With the explosion of platforms like YouTube and Instagram, content is more accessible than ever before. If your business is reliant on web traffic and social media for marketing, this is the perfect opportunity to grab some content and repurpose it for your email marketing campaigns.
Many businesses are realizing the advantages of video content in their email marketing campaigns and are experimenting with different techniques to integrate video into their efforts. Whether you’re an ecommerce business, a B2B brand, or a digital marketing agency, you can take a few tips from these brands to integrate video into your email marketing strategy.
Create Video Content That Works
One of the first pieces of advice I would give to anyone looking to integrate video into their email marketing is to make sure that the content they create is actually engaging. You don’t want to waste your time and effort with content that lacks creativity or just regurgitates the same info in a dull voice over different images.
The easiest way to ensure that your video content is effective is to create a persona and put yourself in the shoes of the person watching the content. Ask yourself: would this content pull me in and make me interested in the topic?
You also need to make sure that your video content is of a good quality. You don’t want to upset your email recipients with poor-quality videos that make them wince and close out the email prematurely. Always invest in good equipment and a qualified video editor to ensure that each video you create is of a high quality.
Find The Right Place For Video In Your Emails
There are several different places in your email that you can use to integrate video content. The least intrusive spot for video content is at the top of the email. You can include a small video at the top of the email to get viewers’ attention and then dive into the rest of the content.
Other places that you can experiment with include:
- The subject line
- The opening paragraph
- Along with the calls to action (like a button to click or a link to take action)
- Body content
- Footer (make sure that you have a link to your website in the footer)
The advantage of including video content in your emails is that you can target specific audiences based on what they already know or think about. For example, if you’re sending an email to new parents to encourage them to register for a diaper service, the video of a smiling baby in a soft cloth diaper will resonate much more effectively than a sterile list of features.
If you decide to use videos in your email marketing, make sure that you always have a solid call to action (CTA) at the end of each video. You can also use a call to action in your subject line to entice your recipients to click through to your content.
Make Sure Your Video Content Matches The Email’s Subject Line
I always like to start my emails with a big bold header that will make it easy for my readers to identify what the email is about. To match my subject line, I will use a short video clip to introduce my email’s content.
If you want to use a longer video to introduce your email’s content, make sure that its first few minutes match the subject line. This will help ensure that your video content does not seem like an unrelated piece but rather comes off as a natural extension of the email’s content.
Use Short Video Clips For Simple Introductions
Shorter video clips are ideal for introducing your email’s content. If you have a longer piece of content, break it up into several short videos to keep your email’s overall video clip under 15 minutes. If you go over 15 minutes, people begin to lose attention and drop out of your email campaign.
The sweet spot for videos in your email marketing is around three to five minutes. Anything shorter and it seems like you’re rushing the video clip. Anything longer and it starts to seem like an advertisement.
Make The Video Stand Out
There are several ways to make your video stand out from the crowd, but you need to do so without being overly flashy or using flashy camera angles or editing tricks. Stand out from the crowd with a simple yet creative camera angle, unique clothing, and/or props. If you want to add another layer of creativity, consider making a collage of several short clips into one video using software like Clipartia or Piccollapse.
Additionally, you can give each section of your email a different image to enhance the design. This will stop your email from appearing like a jumbled mess of content.
Make Use Of Other Platforms To Drive Traffic To Your Website
Nowadays, people are much more likely to watch and engage with content that is presented in other platforms. If you have a Twitter account, you can use the video to your advantage by posting an embed code for the video on your Twitter profile. When someone clicks on the code, they will be taken to your video’s platform (i.e., YouTube or Instagram) where they can watch and/or engage with your content.
Instagram is another great platform for content creators to grow their reach. If you have an Instagram account and a business page, you can repurpose your video’s content onto your Instagram page using the #myvideo tool. This will help expose your content to more people and increase the likelihood of engagement.
If you decide to use video in your email marketing, don’t hesitate to try new things. Look at what other businesses are doing and use that as inspiration to develop your own unique video content strategy.