Did you know that nearly 85% of all internet users in the United States watched videos online in 2018? Video marketing platforms such as YouTube and TikTok have become extremely popular due to this demand for videos. This is perhaps the reason why nearly 63% of marketers used videos for marketing in 2018 (up from 57% in 2017).
But what does this have to do with email marketing?
Videos can be a great way of boosting the results of your email marketing campaigns. They are engaging, attractive and can prompt the users to take your desired action. Not only do they play a crucial role in improving the dwell time of your emails, but they can also increase your click-through rates (CTR).
How can you use videos for email marketing?
Here are some great tips on how you can utilize videos to boost your email marketing effectiveness.
Add explainer videos to your emails
If you want to promote your products or services, consider sending emails with a short video that explains what your product or service is all about.
When people open your email, they won't need to read through a wall of text. Instead, they'll be able to understand everything about your product or service through the video.
This might pique their interest and they might end up clicking on your call-to-action (CTA) button to visit your website or landing page.
While email marketing itself has a high ROI of about $40 for every $1 invested in it, by using videos, you can boost this as well. This is because many people who might click on your CTA may end up buying from you.
However, some email providers may not let you add videos to your emails. In such a situation, you should consider adding a video on your landing page. Embed the screenshot of this video in your emails and link it to your landing page.
When interested receivers click on the screenshot, they'll be directed to your landing page where they can watch the video. Some of them may end up converting and becoming customers.
Utilize video testimonials and case studies
When you create a video of a case study, it's highly likely that your receivers may end up watching it as compared to text.
Similarly, whenever you send out emails to your audience and want to incorporate testimonials, you should consider adding video testimonials. They pack more authenticity than text ones as your audience will be able to see the people who've used your tool.
Use them for customer service
When you send out a customer service email, you should ensure that it serves its purpose well. It should be able to effectively solve the customer's troubles without much hassle.
While text-based emails may work for this, you should consider creating videos to help your customers out. Not only will videos make it easier for your customers to figure out what needs to be done, but they may be able to get the solution quickly.
Text, on the other hand, might not be easy for everyone to understand and interpret. This can lead to more back-and-forth between you and the customer before their issue is resolved. Such problems can be avoided if you use videos instead.
Showcase company culture
One of the biggest advantages of using videos is that they can help you display your organization's culture to your customers.
When you send out emails to your subscribers, you should consider adding an email that showcases your company culture. This could include your ideals, beliefs and even employee testimonials.
However, with videos, you can take this to the next level. You could incorporate videos of your employee testimonials or even ones with your senior management talking about your company's ideals. You can also create a behind-the-scenes video of your company to give your audience a sneak peek into your organization. This can go a long way in building their trust.
Use video for informational emails
You can use videos to convey useful information to your audience and customers as well. One way of doing this is by adding how-to videos to your emails.
These videos could be sent to your customers once they purchase your products. You could also attach these videos with the purchase confirmation emails. While these emails may not drive purchases, they can help you improve your customer experience.
It's also possible to promote your products and services by creating tutorials for your audience. For instance, if you own a beauty brand, you can send out makeup tutorials through emails. Not only will these tutorials be useful for your audience but they will also help promote your brand.
You can use your products in the tutorials and then add a CTA button below the video so that your audience can purchase the product too.
Leverage GIFs
The best part about videos is that you don't necessarily have to embed complete video files into your emails. Instead, you could experiment with GIFs. Animated GIFs may not be videos, but they are equally engaging and can convey information with ease.
These GIFs are usually small in size and this makes it easy for you to create emails that aren't data-heavy. Additionally, they can be just a couple of seconds long, and you can use them to make your emails look attractive, too.
Use the autoplay feature
One of the advantages of using videos is that you can get them to start playing automatically. While this can be helpful in catching the attention of your receivers, it might also get annoying for them.
To ensure that your email receivers don't get annoyed by the autoplay feature, use it strategically. Don't embed autoplay videos in all emails. Instead, plan out which videos matter the most.
What if you're not embedding the videos in your emails? In this situation, you should consider inserting a screenshot of your video in the email. This, in turn, should be linked to your landing page where you can have the same video autoplay for your audience.
This will ensure that they are genuinely interested in watching the video and by using the autoplay feature, you'll save them the extra click.
Final thoughts
Email marketing is a great way to market your brand and products. Using it, you can reach out to your target audience and get them to purchase from you. By incorporating videos into your emails, you can make them more engaging and increase your conversions.
You can leverage how-to and explainer videos to promote your products and services. Alternatively, you can showcase your company's culture through behind-the-scenes videos. It's also possible to use videos to display customer testimonials and case studies. Using videos, you can also improve your customer experience. You can also experiment with GIFs and use the autoplay feature to improve the results of your email campaigns.
What are the other ways through which you've used videos in email marketing? Let us know in the comments.