By Tom Wozniak, Head of Marketing – published on the OnlyInfluencers blog on 9/3/20
On a recent OI-members-only Live Zoom discussion we spent some time talking about how to leverage video content in email campaigns. The conversation was spurred by Tejas Pitkar’s (Netcore) recent OI blog post and there were a lot of great ideas brought up by the group. So, I thought it would make for a good blog post topic, all by itself. I decided to focus on the creative uses of video in email, rather than the more technical aspects of actually including streaming video within an email vs. having a static image or play button that links to the video on a web page.
First off, some quick video marketing stats to set the stage.
- 81% of businesses now use video as a marketing tool in 2020. (Hubspot)
- 78% of people watch online videos every week and 55% view them every day. (Hubspot)
- Users view more than 1 billion hours of video each day on YouTube. (YouTube)
- Adding video content to email campaigns can increase click rate by 300%. (Hubspot)
Safe to say that people are drawn to video content and engaging with it has become a daily routine for most folks. However, like any communication channel, it isn’t as simple as creating just any random content and having your audience flock to it. Video is incredibly versatile and while that is a huge benefit, it can also make the possibilities seem overwhelming. So, here are 5 video strategies and tactics to consider, along with some ideas about how they play into your email strategy. Not every idea will be relevant to every company, but hopefully, there are at least 1-2 that might be useful for you or could help brainstorm your own ideas.
1. Meet the Team
Companies have used video content as a way to feature members of their team for years. It’s a popular strategy because it can be so effective at introducing the actual people on your team to your customers and prospects. It adds a human element to your email campaign that text or static graphics really can’t match. As they humanize your company and brand, they can also adapt easily to fit your communications style. Whether you want to demonstrate honesty and transparency or play up the humor, these types of videos can be very effective.