A Guide to Using Video in Email Marketing

More and more people are asking about insertingshot of your video, and hyperlink it to the actual
video directly into their email campaigns. It seemshosted version (see example to the right). By doing
that the popularity of sites such as YouTube isso, recipients understand that there is an actual
sparking the interest of marketers who want tovideo, and on your hosted page you can also gather
know how to effectively use the medium and addthe Web analytics information to track which group
that extra visual stimulation into their email marketing.of people actually took the time to watch the whole
Visual stimulation is always a plus in any marketingvideo, and who just navigated away.
program, but doing it upfront is the more challengingBe mindful however, that this screenshot will act as
piece. In many cases, I've heard marketers say thatany other image would in an email, and make sure to
having a video in their email campaign is beneficialalways have descriptive alt tags that explain a video
because the visual stimulation keeps peopleis available, in case your user doesn't download
interested and moving forward to the Web site.images.
Unfortunately, in many cases placing video in an emailDon't be afraid to test this method. And if you find
can have your message filtered out of the inbox.that a simple call to action works better than a
You have to consider that email clients are alwaysscreenshot, then follow your recipients' lead and stick
working to ensure only relevant and legitimatewith the CTA. Besides, you can always revisit the
information is being passed on through an email, anduse of video and test it again at a later point in time.
with a video there is no way to analyze the type ofFor more email marketing video tips, read Jeanne
content that is being streamed.Jennings' article on ClickZ: Four Tips for Including
Yet if video mailing is important to you, there is anVideo in E-mail.
alternative to consider. You can opt to take a screen