The darling of every communicator’s tool kit, video is a superb way to show off your products, services or mission in action. When you combine the multimedia video with a personalized email experience, the synergy is undeniable. Just look at the stats!
- According to HubSpot, when the word “video” is included in the subject line, open rates improve by 19 percent.
- KCC clients have seen a 15 percent increase in open rates when video is used in the subject line.
- Video links are often the top-performing links within a message, even if they appear at the bottom of a long email.
With most subscribers using super-speedy Internet or satellite connections, if you have relevant videos available, there’s no longer any excuse for not including them in your marketing emails.
How Do You Include Video in Your Email Design?
Here’s some good news: It is possible to play a video within an email in certain email clients (notably the iPhone native email app and Apple Mail). There are also services available that will serve up the best-available video technique each email platform can handle: playing the video within the email, using an animated gif showing the first few seconds of your video with a link to the video, or a still image that links to your video. While these are exciting innovations for marketing email, I recommend experimenting only with the assistance of an email programmer who understands how video and animation are displayed across all available email clients and programs.
A low tech — yet still high-impact — option is using what we call a mock video viewer with a still image. A mock video viewer is a graphic designed to look just like a video player, complete with that irresistible triangular play button. The graphic links to the video, which is hosted on a website.
To create a mock video viewer, select a screenshot from your video (avoid awkward frames with subjects about to speak or caught between facial expressions). Use a program like Photoshop to layer a play button and other video controls over your screenshot. Now you’re ready to save the graphic for the web and link it to your video, just like we did in our Good Thinking email in December.
If you would like a copy of our layered PSD file for mock video viewers, email , and we’ll send you the file.
More Practical Strategies for Incorporating Videos
- As with all aspects of your email program, relevancy is critical. Use your subject line to accurately describe the video contained in your email. Avoid misleading subscribers with click bait, a call to action that’s heavy on promises and light on follow through.
- Consider video for any subject matter that’s easier to demonstrate than show in photos or describe in words.
- Welcome emails are great places to include a video. You could offer a video introduction to your company or organization, a video preview of an upcoming event, or a video demonstrating how to use your product. Be sure to track who is clicking on your video. This data could help you target future messages.
- Don’t skip the words altogether! Many of your email subscribers will have their images turned off. Be sure to write a short introduction to your video, and include a word-based link to the video.
Need help adding video to your emails? Contact your account manager or tech support, or email .