Using videos in marketing is quickly becoming the norm—and you don’t want to be left behind. When you use this tool, you’re almost guaranteed more impressive open and click-through rates. Why is that? It’s because people are intrigued by video. Watching a video is entertaining and informative. You can also pack a lot of information in quickly, which is great for everyone who is strapped for time. Some may wonder, though, just how effective it is for their email marketing campaigns. Is the ROI really worth the investment of time and money to produce and embed video in email? Today, you’ll learn why this tool is a must for modern marketers, plus you’ll learn how to embed video in emails so you can get started right away.
Why Your Company Needs to Start Using Videos in Your Emails
Videos are so popular right now that they’re being used on just about every marketing platform. This includes:
- Videos on company web pages
- Social media videos (YouTube, Facebook Live, and Instagram Stories)
- Email marketing campaigns
Just how effective is this medium? Here are some statistics from a 2018 Insivia report:
- Video emails can increase your click-through rate by 200%-300%
- 90% of consumers say video helps them make purchasing decisions
- 80% of people say they easily remember video content, even weeks later
- Over 90% of mobile users share/forward videos with others
- Over 45% of consumers take some sort of action after watching an online video ad.
Why does video lead to such staggering results? There are a few reasons. First, video increases dwell time, as in how long a customer stays on your website. Why is this important? It’s important because the longer someone is on your page, the more trustworthy you appear to Google. The more trustworthy you are, the higher Google ranking you will have. Second, videos are valuable. You always want to provide your customers with something of value. It helps to build trust and relationships. Finally, people are more likely to share interesting, educational, and funny videos, either on social media or by forwarding an email. Are you ready to start adding video into your marketing campaigns? If so, you need to learn how to embed video in email.
A Word of Caution: Why You Need to Learn to Embed Video in Email the Right Way
Adding a video to email doesn’t seem like it should be that complicated. Most people have sent a video via email rather easily to their friends and family. Copy the link and paste it in the email. It’s as simple as that. Or, is it? Not really—not when it comes to email marketing. In a perfect world, you and all of your email subscribers would have the same email client. Then, copying a link, pasting it, and sending it off would get the job done. Unfortunately, that’s not how things work. Some of your subscribers have Gmail, others have Thunderbird, some have Yahoo, and still others have Outlook. What might work for one email client won’t work for all. If you simply copy and paste a link in the body of your email, your Gmail subscribers might get the video, but the Outlook folks might not. Something else to consider: not all email clients have the technical requirements necessary to play video within an email. Therefore, you have to be strategic when you embed video in email. One other word of caution: When you do embed video in an email, make sure to always use the push-to-play feature. You never know where your audience is going to be when they open your email. They could be in a public place, in their home relaxing after they just put a fussy baby to sleep, or at work in the middle of a meeting – automatic play is not a good idea.
How to Embed Video in Email: YouTube and Vimeo Videos
Now, onto the specifics. These steps work when you want to embed YouTube video in email, or even Vimeo videos.
Step One: Create a Unique Image with a Play Button
You’ll start by creating a thumbnail. You can choose a high-quality image that relates to but is not directly from the video you’ll be sharing. Or, you can take a screenshot of your video and use that as the thumbnail. Then, you’ll want to add a play button. You can do this by adding a click-to-play button under the video, as in the example below. Source: Really Good Emails Another option is to add a play button on top of the thumbnail. You can do this easily with YouTube’s thumbnail generator. Simply add the video URL and submit it. Then, you’ll be provided with a thumbnail and you can choose which play button to add over it. Other companies give you more creative options, such as Adobe Spark. Source: Really Good Emails
Step Two: Embed a Hyperlink to Your Image
Most email clients strip the HTML embedded code if you try to embed directly into an email. That’s why you’ll want to choose an image with a play button within the content of your email. The image can link to the URL where the video is hosted—typically, on YouTube, Vimeo, social media platforms, or your website. You can do this with your Delivra emails:
- Click on Content, Media Library, Upload, Browse
- Choose the image you want to use and click OK
- Click again on Content, Content Name, Drag & Drop Editor
- Once in the Drag & Drop Editor, click on Image Block, then Browse
- Choose your image and then click Insert
- Click Edit Link to add the video’s URL.
Source: YouTube
Step Three: Invest in Paid Services to Play Videos Within the Email
Would you like your customers to be able to play the video within the email, as shown in the example below? Source: Really Good Emails If so, you might want to try a separate paid service, like Playable. Not only does this company make it easier for your customers to watch videos—it makes it simple for you to embed them in your emails. The step-by-step process for embedding is fairly straightforward, and Playable has multiple tutorials on YouTube. Source: YouTube
The Best Types of Videos to Include in Your Email Marketing Content
When deciding which types of videos to use in your next marketing campaign, keep the following tips in mind.
Practice the Art of Storytelling
When trying to sell a product or service, you might be tempted to stick to the facts. While data is important, it’s not really what sells. Storytelling is what sells the most. People like to get to know the employees behind the brand and the company’s personality. They like to know how your product or service is going to help them in their daily life or business, and how it’s helped others before them. All of this can be accomplished by engaging storytelling.
Have a Clear Call to Action
All marketing materials should have a call to action. Your emails are no different. Let the consumer know what you want them to do next, whether it’s watch the video, read an article, or check out your latest offer. Source: Milled
GIFs are a Nice Alternative to Videos in Emails
Since not all email clients support video, you can try adding GIFs to your email newsletters instead. GIFs are generally supported and can be uploaded to your media library and inserted into the body of your email just as you would do with a high-quality image. Quick note: Outlook doesn’t support animated GIFS. What your subscribers will see is the first static image of the GIF. GIFs are a wonderful way to add a pop culture mix into your campaign. Or, they can be used to advertise a product launch or sale, like in the example below. The first image is a closed blind with the words “Black Friday” on them. As the animation continues, the blind lifts and you see the words “Starts Now.” Source: Really Good Emails
Wrap Up
Video marketing is the future of marketing, and it’s starting now. If you want to substantially improve the ROI of your email campaign, start using video in your marketing efforts. Of course, you’ll want to remember:
- How to embed video in email properly
- GIFs are a great option and can be used instead of or in conjunction with video
- Tell a story in your video instead of focusing only on the sale
- That there should always be a clear call to action
Take some time to practice embedding video into your emails and you’ll get the hang of it fast. Then, you can really put this marketing tool to work for the good of you and your company. Videos are a great way to grab your subscribers’ attention, but they can also help you develop relationships with those on your email list. We have some great tips that will help you create email campaigns that will have an impact on anyone who reads your emails.
