Video and email marketing: a match made in heaven or a recipe for disaster? It might seem unusual at first, but incorporating video into your email campaigns can significantly boost your marketing efforts. While some might find the concept unconventional, the results speak for themselves. Just like adding a dash of tangy ketchup to scrambled eggs can elevate a simple breakfast, integrating video into your emails can transform your marketing strategy, making it more engaging and effective.

We all understand the power of video marketing. HubSpot reports that 87% of businesses utilize video as a marketing tool. If you’ve been limiting your video content to your website and social media platforms, it’s time to break free from the ordinary and explore the exciting possibilities of video email marketing.

What exactly is video email marketing?

Contrary to what you might think, video email marketing doesn’t always mean recipients watch videos directly in their inbox. Instead, marketers often embed clickable thumbnail images within emails, directing viewers to landing pages where the full video resides.

HubSpot explains, “Due to spam and security concerns, most major email clients don’t support embedded videos.”

Attempting to embed videos directly can lead to compatibility issues with certain email providers, causing them to default to fallback images (if set up). To ensure a smooth experience, it’s recommended to use a visually appealing video thumbnail image linked to a dedicated landing page hosting the video.

For instance, take a look at this email I received from America’s Test Kitchen:

While the image might appear to be a video, it’s a static image with a deceptive play button that redirects to a gated landing page. This requires signing up for a course to access the video content.

Why is incorporating video into email so effective?

Consider this: the average office worker receives 121 emails per day. In such a crowded inbox, what better way to grab attention than with captivating video content? But how effective is video email marketing in reality? Let’s delve into the statistics.

Wistia, a video software company, discovered that incorporating video in email campaigns led to an impressive 300% increase in click-through rates compared to emails without video. Furthermore, simply including the word “video” using the word “video” in email subject lines has shown a 19% increase in open rates and a 25% reduction in unsubscribes!

The data unequivocally demonstrates the effectiveness of video in email marketing. So why wait any longer? Here are some actionable strategies to seamlessly integrate video content into your marketing emails today.

1. Create a dedicated video landing page with a strong call to action

As discussed earlier, embedding videos directly into emails isn’t always the best practice due to limitations imposed by email providers. However, this restriction can be advantageous. Your primary goal is to guide subscribers toward a specific action, which goes beyond merely watching a video within their inbox. Additionally, consider how video playback within an email would translate to mobile devices – a subpar viewing experience is worse than no video at all.

Brendan Schwartz, founder and CTO of Wistia., emphasizes, “While iPhone offers significant support for video-in-email, the video dominates the entire screen during playback. This means your call to action is hidden while viewers are engaged with the video.”

Therefore, embedding a clickable video thumbnail that leads to a dedicated landing page hosting the video proves to be a more effective approach.

Take a look at this example from Scorpion Legal Marketing:

Instead of confining leads to watching a video within the email, they’re strategically directed to a landing page featuring not one but two calls to action, effectively guiding them further down the sales funnel.

2. Promote local events using video emails

Does your company host events like monthly happy hours for local customers or weekly free yoga classes at your athletic store? Whether it’s a small local gathering or a large-scale conference, video email campaigns can be incredibly effective in spreading the word and generating excitement.

Think of email event promotion as sending personalized invitations directly to your audience’s inbox. What better way to pique their interest than with captivating video content? A professionally produced video recapping last year’s event or a short, engaging clip of an inspiring yoga instructor in action can be incredibly persuasive in motivating attendees.

HubSpot excels in this area, consistently utilizing video effectively to promote Inbound, their annual marketing and sales conference. As a regular attendee, I’ve often been drawn in by their impactful video email marketing. Here’s an example from my inbox:

The personalized greeting and dual calls to action are brilliant touches. By providing valuable content from the 2016 event while simultaneously encouraging registration for the upcoming one, they create a compelling reason to attend. Showcasing past event highlights through video is a fantastic way to motivate those who missed out to sign up for the next one. The only thing that could enhance this email further is an eye-catching video thumbnail!

3. Integrate personalized video emails into your sales process

While this blog post primarily targets marketers, let’s not forget the crucial role of the sales team. Sales representatives are constantly striving to meet targets, and sometimes, they need a little nudge from their marketing counterparts.

Since marketing and sales go hand in hand, why not collaborate with your sales team to leverage the power of video in their email communication? By demonstrating how video can increase deal closure rates, you’ll have them on board in no time!

Recording quick videos, even directly from your computer, and sending them to warm leads takes minimal effort but can significantly boost response rates.

Consider this example from BluLeadz, a Florida-based marketing agency. They decided to combine video and email to expedite the sales cycle and witnessed remarkable results: a 36.9% increase in deal closure rates when personalized videos were used in conjunction with email!

Wistia’s innovative product, Soapbox, simplifies the creation of these quick videos. This Google Chrome extension enables simultaneous screen and webcam recording, allowing you to edit the video to showcase yourself, your screen, or both, before sending it to your lead.

4. Share customer testimonial videos with your leads

One common marketing pitfall is talking too much about oneself. While you might believe your company is the best thing since sliced bread, it’s far more impactful to let your satisfied customers do the talking.

Video testimonials are an incredibly effective medium for achieving this. When potential customers see real people sharing genuine experiences, it fosters trust and increases the likelihood of conversion. What better way to deliver these powerful testimonials than directly to your leads’ inboxes?

Take inspiration from TouchBistro, a POS system provider for restaurants. They transformed a compelling customer success story into a video, demonstrating how their software yielded tangible financial results for a client. If that doesn’t convince a restaurant owner to invest, what will?

5. Leverage video email marketing for upselling to existing customers

While acquiring new customers is crucial, it’s equally important to nurture your existing customer base and explore avenues to increase their lifetime value. According to the authors of Marketing Metrics, the probability of selling to a new prospect is between 5% and 20%, whereas the probability of selling to an existing customer soars to 60% to 70%.

In many instances, your current customers represent your most valuable market segment. This holds particularly true for email marketing through video, as existing customers, already invested in your brand, are more likely to engage with your video content.

To maximize effectiveness, collaborate with your email marketing specialist to segment your customer base based on their purchase history. This will help identify prime upselling opportunities. For instance, if you offer a suite of financial tools and observe that investors who purchase one product often benefit from another, create a video highlighting the potential financial gains they could achieve by expanding their investment. This could be a testimonial-style video or a captivating in-house production. The key is to make the most of their attention while you have it.

6. Enhance video marketing emails with GIFs

In today’s fast-paced digital world, brevity is key. With attention spans dwindling due to distractions like Instagram and Snapchat, sometimes it’s best to forgo lengthy videos in favor of concise, attention-grabbing alternatives. GIFs, short, engaging animations, offer the perfect solution. Falling under the image category, they can be easily integrated into your email templates.

From playful text animations and amusing dance moves to vibrant cartoon firework displays, get creative with your design team to inject life into your emails and pique your audience’s interest.

Take this example from The Loft. Instead of sending a mundane picture of a model in a raincoat, they brought the garment to life with a playful GIF. The effort invested in creating the GIF paid off, as it successfully enticed me to explore their spring collection.

While integrating video into your email marketing might seem like an additional task, we hope this post has illustrated the undeniable value of marrying video and email marketing. With a little effort, you’ll soon witness your email metrics soar to new heights!