5 Keys to Using Video for Killer Email Marketing Campaigns

If there were a simple way to boost open rates and improve clickthrough and engagement with your email campaigns, you'd probably do it. Right? Well, video can deliver all those benefits—and it really can be simple. Video in email campaigns can: Boost open rates by 20 percent, just by including the word “video” in the subject line; Increase clickthroughs by two to three times; Increase sharing, forwarding and conversions; and Video may engage consumers more effectively any other type of content. Follow the four key principles below to bring your next email campaign to life with video: Focus on the Campaign Design: The video call to action (CTA) in the email should direct visitors to a special landing page optimized for your campaign. The video on the landing page should play automatically (more on that later). The video should give the viewer an explicit CTA (add to cart, or begin shopping, or sign up for this promotion). Some video platforms offer in-video shopping to allow the CTA to appear within the video itself. Remember, the objective of any email campaign is to guide visitors on a journey—from email to video-enabled landing page to purchase. Ask for the Click: When merchandising videos in email, you can dramatically increase the clickthrough rate by making it very explicit: "Click to view video," or something similar. That will outperform a passive CTA. You should also make sure to use a text CTA, as some email recipients block images. Meet Consumer Expectations on the Landing Page: Consumers may not always like autoplay when they navigate to a page on their own. However, consumers who click on a video CTA have asked to view a video and expect it to play immediately. The autoplay experience is a seamless one, from the consumer's perspective. Use Video Content That Engages Best: Research by the e-tailing group in 2013 found that consumers engaged most with videos that educated them or included a demonstration (opens as a PDF). Videos supporting a brand's value proposition didn't get the same engagement. Think about the shopper's journey, and ask yourself, "What is the goal of my email campaign?" If you're attempting to bring shoppers into the purchase funnel, your content should be geared to help them with decisions. Content that doesn't just promote the brand, but informs, will work best. Test: You'll have more success using each of these principles if you test continuously. Test different email subject lines. Test the placement of the video and CTAs. Even test emails with video vs. without. Whether you're already using video marketing in emails or are considering how to incorporate it, it's clear consumers' expectations of shopping experiences have changed. Following the five principles above can help you make your next email marketing campaign your most effective one ever. Russ Somers is VP of marketing for Austin, Texas-based Invodo, a business video software and services provider. Reach him at rsomers@invodo.com.

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5 Keys to Using Video for Killer Email Marketing Campaigns

Russ Somers

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