It’s been predicted for some years that video would become a feature of email marketing and website content, and you’d no doubt be a little wary of any suggestion that it has eventually arrived. It has arrived, eventually. The current situation gives a clue as to why.

The theory is lockdowns and working from home, with its importance of video conferencing, has played a significant part in its familiarity. Video is used in business calls, and B2B would appear to be in the forefront of acceptance of video in email marketing. Whatever, research suggests over 80% of email marketing companies feel it’s importance will continue to grow. They also feel it will increase conversions.

Most people would agree that more complex procedures, and those with a number of stages, are more easily communicated via a video demonstration of someone else actually doing it. If one of the hooks of your product is ease-of-use, then demonstrating how easy it is to use by way of video would appear to be not only clearer but more convincing than the simple statement of, ‘It’s easy to use’. 

If you wanted to find out how to descale your Nespresso machine, you’d go on YouTube rather than look for the text version. I did. It was explained in a little over two minutes whereas the booklet that came with the device would have to read three or four times. The images were less than enlightening.

The evidence seems clear; video in email marketing increases the click-through rate. Whether the investment in video production is worth it, only you can say but many companies appear to be converted. Further, a video is not single use. It can be used in an e-newsletter, and a longer version could be useful on a website.

The main caveat would appear to be to use for a specific purpose, and not stick it haphazardly in an email just because it looks nice. You need to have a target, and it needs to be measurable. Be specific in your first use to make returns clearer.

It’s a classic form of personalisation. Beyond reinforcing the hook, you might want to use it as a lead generator, to show your company is a little different in the way it deals with email marketing, and there’s always the opportunity of demonstrating to your subscribers the fact that your company is made up of people.

One simple way to test if the subscribers to your email marketing list are ready to accept video is to put the word in the Subject Line. Research suggests this should increase your open rate, but perhaps not the first time you use it. Most people don’t like sudden change.

One thing to avoid is thinking that you can use significantly less text in a marketing email as this will increase the likelihood of it being classed as spam by the filters.

We’ll mention video, particularly how to arrange it in an email, in later posts. Give it a go; It might give you a distinct advantage over competitors.