Written by: Grace CarterNo other medium can do what video can do. It gets the message across quickly and accurately in a way that doesn’t require much work on the user part.However, marketers have always been struggling with adding videos to emails and finding best practices to do so.It can be a large format, resulting slow loading which eventually leads to high bounce rates.But those marketers who have succeeded in sending email marketing campaigns supported by videos have seen amazing result in open and click-through rates.Here is what they did.
Plan
Before you start making campaigns with videos, create a plan which clearly states your goals and a road map that can take you there. Outline each separate element of your plan and make it work well as a coherent campaign.Your videos should target an audience, have a clear purpose and be of value.Create quality videos
Just creating and sending videos will not work.Those videos have to be quality in order to gain attention and bring you some results. The resolution has to be amazing, the topic has to be relevant and it has to tell a story.Get good equipment and professionals who know how to make good videos.Short and sweet
“Long videos aren’t that popular. They take away too much time and basically ruin the entire concept of why videos work. Stick to something that’s about 1-2 minutes long with a lot of action and attractive topic,” says Mike Greenwich, an email marketer at Academized .Tools for adding videos
Videos are a complex medium and that’s why you should always seek help of professional people and exceptional tools. Here are some that could help you enhance your video marketing.Share it
Share your videos on free platforms like Vimeo or YouTube for more impact. It would cost you nothing and you could get a lot more attention than you would if you just kept your video material in your emails.Related: Advisors: How to Create Your Own Video MarketingRelated: Don’t Tell Them, Show Them: The Nuts and Bolts of Using Video to Engage Your ClientsTest it
Before sending it or sharing it, you should always test your video. Find an audience close to your target audience - your friends, family or even a selected group of brand advocates - and ask them for feedback. Improvements you base on this feedback could only enhance your video content.Series are popular
Instead of just creating separate videos, you should try creating a series. It builds up the anticipation and you could get more views and attention if you make it into a series.Find a good, large topic and build your video content around it.Don’t set it to autoplay
Most people don’t like when videos autoplay. It can startle them and possibly cause them to spend more data than expected. It can also slow the loading so you should stay away from autoplay and stick to a bold play button.It’s best to let your readers decide if they want to play it or not.This will result in lower bounce rates because users tend to jump from pages autoplaying a video.Include CTAs
Videos are just like any other type of content - they need CTAs to entice some action. What’s the point of your entire video if you don’t want your users to take any action afterwards?Without a CTA, how can you expect the user to do what you want them to do?At the end of your video, ask your viewers to share, buy or subscribe to something. It only takes a few seconds and it makes a big impact on your end results.Email marketing becomes better with videos
Finally, you should definitely involve videos in your marketing campaigns. They are useful, easy to digest and people love them. However, be mindful of the pitfalls we mentioned and try to stick to tried-and-tested best practices. Hopefully, these tips will help you.Grace Carter is a proofreader at Top Canadian Writers and Rated Writing services. She works with a team of editors and writers.