The use of video in email marketing is still considered one of the industry’s frontiers to be passed. On one hand, videos in email are considered a great strategy, something that is able to increase engagement and open rates, contributing to better camapaigns, but in other, the difficulty in creating and including videos in email creates a sense of  uncertainty on the real use of this resource.

According to Email Monks, email messages that contain video have a 280% bigger ROI than text-and-image messages. So, using videos is a huge opportunity to marketers everywhere, but what are the challenges faced?

According to an eMarketer research, only 25% of marketers use video in their email campagins. The main reasons not to are the difficulty to produce relevant video content; productions costs and  the fact that video simply is not a priority in many companies. We would like to add to that list of reasons the doubt of “how can I make video work in my email marketing?”.

We have two main approaches to video email marketing: using HTML5 or using an static image and linking it to the video. Let’s check out both of them:

HTML5

Using HTML5, you only have to use the tags to insert your video directly on the message.

Pro: it is possible to include the video directly on the message, as a part of your email content.

Con: HTML5 still is not supported by many email clients. According to EmailMonks, 58% of email clients support HTML5, but important players, such as Gmail still are a no-go.

Static Image

This is pretty much the safest way: you can use a thumbnail of your video with the Play symbol, linking it to the video on your site or Youtube page.

Pro: Works widely across email clients, and it can be a good way to promote your brand’s Youtube channel.

Con: Since the video isn’t actually on the email, it is necessary that the audience take another step to interact with your content.

PRO TIP: Know what works with your audiences. Check reports to see the OS and email client used by most of your contacts before choosing your approach.

Video content

Before producing your video, you have to know how it will be integrated with your overall campaign’s goals. At Wistia’s blog they’ve proposed two main goals to email marketing campaigns:  call people over to your website or blog to consume a piece of content there (it can be a video, an article, an infographic) or encourage people to consume content within the email. If you have a commercial or informative focus, with lots of articles and links in your newsletters, there’s a high probability you’ll want to call your audience over to your website.

Having decided the goals, the next question is: what will be the subject of your video? We’ve seen a couple of great suggestions over at Email Monks, such as producing tutorials explaining a new feature ou update in general; video case studies with the opinion of a happy customer; educational videos, like a small course, even commercial pieces are good options to include in your email.  At MarketingProfs we’ve seen four other good possibilities of video email: when you wish to teach something to your audience; when you want to tell a story, when you want to speak directly to your audience (special messages, like a thank you from someone in your team) and when you want to show them the backstage of your operation.

You’ll decide on what kind of content you want to send according to your company’s goals and products, but remember you should always keep content relevant to the public and pertinent within your email strategy. It is essential to send a high-quality video, so that people feel encouraged to share and forward your message.

How to use video to its best advantages:

• If you’re using a static image, choose a thumbnail that leaves people curious, so they’ll want to click and see more;
• Since video should be your point of attention in the email, use less calls to action;
• Make it all about the video, mention it in the subject line and in the copy;
• Think about you client’s whole experience: if you’re using a link to a landing page or a Youtube video, make sure there is interesting and engaging content. After all, you got the clicks, you don’t wanna loose them now, do you?

Good sendings!