippet. 

 Use the Heart icon to categorize a snippet as a favorite. You can sort by your favorites by clicking on the dropdown menu next to "All" and selecting "Favorites." 

 Use the Gear icon to edit your snippet. 

 

7. Track your emails 

With the Chrome extension, you can track any message you send. To turn tracking on for a particular email, just hover over the PowerWheel and click the "Tracking" option on the left. If the icon is a lighter gray color, the tracking is turned off; if the icon is a darker gray color, the tracking is turned on. This will turn on real-time notifications, as well as show up in your tracking feed in Gmail and in your Dashboard tracking section of bombbomb.com. 

 

You can also see your tracking in the Tracking bar on right side of your Gmail account. You can collapse or re-open the Tracking bar by clicking the double arrows to the right of "Tracking." You will see email opens, video plays, link clicks, likes and comments.

 

To see all the tracking activity for a video, click "View More Video Stats" or "View All Engagement" underneath that activity. This will take you to the video's tracking page in your BombBomb account. 

 

8. Manage your notifications

To modify your notifications or remove BombBomb from Gmail, click "BombBomb" in the top left corner of Gmail, and select "Options."

Toggle these options on or off: 

• Desktop Notifications: Turn pop-up tracking notifications on or off. 
• Use BombBomb: This will remove BombBomb from Gmail, in case you only want to use the Chrome extension from your url bar. 
• Display Action Bar: This will remove the Tracking bar from Gmail. (If you've turned off your Tracking bar and would like to turn it back on, right click on the BombBomb Chrome extension in your url bar, and select "Options.") 
• Display PowerWheel: This will remove the PowerWheel from your email compose screen. 
• Track Emails Sent: This will default so that each email sent is tracked. 
• Enable 'Reply with Video' by Default: This will automatically include a "reply with video" feature with each video email you send.
• Enable Snippet Save when Content Selected: This will make it so that anytime you select content in an email, you can save it as a Snippet. 

 

If you operate multiple Gmail accounts from the BombBomb extension, you will see several of these Options sections. From here, you can control any of your settings for any of your Gmail accounts that use the BombBomb Chrome extension.

 

As always, if you have any other questions, please reach out to our support team at support@bombbomb.com. 

 

Keep learning:

• Recording and sending videos with BombBomb's Chrome Extension
• How do I install, uninstall, or reinstall the Chrome extension?
• How do I troubleshoot the Chrome extension?