The Ins And Outs You Need To Know About Using Videos For Your Email Marketing Campaign

There’s no question that email marketing is the most effective, and most affordable, marketing channel for businesses of all types. And of course, video content offers the highest levels of engagement and conversion across all other metrics.

So what happens when you put them together?

The Powerful Fusion of Email Marketing and Video Content

Video content and email marketing pose one of the strongest outreach opportunities that your business can take advantage of. The CRM platform, Snov.io, conducted a detailed customer survey and found that simply putting “video” in the subject line increased click-through rates (CTR) by 65 and boosted email open rates by 19%.^[¹^]

As much as 98% of businesses report that video content converts the same or better than other content.^[^2] Short form-video accounts for 73% of online videos that are two minutes or less.^[³^] This puts platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels near the top for video consumption.

It’s long since been accepted that email has always been the most cost-effective marketing channel, and there’s no sign that this will change anytime soon. It’s direct access with no platform restrictions. This is something many other channels can’t offer.

Globally, e-mail marketing was given a $7.5 billion market value in 2020 but this number is projected to increase to approximately $17.9 billion by 2027.^[⁴^] Over 31% of B2B marketers say that email is the most effective way to nurture leads and 90% of content marketers say they measure content performance based on email engagement.^[⁵^]

Implementing video in email marketing isn’t complicated. Did you know that just typing the word “video” in the subject line can increase open rates by as much as 19%? It’s also been reported to reduce unsubscribes by 25%!^[⁶^] These are powerful numbers!

Email marketing is a direct link to the digital home of your audience. Sending them the video content they want is an easy way to make a strong connection and elicit better results. So what’s the best way to make that happen? Let’s dive into the details!

It Starts With High-Quality Video Content

Like any marketing method, it’s about making a connection. Video does this better than any other format. But only if you know exactly who you’re talking to and what they want to say. An ill-planned video marketing content strategy won’t get strong results, even if you’re using email marketing.

Know Your Audience

Create an ideal customer avatar using data that defines who you want to work with, what they’re goals are, and what they struggle with. Include other relevant data such as:

General demographics
Interests
Gender
Industry
Income

If you’re not sure where to start, interview your existing network of clients. Who are your star clients? Who would you love to clone? Find out what makes them tick and why they chose to work with you.

Strategize On Content

Value-driven content is always the place to start. How can you serve your target audience in a meaningful way? What will move them along in their customer journey? Have a structured and intentional plan to further them further down your sales funnel.

Scripted Is Best

This isn’t a Broadway musical but you can’t get in front of the camera and guess your way through. If you’re hiring talent or filming a team member, this is even more important. Jot down how you plan to communicate the intent of the video and include any visual queues such as “point up” or “turn right” to ensure you hit your transitions.

Hook Immediately

You only have a few seconds to encourage viewers to keep watching. You must include a strong hook that compels them to stick around.

Try these hook suggestions:

Surprise them
Give value immediately
Tell a great story
Be energetic and use your hands
Make it personal
Pique their curiosity with a “what if”
Use text overlays and captions
Delicately use humor
Share little-known info

Production and Editing

If you’re taking the DIY route for producing video content, you need to start with a comprehensive production plan. Define the location, setting, talent, and equipment before ever pressing record.

After the footage is filmed, it’s time to edit. Here is where you’ll add all of the exciting elements such as music, text, captions, transitions, and dynamic end cards. Try these software options to produce a quality finished product:

Movavi Video Editor Plus
OpenShot
Fastreel
Lightworks
Magisto

If you’ve hired commercial video production services, this will all be taken care of for you.

How To Incorporate Video Into Your Emails

Design A Play Button Overlay

As your video plays, take a screenshot or grab a frame from your editing software. Upload this image into Canva or any other photo editing tool. From here, you can add an image of a play button over your photo and download. In your email, link the photo to your video content and traffic will be redirected.

Create A Custom Gif

GIFs are the bite-sized format of video content. And you can make your own! There are several free online tools like Imgflip and EZ Gif. Here, you can create and edit a custom GIF using your own from your video content.

Once you’ve selected the perfect frame(s), drag and drop the GIF into your email and link to the full version on your website or social platform.

PRO TIP: Add the play button from the previous step to boost your click-through rate.

Create An Animated Overlay For The Play Button

This option is for more advanced users but can have powerful results. Using your preferred still image, upload this to Canva. There is a built-in feature that is already connected to Giphy.

In the Canva design menu, choose “more” and search the word "play." You should see several options populate for animated play buttons. To get the background removed, search for “play sticker” instead.

Now your image is a video! Download your PNG file and upload it to free online GIF tools (EZ Gif or Imgflip). They will generate a new image with an associated image address. Copy this and paste into your email software as a URL.

Use Email Management Software

Many CRMs are already integrated with video platforms like YouTube, Wistia, Vimeo, or even Facebook. This makes it easy to include video in your emails and some even include a play button. We recommend you explore: