Video in Email? It’s Now Possible and Effective
Communication through email is and will continue to be one of the most effective online marketing strategies. Today, as companies, we have the objective of capturing leads and then cultivating them and finally selling them to those who are qualified. In the process of cultivating leads we have to implement different strategies and tactics to connect with our audience. Through this article we will talk about the importance of video and how you can add a video with audio in email marketing campaigns.
The first thing we want is to review with the three stages of leads.
Attraction - Cold Lead - Someone who has just met you and has just connected with you leaving their details in exchange for some benefit.
Cultivation - Warm Lead - Someone who has interacted with you and who continues to consume your educational content, videos and promotions.
Sale - Hot Lead - Someone who is ready to buy from you and even recommend you
Video as your SECRET tool to CONVERT in your Email Marketing campaigns
Video is very powerful. It is the only content that allows you to share, interact and connect with your audience in a few minutes. We use them more and more because they are more effective than several strategies together. Within your Email Marketing strategy you can include the video in different phases that we mention below.
- Videos on the pages to capture leads;
- Videos as lead magnets to capture leads. For example:
- A webinar;
- A free course;
- A masterclass;
- Videos in your Email Marketing campaigns. For example:
- Video in welcome email
- Video in your newsletters
- Videos in your launch campaigns
- Testimonial videos in sales campaigns
- Promotional videos in sales campaigns
Using videos in email marketing campaigns is not as simple as just embedding them. Unfortunately, some of the large companies dedicated to offering email services like Gmail and Outlook, do not have the ability to play videos within emails. However, there are some tips and tricks that work, not to bypass inability to play video, but to get attention and make your videos effective in your strategies.
Call to action
Every email you send needs a "call to action." By call to action we mean a “something” that forces every reader to click on an item in your email. A video could be a good example, however, since it cannot be played within the mail, the subscriber will have to go elsewhere. In this way, depending on the content, it will be the place where you will direct them:
- To the HTML version of the email if users should continue to read the rest of the email as a newsletter.
- To the web page with the embedded video to direct readers to the content of your website
- To the source of the video because it is monetized and that is the point of your email
For this strategy to be effective, you must take a screenshot of your video and place a play button on it to simulate that it can be played. However, after clicking it, the subscriber will be redirected to where you need them to go. However, if you don't, it could be difficult to get the reader to come back to finish reading the email.
Use an animated GIF
Using GIFs in emails is also difficult because not all inboxes support it. Using them together with videos can provide great reading experience for the subscribers. So, since videos cannot be played in email, you can use an animated GIF to draw attention to your video. The animated image should provide a preview of the video and entice them to see more of it. What about inboxes that don't support animated GIFs? Well luckily the behavior in this situation is predictable. The GIF will display the first frame of the animation and use it to display a still image. Take advantage of this and use a screenshot for those who can't see the amazing animation.
Create specific videos for your subscribers
People love exclusivity and your subscribers are no exception. What's even better is that you can segment your list based on the information you've collected. In fact, segmenting your lists is a very good email marketing practice. Once you have these segments, you must create videos specifically for them, whether you are doing a demonstration, showing products and / or services or transmitting customer testimonials from local people.
Recommendations for your video email
If you want to further enhance the videos you include in your Email Marketing campaigns, I recommend the following:
- Add texts to accompany your video;
- Make mini-tutorials and video demos for your Email campaigns;
- Create a video to welcome your new subscribers;
- Place your video at the top of your email campaign, this will help you connect quickly;
- Be direct in your videos and take advantage of the text of your campaign to reinforce your message;
The brands that have already tried it increased their conversions and the CTR of their campaigns thanks to this type of content and you can also take advantage of it. So even though videos cannot be played in emails, videos are a powerful tool for getting attention. In addition, they also make reading more enjoyable for subscribers. Just remember to keep in mind where you want your readers to watch the video in order to keep their attention and avoid distractions.