Video Email Marketing: How to Boost Clicks and Conversions

Video email marketing is changing how businesses engage with their customers. When you pair the impact of video with the directness of email, you get a marketing tool that captures attention and drives action.

Today, we will look into how you can use video in emails to enhance your marketing. 

We will show you how to embed videos, navigate a variety of technical aspects, and share some best practices for seamless video email marketing.

What Is Video Email Marketing

Simply put, video email marketing is a strategy that puts videos in email campaigns to engage and convert subscribers more effectively.

Here’s how and why it works:

How email video marketing works

• Embedding videos:  Embedding videos directly into emails can be tricky – as email clients often place restrictions on this. But there is a workaround: marketers often use a thumbnail image linked to the video hosted on a platform like YouTube, Vimeo, or their website.
• GIFs and cinemagraphs: You can also use short, looping video clips or animated GIFs to capture attention. Your readers can watch them without clicking out of the email. 
• Personalized video messages: Some campaigns include personalized videos that address the recipient by name or use tailored content based on past behavior and preferences.

Video email marketing benefits

Yes, video email marketing has a lot of advantages. But these come at a cost. These types of campaigns require thoughtful planning. You will need to make sure your emails are compatible across different email clients, video sizes need to be optimized for quick loading, and your video content must align with your big marketing picture.

5 Facts About Video Email Marketing That You Must Know

Video content in emails is finding more and more acceptance with businesses. The statistics below show this very clearly. 

According to the survey:

• 91% of companies include videos in their marketing strategies.
• 30% of marketers believe video marketing is more important than their website.
• 72% of people would rather watch a video to learn about products or services.
• 54% of email subscribers prefer emails with videos.
• 82% of consumers have made a purchase after watching a marketing video.

How to Embed Video in Email

Embedding video in emails can greatly boost engagement and effectiveness. However, technical limitations and compatibility issues make it more complex than embedding video on a webpage. Here’s how to navigate these challenges and successfully embed video in your emails:

Here’s a detailed look at how to navigate these challenges and successfully embed video in your emails:

Most email clients do not support the direct embedding of video files due to security reasons, file size concerns, and varying technical capabilities.

This means that simply inserting a <video> tag into your HTML email code is unlikely to work for all recipients.

Instead, marketers must look into  alternative methods to effectively incorporate video content into their emails.

Using a thumbnail with a play button overlay

One of the most popular ways to embed a video in an email is to use a static image or a thumbnail of the video as a placeholder. This image is typically overlaid with a play button icon, making it clear to recipients that the image links to a video.

Steps to implement:

• Choose a thumbnail: Select a compelling frame from your video or create a custom thumbnail that represents the video content effectively. The thumbnail should be visually appealing and relevant to the video message.
• Add a play button: Overlay a play button icon onto the thumbnail to indicate that it’s a video. This can be done using image editing software or through online tools designed for this purpose.
• Link to video hosting platform: Hyperlink the thumbnail image to the video hosted on a platform like YouTube, Vimeo, or your own website. When recipients click on the thumbnail, they’ll be directed to where the video can be played.
• Ensure mobile responsiveness: Make sure the thumbnail image is responsive and displays well on both desktop and mobile devices. Consider the size and aspect ratio of the image to ensure a good viewing experience on all screens.

Embedding animated GIFs as an alternative

Another approach to simulate video in emails is to use an animated GIF. GIFs can convey a sense of motion and capture attention without requiring the recipient to leave the email.

Steps to implement:

• Create an animated GIF: Select a short segment of your video to convert into an animated GIF. There are several online tools and software options that can help you create GIFs.
• Embed the GIF in your email: Just like any other image, insert the GIF into your email body. Ensure it’s optimized for size to prevent slow loading times.
• Link to the full video: Optionally, you can hyperlink the GIF to the full video hosted online, encouraging recipients to view the entire content.

Best practices

• Test across email clients: Always test your emails across different email clients and devices to ensure the thumbnail or GIF displays correctly and the links work as intended.
• Optimize for loading time: Keep the file size of your thumbnails and GIFs small to ensure emails load quickly, enhancing user experience.
• Include a call to action (CTA): Make it clear what action you want the recipient to take, whether it’s watching the full video or visiting your website for more information.

How to incorporate videos from Vimeo, YouTube, or Wistia into emails?

Embedding a Vimeo, YouTube, or Wistia video in an email typically involves using a workaround. As most email clients do not support the direct playback of videos within the email body. Here are specific tips for embedding videos from these platforms into your emails:

• YouTube and Vimeo: Both platforms allow you to easily share and embed videos. Use the share or embed option to obtain a link or embed code, though for emails, you’ll primarily use the link to direct viewers to the video on the platform.
• Wistia: Wistia offers more detailed analytics and customization options for videos. It also provides specific options for email marketing, such as generating a video thumbnail that includes an animated play button, which can increase engagement.

Dos and Don’ts in Video Email Marketing

Adding videos to your emails can get you better engagement and conversion rates. But to fully leverage this potential, you will need to keep to the best practices of video production, email design, and campaign setup. Let’s take a closer look.

Timing and Frequency of Video Emails

Timing:

• Know your audience: Send emails at a time when your audience is most likely to engage. This might vary depending on the demographic, so use analytics to guide your timing.
• Consider the context: The timing of your video email should align with the context of its content. For example, timeholiday shopping promotions appropriately before the season.

Frequency:

• Avoid overloading: Don’t overwhelm your subscribers with too many video emails. The key here is to find a balance where your audience stays engaged – but not swamped.
• Test and learn: Start with a moderate frequency and adjust based on subscriber feedback and engagement metrics. What works for one audience may not work for another.

A/B Testing Strategies for Optimization

Test different elements:

• Subject lines: Experiment with including the word “video” in your subject line versus a more traditional subject line to see which generates higher open rates.
• Video thumbnails: Try different thumbnails for your video to see which one encourages more clicks. Thumbnails with human faces or play buttons might perform better.
• CTAs: Test different calls to action within your email and at the end of your video. Analyze which CTAs lead to higher conversion rates.

Measure and adjust:

• Analyze results: Use A/B testing tools provided by your email marketing platform to analyze which variations perform best.
• Iterate based on data: Use the insights from your A/B tests to refine future video emails. Continuous improvement is key to optimizing engagement and conversions.

To Sum Up

Video email marketing is becoming increasingly popular – and there are good reasons for that. Video email marketing is effective and accessible. It is about creating new forms of communication that are more engaging and impactful. As we look to the future, video email marketing shows a lot of potential to not only improve basic metrics but also to enhance the way we connect.