Videos in emails are like pineapple on pizza. Some marketers love it, and others detest it. Regardless of what side of the spectrum you are on, one thing is certain – the use of videos in email marketing strategies is moving in an upward trajectory, and this trend, is not likely to change anytime soon. As per HubSpot, nearly 87% of business use videos in their marketing strategy [1].
But why?
Why is there so much interest in using video in email marketing? The answer is simple; Video email marketing provides a 300% higher return on your investment (ROI) in comparison with standard email marketing campaigns [2]. Although the adoption of video in email marketing is growing over the past few years, we expected this concept to take off much earlier.
Well, we can let bygones be bygones and focus on what lies ahead of us. The marketing world continues to evolve at a brisk pace due to many factors including consumer behaviour, the onset of new tech, and more. The pandemic has also played a major role in shaping the growth of the digital marketing sector in the past couple of years.
This article dives deep into understanding the importance of using video in email marketing. Further, we will also explore some amazing ways to incorporate video in your email marketing campaigns.
In the meanwhile, you can also refer to this guide to email marketing to understand the ins and outs of this affordable and highly effective marketing strategy.
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What exactly is video email marketing?
As the name suggests, video email marketing refers to the smart use of videos in marketing emails to make them more appealing and engaging. Although the concept is pretty straightforward to understand, there is much more to add to videos in email marketing.
There are some handy tips and guides online that can help you set up your video email campaign. Ultimately, the idea is to combine two powerful forces – your most engaging material (content) with the most affordable and profitable mode of delivering content (email).
Video content is one of the best ways to capture your audience’s attention. Many consumers enjoy watching content and material from their favourite brands regularly. Video are also useful to simplify complicated topics or capture an audience’s imagination.
This is exactly why you should use videos in your emails. If you are still not convinced, here is some useful piece of information for you. Email marketing provides the highest rate of return compared to any other marketing channel.
The average ROI on every dollar spent is around 36 dollars – a 360% return.
Different ways to include videos in email marketing
By now, we have understood the concept of email marketing and why many businesses are increasingly using videos in email marketing. How exactly are they doing it? Let’s find out.
1. Event announcement
Capture the attention of your subscribers and target audience by sharing useful information about an upcoming physical or online event. Add a small video snippet in your email to highlight the key subjects of that webinar or event. Besides, you can share event recaps with your audience to tempt them into watching the entire video.
2. Add videos to your newsletters
Before you kick off your email campaign, you need to identify who your target audience is and how old are they. If a major chunk of your target audience is Gen Z or millennials, adding videos to your email newsletters is a good idea.
What sort of videos are we talking about here? You can choose from different themes including round-up videos, informative videos, and more.
Your audience is bound to love your email campaigns more than before and may also look forward to receiving emails from you, resulting in becoming your customers eventually.
3. Highlight certain topics from your industry
It is a good idea to share useful insights pertaining to your industry by covering technical topics. Create engaging video content that turns “boring” things into fun. For instance, if a business sells a coffee machine, it is a good idea to include videos that showcase different features, how it works, and more. This is a good way to keep your audience interested and engage with your product.
In such scenarios, you can add links to your email campaigns that direct the audience to a video. Therefore, your emails should include very clear call-to-action buttons which prompt users to take an action.
4. Talk about a new service or a product
What is the next big news about your company you would like to share with your audience? Is a product launch on the horizon? Are you expanding your range of services?
Instead of publishing the standard press release, you can add videos to your email campaigns that talk about the new additions. Your video can shed light on the main points about your product or service and provide insights into new features etc.
Today, many real estate companies are including videos in email campaigns to show what’s around a particular area and provide a tour of what they can expect at a certain property.
5. Behind the scene, videos hit the spot
Your prospects and consumers will only be able to resonate with your brand or company when they gain insights into your business. And behind-the-scenes videos are the best way to demonstrate to the audience how your business operates.
You can make “a day in the life of..” videos or explain company processes or products in your videos. You may establish a strong brand presence and improve your email campaigns by displaying the daily operations of your business to your users.
6. Create tips and tricks videos
Sharing useful resources with your subscribers is one of the best ways to engage with them. For instance, if a potential customer signs up for a trial, you can send them emails that explain more about your product or service. Additionally, if you are writing emails to prospects, you may make a video that combines elements from the top and bottom of the sales funnel to both direct them and raise awareness about your product or service.
7. Contest announcements
Use videos to spark interest and get your audience members excited about an opportunity to win a contest or learn something via an e-course.
Share a tip or two with your audience in your videos, which will primarily serve as a mini-lesson for subscribers. You can show the winning contestants’ entries or draw raffle winners’ names out of a hat for contests. You can live to stream this at a pre-announced time and also deliver it as a clip via email.
8. Provide case studies and testimonials
Happy consumers possess a degree of credibility that your company cannot match. Customers can then be interviewed about their experiences after taking their permission before recording a promotional video. You can combine clips from various interviews or provide a whole minute or two with a single, especially ardent brand cheerleader.
Another strategy is to point your camera at the product rather than the client. Showcase before-and-after restoration footage, or transport virtual visitors to an event you may have organized in the past.
9. Share your company’s story
Video in email marketing is one of the most effective ways to showcase your brand like never before. Take your audience on a unique journey through a video that talks about your company’s journey, value, and more.
Speak about the people who work with you, throw light on how things work at your company, or shed light on the journey of your stakeholders. This is one of the best ways to get closer to your audience as a brand.
10. Provide more information regarding a recent purchase
You can go above and beyond to tell your customers that you care for them. Once a customer purchases a particular product from you, you can deliver an email with a video that provides additional insights regarding that product. Besides, the email could also include a simple thank you message for customers who have just purchased one of your products.
Final words
Despite the insurgence of new-age marketing tools, email marketing continues to remain a popular choice among thousands of brands worldwide. Marketers love email marketing for its affordability and impressive return on investment. So we see no reason why companies should ditch email marketing in favour of other marketing alternatives.
In fact, the use of videos in email marketing has made email marketing even more appealing to marketers. The high ROI coupled with the impact of an email marketing campaign will keep the ball rolling in the upcoming years. Email marketers need to find ways to integrate videos into their campaigns, particularly to engage and interact with millennials and the Gen Z population.
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Feature Image Source: Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash
Image 1 Source: Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Image 2 Source: Image by rawpixel.com
Sources:
[1] Hayes. A (2022) “
[2] Lynkova. D (2022) “Email Marketing Stats: The Power of Email in 2022” Techjury [online] Available from: https://techjury.net/blog/email-marketing-stats/#gref
