Boost Engagement with Video Email Marketing: 8 Great Tips

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach and engage your audience. But with crowded inboxes and short attention spans, it can be challenging to get your emails opened and read.

That's where video email marketing comes in.

Adding videos to your email campaigns is a proven way to boost open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. Viewers find video content more engaging, memorable, and persuasive than plain text and images alone.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll cover everything you need to start incorporating video into your email marketing strategy.

We'll look at:

• The benefits of video email
• Types of videos to include in email marketing video campaigns
• Where to place videos in your email messages
• How to create and distribute video email
• 8 great examples and ideas for video emails

Let's dive in and explore how to make your emails stand out with high-impact video content.

The Power of Video Email Marketing

Consumers today are inundated with digital content and marketing messages. On average, we receive 121 emails per day and spend over 6 hours online.

With so much competition for attention, marketers need creative ways to connect with their audience. And video offers some distinct advantages:

• Higher open rates - Emails with "video" in the subject line get opened at a rate 19% higher than non-video emails.
• Increased clicks - Viewers are 2-3 times more likely to click on video content than plain text.
• Better conversion rates - Pages with video generate 109% more conversions than those without.
• Boosts engagement - Videos hold attention and are more likely to get shared on social media.
• Enhanced storytelling - Motion, sound, and visuals bring your brand stories to life.
• Personable and memorable - Put a human face and voice behind your emails.
• Simplifies complex topics - Show rather than tell through videos.

With stats like these, it's no wonder that video email has become a must for modern email marketing campaigns. Let's look at some ways to make the most of it.

8 Types of Videos to Use in Emails

There's really no limit to the kinds of videos you can include in your marketing emails. Any interesting video content that aligns with your brand and audience has potential.

Here are 8 of the most popular and effective types of videos for email campaigns:

1. Product Demos

One of the best ways to boost conversions is to show your product or service in action. Give viewers a hands-on look at features and benefits through video demos.

For example, a SaaS company could record short videos highlighting key features of their platform. Or an ecommerce site might showcase new products with unboxing videos and tutorials.

Product videos build trust and help convince subscribers your solution is right for them.

2. Customer Testimonials

Peer recommendations are one of the most trusted forms of marketing. Customer testimonial videos lend credibility to your brand while providing social proof.

Interview satisfied customers and capture them sharing their positive experiences. Get their feedback on specific products or your company as a whole.

Testimonials give potential customers the confidence to buy from you.

3. Behind-the-Scenes Footage

Give your audience a look at what goes on behind the scenes of your brand. These inside peeks foster a connection on a more personal level.

Shoot videos of your team, office, facilities, processes, events, etc. Show the humans behind your company and what you're all about.

Behind-the-scenes videos help forge emotional bonds with viewers.

4. Explainer Videos

Some concepts and products are complex. Explainer videos use animation, graphics, and narration to simplify abstract ideas and technology.

If your offering requires a lot of education, explainer videos can walk through details in an easy-to-digest way. They're ideal for onboarding new users or introducing new services.

Explainers clarify and instruct in a more engaging format.

5. Live Events

Hosting live demonstrations, webinars, conferences, and meetups? Record them for email marketing.

Share highlights, clips, and recaps with your email subscribers. Make those who missed out feel like they were there. And give a recap for those who did participate.

Promotional event video helps drive anticipation and attendance.

6. Company News Updates

Keep your audience looped in with the latest news about your company through video announcements and updates.

Cover product launches, business milestones, team changes, awards, media coverage, and more. These news-style videos inform and engage viewers.

News videos attract interest by delivering information subscribers want.

7. Educational Content

Become an industry thought leader by creating educational video content. Teach valuable skills related to your field.

For example, an email marketing company could produce videos on email design tips, metrics, segmentation, automation, etc.

Informative videos establish your brand as a trusted resource.

8. Video Blogs

Speaking of educational content, video blogs let you share tips, behind-the-scenes stories, and expertise in a conversational vlog format.

Record short video blogs covering topics your audience cares about. These videos reveal your company's personality while providing value.

Vlogs attract interest while positioning your brand as an authority.

The key is to provide videos that align with your brand voice and resonate with your audience. Experiment with different types of video content to see what performs best.

Next, let's look at how to seamlessly integrate video into your email design.

Where to Place Videos in Emails

Now that you have some great video content, how do you insert it into emails?

While you can embed videos directly in the body of some emails, most email clients block automatic playback. The better option is to link to videos housed on a host site like YouTube or Vimeo.

Here are some tips on placing video links in emails:

• Feature the video prominently at the very top of your email. This placement catches attention immediately.
• Use an eye-catching preview image, like a screenshot or logo, as the anchor for your video link.
• Make sure the image includes a play button icon so viewers recognize it as video content.
• Hyperlink the image to the URL of the video for easy access.
• Include a strong call-to-action next to the image, like "Watch Video", to further encourage clicks.
• If relevant, embed the video farther down in some supporting context about the content.
• Avoid placing videos near the very bottom where they are more likely to get missed.
• On longer emails, repeat the video in both the header and inline with related content to increase visibility.
• Test video placement to see which areas of your emails get the most engagement. Refine placement over time.

Proper video placement amplifies impact while catering to the way most viewers consume content on email. Keep these principles in mind as you design your video email layouts.

How to Make and Send Video Emails

Wondering how to go about creating video emails? The process is actually quite straightforward.

Here is an overview of the steps involved:

1. Choose an email marketing platform.

Look for a platform like Mailchimp or Constant Contact that seamlessly integrates video capabilities. The best ones will have video hosting options built-in.

You want a service that makes adding videos to emails simple.

2. Create your videos.

Next, produce the videos themselves. There are a few options for this:

• Record original videos - For Testimonials and internal videos, record them yourself. You can use screen recording to capture product demos.
• Hire a video producer - For more polished videos, consider hiring pros to shoot and edit them.
• Use stock video clips - Stock video sites like Shutterstock offer budget-friendly clips and animations.
• Outsource production - Affordable video creators on Fiverr can make videos to your specifications.

Focus on developing quality videos that align with your brand style.

3. Upload videos to your platform. 

Once videos are created, upload them directly to your email service provider's integrated video platform or linked account like YouTube.

Most email platforms make video uploads seamless from right within the email editor.

4. Insert the videos into emails.

Next, insert the uploaded videos into new or existing email templates using the platform's tools.

Drag and drop a placeholder image from the video into your email where desired. Links and play buttons are automatically applied. 

5. Review and test the video emails.

Thoroughly preview and test your video emails across different email clients and devices before sending. Many email platforms offer previews and spam checkers.

Make sure videos appear and function as intended. Refine as needed.

6. Send the video enabled emails!

Once testing is complete, schedule or send your video email campaign and track engagement.

Monitor metrics like open rate, CTRs, completion rates, and conversions to optimize future video emails.

With the right tools, sending video emails is as easy as uploading and inserting the assets. Now let's explore examples and ideas to inspire your video email marketing.

To Summarize

As this guide has shown, video email marketing is an extremely effective way to engage your audience.

Compelling video content tells stories, educates, entertains, informs, and inspires much better than plain text communication ever could.

Here are a few key takeaways to remember:

• Videos in emails can significantly increase open rates, clicks, and conversions if used well.
• Product demos, testimonials, tutorials, and teasers are all great video options.
• Place videos prominently at the top and in supporting areas of emails.
• Leverage your email platform's video integration for simplified creation.
• Experiment with video emails focused on launches, promotions, events, and more.
• Track performance metrics to refine your video email approach over time.

Start slowly by adding videos to a few selected emails. Once you get comfortable with the logistics, scale your video email efforts for a bigger impact.

Done right, video email marketing can dramatically boost engagement and results for your business. It's time to press play on this game-changing tactic.

Try Screen Story For Free And Level Up Your Video Email Marketing

Screen Story is an easy yet powerful screen recorder for Mac that helps you quickly create attention-grabbing videos for your email campaigns and beyond.

Key features include:

• Quick video creation tailored for email marketing videos
• Auto cursor animations and dynamic zooming to boost engagement
• Tons of customization with animated cursors, backgrounds, stickers, and more
• Simple editing tools to trim, crop, and finesse videos in-app
• Voiceover recording, webcam capture, and iOS screen recording capabilities
• Variety of export options for different email platforms and needs

With Screen Story you can easily produce compelling product demos, tutorials, testimonials, and other videos to use in your email marketing.

The basic plan is free and lets you create unlimited videos with watermark. Paid plans start at $9/week for all features and unlimited exports. And right now you can get 25% off for the first 3 months!

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FAQ

What is the benefit of video emails?

Videos in emails capture more attention, increase engagement, establish trust, and communicate ideas more clearly compared to plain text emails. Viewers are more likely to open, click, share, and convert from video emails.

How do you insert a video into an email?

Most email clients block automatic video playback in emails. The best method is to insert a preview image hyperlinked to a hosted video on YouTube or a video platform integrated with your email marketing provider.

What types of videos work best in emails?

Product demos, testimonials, how-to tutorials, teasers, event recaps, announcements, and entertaining or informative content tailored to your audiences' interests work great in email video marketing.

Where should you put videos in email design?

Place videos prominently at the very top of emails to catch attention. You can also embed inline with related content to add multimedia engagement throughout longer emails.

What metrics determine video email success?

Key metrics to track include open rate, CTR, completion rate or play length, conversions, and unsubscribe rate. Use this data to refine your video email approach for optimal results.

Video can make a world of difference in your email marketing. Use these techniques to create more dynamic, engaging subscriber experiences through the power of sight, sound, and motion. Email video marketing is here – press play and reap the benefits.