10 Bits of Advice for Using Video in an Email Marketing Campaign

video in email marketing

You’ve done your homework and you know that videos should be a key part of your marketing strategy. The next step is finding out how to do it right and make the most of your costs.

Using a video in email marketing is a great and cost-effective way to spread your videos to the masses. However, there are mistakes you can make that destroy your ROI. Find out how to make your video and email marketing go the distance.

Tips for Using Video in Email Marketing

Videos in e-blasts are a hot trend, but they aren’t new. That means you can use other marketers’ trial-and-error lessons to your advantage. Here are just a few of the lessons we’ve learned:

1. Keep Your Loading Time Low

Does it surprise you to know that most people will only wait two seconds for a video to load before they give up? That may seem like impulsive, but your viewers are busy folks who won’t wait for your tech to get its act together.

You might say, “Doesn’t the viewer’s internet speed affect the loading time?” Yes it does, and while you can’t control their connection, you can keep the file size and loading time down to mitigate the problem.

2. Quality Counts

Video content is everywhere today. Just scroll through your feed on any given social media app and look at how many posts are videos.

To compete and grab viewers’ attention, your video needs to be high quality. Plus, it’ll give your brand a more professional trustworthy image.

3. Aim for Two Minutes or Less

We’re back to that limited viewer patience again. Not only does your video need to load quickly, but it needs to get to the point quickly too. By two minutes in, 60% of your viewers will stop watching.

Instead of spending more money on a 10-minute video no one will finish, aim for a video that gets the point across in 2 minutes or less.

4. Stick with Genuinely Helpful Content

Viewers don’t open their emails to look for sales pitches. They see ads all day every day, so what catches their eye is genuinely informational content they can use. Your videos should embrace the idea of content marketing: aiming to educate, not to sell. The sales will come from the reputation you’re building.

5. A Script or Talking Points: Find What Works for You

There’s no hard-and-fast rule about whether a script is better or bulleted talking points. It depends on the type of video and on what helps the person on the screen.

If you’re using the popular format of whiteboard videos, for instance, a script is usually the way to go. If you’re doing more of a “talking head” type of video, it’s usually hard to avoid looking stiff when you’re reciting a script. In this case, bullet points may be better to help you look more natural and relatable.

6. Tailor it To Your Target Audience

You might get caught up in trying the latest trend in video marketing, but stop first and think about whether it fits your target audience.

If you’re marketing toward generation Z, for instance, a fun video with snappy, high-tech animations could be great. If you’re targeting baby boomers, on the other hand, this may not work very well.

7. Become Known for Your Videos

You want to be the person within your industry that “has all those great videos.” This doesn’t happen if you only put out one video every three months, though.

For your video marketing to build on itself and be as effective as possible, your video e-blasts need to go out every week or two. If they’re entertaining and informative, your viewers will start looking out for them. They may even spread the word to their friends.

If you’re worried about viewer fatigue and viewers getting bored with your videos, don’t. As long as you have plenty of variety involved, a larger cache of videos will only help you.

8. Look for the Most Popular Videos in Your Industry

There are always new trends in video marketing. What you want to find out, though, is what’s popular in your specific niche.

Every once in a while, head to YouTube and do a search for your industry or subject area. Sort the videos by the number of views and check out the most popular ones. These can be great sources of inspiration.

9. Aim for Convenient Deliveries

If your target audience is career-aged, most of them probably have 9-5 jobs. If you send out a video at 10:30 am, they probably won’t be able to watch it when it comes in. By 5 pm, your email is buried in six hours’ worth of marketing emails and they won’t remember to go back and watch it.

Instead, send your videos during times when your target audience is available to watch them right away. Aim for lunchtime or the evening hours.

10. Don’t Limit Your Videos to Email Marketing

Putting videos in your email marketing is a great way to spread the word about your business and build your reputation. Once you have the video, though, it’s there for you to use, so don’t stop at e-blasts.

Post your video on YouTube and on your website if there’s a place where it makes sense. Most importantly, though, post your video on all your social media pages. If your content is strong, viewers will be quick to share it on social media and your business will boom before you know it.

Merging Video Marketing with Email Marketing

Using a video in email marketing is a fantastic way to keep up with the times and become a respected authority in your field. As with any marketing tactic, though, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. The tips above can help you make the most of your efforts and build your business in no time.

For more tips about creating strong video marketing (in emails and otherwise), check out more articles on our blog. If you’re ready to get started, contact our professional video marketing team.

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