The average email inbox is not a serene Zen garden of well-organized messages; it’s a crowded, hectic venue full of personal correspondence, special offers, and straight-up spam.
Needless to say, as a marketer, standing out in this sea of subject lines requires a creative approach.
Offering relevant, engaging copy that cuts through the clutter is a good start. But, when you also include video, a magical thing happens: Your click-through rate skyrockets.
There’s a reason why YouTube is the third-most-visited site in the world. Unlike copy, video is alive. It’s entertaining and easily digestible, and it adds value to a marketing message that’s simply beyond the power of static text and imagery. In fact, an informative 60-second video has the same value as 1.8 million words!
Here’s the catch: Not just any video will do. In order to boost your email marketing efforts, videos must be strategically crafted and placed. Embedding a sloppy, hastily constructed video at the bottom of an email won’t automatically drive the results you’re after.
Further, brands must keep in mind that the average consumer’s attention span is shrinking at an alarming rate. Anything longer than 90 seconds runs the risk of losing viewers. The faster you can deliver your message, the more effective your campaign will be.
Producing a high-quality, informative, and engaging video is just the first step, though.
For ultimate impact, consider these email marketing tips:
- Include the word “video” in the subject line. It’s crucial to let your audience know right off the bat that your email is special. Don’t wait for them to open the message; use your subject line to tell them an informative, entertaining piece of video content awaits them. This simple strategy drastically impacts email viewership, increasing open rates by 19 percent and click-through rates by 65 percent.
- Position your video at the top of the email. With any email marketing effort, you want to catch the viewer’s attention quickly. Maximize your click-through rate by placing your video prominently at the top of your message. After all, your video is the hook you baited your audience with in the subject line, so don’t drown it below an ocean of words.
- Use a thumbnail. Consider creating a thumbnail image that introduces your audience to the overall message within the video. Then, once the image is clicked, have it lead to a landing page where viewers can watch the content in all its glory. This serves two purposes: It directs people to your company’s website, and it sidesteps potential video-related glitches that can occur on some email services.
- Provide next steps. Include a call-to-action at the end of every video that guides your audience to the next step of the campaign. After the screen fades to black, viewers should know exactly how to continue the conversation with your brand.
Engaging videos will take your email campaigns to the next level — As specialists in creating this type of effective content, Switch Video knows engaging videos will take your email campaigns to the next level.
