How much time do you think customers spend scrolling through TikTok videos or Instagram reels? Is it 10 minutes, half an hour, or closer to an hour?

You can create video content at any time, but how are you going to get it to your customers? Sure, you can leave it up to organic views or paid promotions; another option is to add videos to your emails so that customers can click on them and be taken to your content.

The question is: Can video marketing also increase email click rates?

The answer is yes! And that means the audience could engage more with your content. It’s an opportunity to educate people and convert them into paying customers.

That being said, there are some limitations — the biggest issue is that you can’t embed a video into an email, so how do you make it work? We’ll answer that question and show you how to do it. 

Why Video Marketing?

Most customers do some kind of research before making a purchase decision, and one way of getting the information they need is to watch videos. Some people may decide to buy a product (even though they weren’t looking for it) simply because they saw a video about it.

Some of the videos your audience might see include:

• Behind the scenes videos
• How-to or other educational videos
• Product unboxing or demo videos
• Promotions by influencers
• Customer reviews
• Interviews or stories by brand managers or founders

These videos provide valuable information to the audience and can make it easier to get conversions.

Email marketing already offers an excellent return on investment (ROI), so adding the power of video marketing to it can result in higher email click rates. 

You Can’t Embed Videos in Emails

Here’s the caveat: You can’t embed videos directly into an email. They cannot work with an autoplay feature, and neither will they work within email apps.

Why? 

Email clients such as Outlook and Gmail consider embedded videos as a potential security threat. When this happens, you can expect one of two things to occur:

The first option is that the email client could remove the embedded code for the video from the email, and the reader won’t see it at all.

Alternatively, emails with embedded videos will land in a Spam folder. It’s the last thing you want happening when you are trying to increase email click rates, especially since it will affect email deliverability.

But it’s not all bad news! There are ways to get past this problem so that you can include videos in your emails.

Choose a Suitable Hosting Platform

Before you can begin to use videos for increasing email click rates, it's essential to choose the right hosting platform since the one you select will influence the overall success of your email marketing strategy.

Here are some aspects to consider.

Video Goals

While email marketing is the primary focus, it's crucial to consider your broader video goals beyond email campaigns.

Look for a hosting platform that allows you to repurpose and share your videos across various channels, such as social media, your website, or blog. This way, you can maximise the reach and impact of your video content, ensuring it serves multiple purposes within your overall marketing strategy.

For example, a hosting platform like YouTube or Vimeo provides options for embedding videos on external websites and sharing them on social media platforms.

Video Analytics

Tracking and analysing video performance is a vital aspect of any successful marketing campaign. When evaluating hosting platforms, consider the video analytics capabilities they offer. Look for features such as view counts, play rates, engagement metrics, and conversion tracking.

These analytics will provide valuable insights into viewer behaviour, allowing you to refine your email marketing strategy and optimise future video content. For instance, platforms like Wistia and Vidyard offer in-depth video analytics, including heatmaps, viewer drop-off points, and viewer engagement graphs, enabling you to make data-driven decisions.

Customisation Options

To ensure your videos seamlessly integrate with your email marketing campaigns, look for a hosting platform that offers customisation options that fit within your brand’s unique style.

The ability to customise the video player's appearance, including colours, branding elements, and thumbnails, is crucial for maintaining a consistent brand experience. 

Platforms like Brightcove and SproutVideo allow for extensive customisation, empowering you to tailor the video player's look and feel to align with your brand identity.

Where Should People Watch Your Videos?

To incorporate videos in your email marketing strategy you need to distinguish between your hosting platform and landing page. Many times, the audience is sent directly to platforms like YouTube or TikTok, but it’s better to embed video files on your website and let people watch them there. 

Directing viewers to your website allows you to maintain control over the user experience. You can align the layout, navigation, and content with your brand's aesthetics, fostering a cohesive and immersive experience that builds brand recognition and trust.

Hosting videos on your website also enables integration with platforms like Google Analytics, providing comprehensive insights into user behaviour including email click rates. By tracking video engagement alongside other website interactions, you gain valuable data to inform your marketing strategy.

When viewers visit your website for a video, they are more likely to explore other areas and take further action. Align video content with specific conversion points on your landing page, such as product pages or the "About Us" section, to drive engagement and encourage conversions.

Retargeting is also more effective when you embed videos on your website. It makes it easier to track website visitors who interacted with specific videos which allows you to deliver tailored content, enhancing the user experience and increasing conversions.

Choosing the appropriate landing page depends on the video type:

• Product how-to videos > Relevant product pages for detailed information and purchases.
• Brand storytelling videos > "About Us" page to learn about your brand's values, mission, and history.
• Customer review videos > Homepage with testimonials and reviews as social proof for your product or service.

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

One of the most annoying issues with watching videos online is buffering — it can cause frustration and reduce customer engagement.

A CDN, like Cloudflare can help avoid this as it distributes the video content across a global network of servers which improves load times and reduces buffering. The scalability and extensive infrastructure of CDNs makes it easier for websites to handle high volumes of video streaming traffic without compromising performance. 

It’s important to add a reputable CDN to your tech stack, especially if your website hosts a lot of video content.

How to Maximise Email Click Rates

To optimise email click rates, the visual appeal of your video link plays a critical role in capturing the attention of your recipients and enticing them to click. A well-crafted image can significantly increase the click-through rate and maximise the impact of your video content.

Let’s explore three effective approaches for enticing readers to click on a video within an email.

Use a Static Image Resembling a YouTube Thumbnail

One popular approach is to use a static image that looks similar to a YouTube thumbnail. With this approach, you leverage the familiarity and recognition of YouTube's interface to draw attention to your video.

Consider incorporating elements such as a play button overlay or a YouTube-like progress bar on the thumbnail. The visual cues signal to the audience that the image represents a video and encourages them to click on it to watch the video.

Ensure that the static image accurately represents the content and value of the video, providing a glimpse of what viewers can expect.

Always keep thumbnail best practices in mind when creating your images:

• Use high-quality images with clear visuals to catch the reader’s eye.
• Create thumbnail images that accurately represent the video's main message, key visuals, or emotional appeal.
• Conduct A/B testing with different thumbnail options to determine which images perform best in terms of email click rates. 
• Ensure your thumbnail images are optimised for various devices, including smartphones and tablets.

Use a GIF

Another dynamic and attention-grabbing option is to incorporate a GIF within your email. 

A GIF can showcase a short preview or highlight a key moment from the video to capture the viewer’s interest and entice them to watch the full video. GIFs have the advantage of being inherently animate which makes them visually engaging and effective in conveying the essence of your video.

To create a compelling GIF, carefully select a captivating snippet from the video that encapsulates its main message or showcases its most exciting aspect.

Add a Text-Based Video Link

An alternative approach to using visuals is to add a video link within a text-based call to action (CTA). This method involves including a compelling sentence or phrase related to the video content and hyperlinking it to the video's landing page.

For example, you could use phrases like "Watch the video now!" or "Discover more in our exclusive video."

With this method, you appeal to audiences who prefer text-based prompts. It can also be an easier option to seamlessly integrate with your email design. However, it is essential to ensure that the text is attention-grabbing and clearly indicates that clicking the link will lead to watching a video.

Create Videos for Every Part of the Email Marketing Funnel

One of the questions that pops up frequently when it comes to adding videos to email marketing is: What videos should I use?

The best option, especially if you want to increase email click rates, is to consider the email marketing funnel and the kind of content that aligns with it.

Top of Funnel

Generate awareness and capture interest with informative, educational, and captivating videos that make the audience want to know more about your business and products.

For example:

• Brand storytelling: Showcase your brand's values, mission, and unique selling proposition. 
• Product introductions: Introduce your product or service concisely and visually. 
• How-to and tutorial videos: Demonstrate expertise and build trust by showing people how to use your products.

Middle of Funnel

Convert interested leads into paying customers with videos addressing pain points and showcasing the unique value of your offering.

Here are some options:

• Product demos: Show how your product or service solves problems and stands out from the competition.
• Customer testimonials: Feature satisfied customers sharing positive experiences. 
• Case studies: Highlight real-life examples of how customers use your product or service successfully by including details of their challenge and how it was solved.

Bottom of Funnel

Build loyalty with videos that offer incentives and continuous purchases from customers. 

For instance:

• Limited-time offers and promotions: Announce exclusive discounts or promotions for loyal customers.
• Onboarding and support videos: Provide guidance for a smooth transition and details about more advanced product uses.
• Cross- and upsell: Demonstrate how other products in your range can work with the ones customers have already purchased.

Test and Optimise Emails

Testing and optimising your video content in emails is essential for continuously improving the performance and engagement of your campaigns. By experimenting with different images, conducting A/B tests, and exploring various GIF options, you can gather valuable insights and make data-driven decisions to increase email click rates and overall email performance.

Testing different images allows you to understand which visuals resonate best with your audience and drive higher email click rates. Try out different static images resembling YouTube thumbnails or utilise GIFs to determine the visuals that best entice the audience to click and engage with your video content.

A/B testing enables you to compare the performance of different variations of your video emails. You can test different subject lines, email designs, placements of video thumbnails, or even variations in the content itself. Analyse the results and metrics, such as open rates, email click rates, and conversions to identify the most effective elements and optimise your future emails accordingly.

Conclusion

Adding videos to your email marketing is a great way to improve email click rates and get viewers to engage more with your content. If you already use video marketing, then adding this approach to your current strategy is easy. Even if you haven't yet embraced video, you can always start today.

Are you ready to optimise your email click rates? Not sure where to start?

Let us show you how!