8 Effective Ways of Using Videos in Email Marketing
Email is still one of the best communication channels. In 2022, people sent and received an estimated 333.2 billion emails around the globe. And it’s estimated to reach 376.4 billion in 2025.
Brands use emails to connect with their audience to drive sales. But, some of these emails are low quality and overly promotional.
That’s why more marketers are starting to add videos to their emails. Adding videos to your emails can increase email open rates, click-throughs, and conversions.
In this article, we are going to look at simple ways to use videos in email marketing.
8 Ways to Use Videos in Email Marketing
Here are the various ways you can use video content in email marketing.
1. Promote a New Product
One of the best uses of videos in email marketing is to promote new products. Videos help you showcase a new product’s features well.
A recent study by Wyzowl found that 96% of consumers have watched a video to learn more about a product/service. The same study also found that 89% of users get convinced to buy a product after watching a video. So, make sure you indicate that a video is there in your email in your subject line.
Instead of describing your product with lengthy text, show it using a video. Make sure to help users understand how it works.
You also want to show new features that make your product better than what’s already out there. A great way of doing this is by creating a video from an already existing blog post you’ve written.
The image below shows DJI’s email, which uses videos in its email campaign. The video shows the features of the drone camera. It also demonstrates how you can use it to capture stunning visuals.
Creating a video like this is easy with tools like Movavi Video Editor, Canva, and iMovie. Simply gather all your product visuals, take screen recordings, and combine them using the editor.
When creating the product videos that you’ll add to your emails, pay attention to the following:
- Keep the video short – Attention spans have been declining lately, and most users don’t like long videos. For maximum impact, your video shouldn’t be more than 2 minutes in length.
- Have a compelling opening – Your introduction should be attention-grabbing. It helps draw in viewers and keep them interested in the video.
- Brand consistency – Ensure the visuals you use in your video align with your brand identity.
- Call to action – Add a clear call to action at the end of the video.
- Mobile-friendliness – Optimize your videos for mobile devices. Many people access email from their phones.
2. Invite Users to an Event
Do you have a company event and want to invite people to attend? Then you should consider using videos in email marketing to create a preview of the event. You can then send it to your email subscribers.
Your most passionate fans would have subscribed to your email newsletter to receive important news. They would be happy to be notified about your current events. But, to get them to actually show up to the event, you need to hype the event, and you can do that with video.
Share a video snippet in your email showcasing the main topics of the event or include footage from the previous event in your email. This will remind past attendees how much fun they had the last time they attended.
AirBnb has been consistently using videos in email marketing. In the image below, they use a video to invite users to the 2022 winter release event.
The video gives a snippet of the upgrades Airbnb hosts can expect with the latest release. They also don’t give too much away in the video to encourage users to join the event.
To make it easy for users to attend the event, Airbnb added an email button. Interested hosts will use this button to sign up for it.
3. Promote Your Brand to New Subscribers
Promotional videos work well to build rapport with prospects and new subscribers. You can create and deliver them to your contacts through emails. Your lead generation tool will help you collect the interested users’ email addresses.
Don’t send them a plain introductory email. Use videos to introduce your brand to them. See how Artgrid does in the image below.
Use videos in email marketing to show the value you provide to users. In the example above, Artgrid has 2 videos in the email. Both highlight the benefits users gain from the software.
Value-driven videos will help you create a strong connection with your subscribers. Use email marketing tools to personalize and send emails.
4. Offer Testimonials
Create video testimonials and share them with your subscribers. Satisfied customers give a business an unmatched level of credibility. This can get other people to buy your products and services.
Customers trust the opinions of other people like them when shopping. And that’s what makes testimonials an effective business asset. Customer testimonials help prospective customers get an idea of what they can get from a brand.
To create your video testimonials, reach out to your customers. Ask them if they would like to feature in your promotional video. If they agree, ask them about their experience with your brand on video.
You can combine fragments of different interviews into one coherent video. Or, share the full interview of one enthusiastic brand advocate. In the image below, Typeform shares a video testimonial of a happy customer in its email blast.
5. Go Behind the Scenes
It’s easier to connect with prospects and customers when they understand your company. Behind-the-scenes videos in email marketing give you the perfect opportunity to showcase your company to your audience.
When creating your behind-the-scenes video, you can choose to focus on the following:
- Explain an important company process
- Give a detailed product explanation
- Create a “day in the life of…” video
By showcasing your day-to-day activities to your users, you can build a strong relationship with your audience and drive positive business performance.
Lucid Motors has been using videos to strengthen its relationship with customers. In the example below, the brand gives a behind-the-scenes look into how they make Lucid Air.
Right below the video, the brand has added a button that interested buyers can use to reserve the car. Add a button to your emails that direct users to a checkout page to drive sales.
6. Share Insider Tips and Tricks
You can also use videos in email marketing to share product tips with your subscribers. Customers looking to get the most out of your products will appreciate these tips.
Prospects will also appreciate the videos since they provide valuable insights. These insights will help them decide if they want to buy the product.
In the example below, collaboration software Miro uses videos in email marketing. It uses them to give tips that help teams collaborate better.
The “2 minutes to watch” below the play button is a nice touch. It shows readers how much time it’ll take to watch the video.
7. Share Digital Content Samples
Creating video email campaigns is useful when selling digital content. Digital products like online courses, software, and digital files lend themselves well to video marketing. You can use a short video to give users a taste of the premium content.
Let’s say you have an online course that you want to advertise. You can create a video that explains the key topics students will learn in the course. This will help you generate interest.
You could even create a short snippet of your course to show your audience as a sample.
8. Announce a Contest
One way to use videos in email marketing to generate sales is to create a contest. You can use videos to invite users to participate. People love free things, and many will enter your contest to win something.
The key is to make your prizes appealing to attract as many participants as possible. The prizes should also be relevant to your target customers for you to generate enough interest.
When choosing the contest winner, strive for the highest level of transparency. Do this so you don’t lose your credibility. Livestreaming the event can show the whole world that your contest is transparent. To manage your contest, you could leverage a tool like SweepWidget and ShortStack.
Final Thoughts
Video is one of the most effective content formats, and email is the most popular distribution channel for brands. Combining the two will help you maximize your reach and increase your impact.
You can use embedded videos in email marketing to promote a new product, invite users to an event, share video testimonials, and much more. So, the next time you send an email, add a video for maximum impact.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can you use video in email marketing?
Yes, you can use video in email marketing. You can add videos to your emails using email marketing tools. Most email marketing tools will generate a clickable image with a play button. This will take readers to the page of the video where they can watch it. In email marketing tools that have AMP emails, you can embed videos in emails, too.
Is video in email a good idea?
Yes, video in email is a good idea. Sharing behind the scenes videos in emails humanizes your brand. Adding product explainer videos helps visual learners understand your product better. It also helps drive engagement. The key is to use an engaging thumbnail image to get people to watch the video.
- 8 Effective Ways of Using Videos in Email Marketing - March 30, 2023
