How to Use Video in Your Email Marketing Campaigns

At Studiotale, we are committed to providing video solutions for brands. As such, we have run email campaigns to share our best practices with video and have seen increased engagement. This article will explain why your business should use videos in email campaigns. 

Today, the video is preferred over text by consumers. Brands understand that consumers are more likely to click the video, and 81% of businesses are now using video for marketing. 

Nearly 90% of consumers claim a video helps them make purchasing decisions. People prefer to watch a 2-minute video over reading a 15-minute article, which means your email is more likely to be clicked if it contains videos.  

Benefits of Using Video in Your Email Marketing Campaign

Let us see the impact of video in your email marketing campaign. If you were not aware, let’s look at these statistics on having a video in an email:

●    19% increase in open-rate 

●    50% rise in click-through rates 

●    26% reduction in unsubscribes 

●    41% more people share emails with video and forward them

●    44% more time spent reading emails 

A video should make your email compelling enough for the user to stick around. If you have consumer attention, sales conversion is the next step. In addition, the increase in open rates on mobile phones has made it easier to incorporate video into your email marketing campaign.

How to Start Creating Your Video and Email Campaign

You must select the right video for your email marketing campaign. Once you have chosen the video, the next step is to figure out the efficient ways to incorporate it. Let’s check out the best practices of using video in email.

1. Embed Video in Your Email

Embedded videos can be the easiest way to include videos in an email because they are already a part of the content naturally and with no redirection. 

Still, due to security reasons, embedded videos are not supported by major email providers, such as Gmail and Outlook. If you consider embedding, you risk sending your clients a video they can’t play. 

Besides, you are also increasing your chances of ending up in the spam folder. While embedding a video does improve the user experience, the cost can be too high. As a result, the better alternatives are shared below. 

2. Static Images with a Play Button

The easiest way to integrate video into an email is to place a play button on top of a static image. Add a thumbnail image with a play button, which signals to click the video. A person who clicks on the play button should then be taken to a third-party website, like YouTube or Vimeo. 

For example, Wistia, a video software company, uses a static image and a play button for a video in one of their marketing emails: 

Wistia demonstrates how easy it is to grab user attention with the simple play button. Recipients simply have to click the button and they are transported to your immersive content experience. 

3. Animated GIF With a Play Button

Want to grab your reader's attention? In this approach, an animated GIF starts playing as soon as your prospect opens the email. People’s eyes gravitate toward the movement and you engage their attention. Further, you don’t have to use complex tech to include GIFs in an email. 

In other words, mimic the look of a typical video player by including an animated GIF thumbnail within your email. When the reader clicks on the play button s/he will be redirected to the landing page with your video on it.

4. Use the Word ‘Video’ in Your Email Subject Line

Using the text “video” in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19% and click-through rates by 65%. Above all, the term “video” in the subject line makes the prospect excited to open the content. Since this word is not so commonly found in regular email subject lines, it makes your email stand out. 

In the above example, Wistia has used the word ‘video’ in the subject line of its email to drive engagement. 

5. Highlight the Call-To-Action

Do not forget to include a call-to-action for readers. You have done the hard work of including the video in your email, so make sure you capture these readers as potential clients by including a specific call-to-action. Here are some examples of great calls-to-action:

• Start my trial
• Register now
• Read the eBook

For example, Wistia has clearly specified the call-to-action for the viewers below the video. The button entices the reader to “see what’s new” and click the button. You can then transport the viewer to more of your site’s content and capture their interest as a customer.  

Integrate Video into Your Emails

If you consider including a video in your email marketing campaign, the time is just right. In fact, 64% of users are more likely to make a purchase online after watching a video. Hence, the need for video in your email marketing campaign is high. Remember these simple tips to improve your email experience:

• Keep your emails short
• Avoid unnecessary text as it will end up looking like spam to the reader 
• Don’t repeat the content of the video in your email
• A static image or GIF with a play button is the ideal way to represent your video in email 
• Highlight your email by using the term ‘video’ in your subject line
• Include a call-to-action

If you are unsure of how to integrate video into your email marketing campaign, you can also hire an experienced email marketing company to help with the process. With these simple tips, you can use video to engage, educate, and convert consumers.