Email marketing is still a widely used channel across all industries, but most teams are not unlocking its full potential. Why?
The answer is simple, most email correspondence remains limited to text and image content only. Rarely are there beautiful, captivating videos. Every once in awhile, marketers might use a decent Gif, but that’s just not the same.
It’s a strange occurrence, especially considering how popular and prominent video content is across other channels. Social media marketing, for example, relies heavily on video content. YouTube, TikTok, even Instagram all thrive on videos, whether long-form or bite-sized.
So, why don’t we use it in our email marketing campaigns? How would you even go about including videos?
First, let’s address why?
Why Videos
People love videos, particularly engaging content that’s expressed in a relatively quick and easy-to-consume manner. A whopping 85% of businesses already use video as a marketing tool.
As for the content that’s out there, Google says that, on average, YouTube reaches more 18- to 49-year olds in a week than all of the cable TV networks combined. A Hubspot report reveals that 54% of people want to see more videos over the coming year.
We could go on like this all day, but the point is clear. Video content is a big deal.
Moreover, most people browse their email using a device that’s ideal for video content. If you guessed smartphones, then you guessed right.
How to Use Video In Your Marketing Emails
Incorporating video is easier said than done, especially when you’re used to writing everything out or expressing ideas through static imagery.
You could just shoehorn videos throughout your emails, but that’s not effective at all. Just because they’re highly-desirable does not mean they shouldn’t be used creatively and intelligently.
Here are some excellent ideas for including video in your marketing emails, it should help get you started:
- Educate and Inform – Use videos to introduce, explain, explore, or assist customers with various products, services, and company engagements.
- Share Testimonials – Include video-based customer testimonials from your top clients and happy supporters.
- Make an Announcement – Instead of writing out an announcement, explain it in video with a high-profile subject — like the company’s CEO.
- Showcase Internals – You could highlight employees that are doing an excellent job, introduce teams, or even show-off what it’s like working for the company. Customers love a glimpse at the internal culture.
- Share a Webinar – Host a digital webinar or conference with a link to the live-feed embedright in an email.
- Run Promotions – Use videos to announce or facilitate contests, giveaways, promotions, sales, and much more.
- Get User Friendly – Instead of creating the content in-house, why not feature user-generated content from your customers and fans?
- Answer Some Questions – Take some time to answer crowdsourced questions and address customer or partner concerns.
- Start a Vlog or Series – Your emails likely go out on a schedule, so kickstart a video series to go out along with them.
Of course, there are a few things you should be mindful of when using videos in emails. Never set them to auto-play, because that’s a definite way to annoy and aggravate your customers. Ensure that they can start and watch the video on their terms.
Also, don’t deploy videos as the sole content in your emails. Always include an introduction and a conclusion, just as you would with a report, article, or letter.
Overall, as long as you follow these easy tips, you can get pretty creative with the use of videos in email marketing campaigns. We’re willing to bet, you’ll notice a huge uptick in customer interest and engagements, too.
