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Videos in Emails Shouldn’t be Embedded. Here’s Why.

Videos in Emails Shouldn’t be Embedded. Here’s Why.

Email marketing is a tricky tactic to get right. How many emails can you send without annoying your email list? What subject lines make them want to open an email? How can you get them to not only read an email, but click through to your website?

One popular way to inspire your recipients to do all of the above is to include video. According to eMarketer, one survey found that “respondents who had used videos in their email campaigns saw real returns on their investments. Fifty-five percent reported higher click through rates, 44% saw an increase in the amount of time subscribers spent with an email, and 41% reported an increase in the sharing or forwarding of emails.”

However, in order to get clicks that matter, you need to be strategic in how you attach your video to your email. While many marketers are enticed by the option of embedding videos, there are two reasons why doing so could be detrimental to your click through rate.

1. Embedded Videos Don’t Work For Everyone 

If you want to embed video so recipients can watch without leaving your email, we encourage you to resist the temptation: while some mail clients support embedded videos, many – including Gmail and Outlook – do not. We don’t recommend embedding videos because of the inconsistent experience your recipients will have.

2. Embedded Videos Won’t Bring Viewers To Your Site

You’re sending your email for a reason: there’s a good chance that reason is to lure recipients to your website. What happens when an email recipient has the ability watch an embedded email in their mail client? They’ll click play, watch the video, and then delete your email. While the convenience of watching the video without needing to go to a new page is great for the viewer (if their mail service supports embedded videos), it doesn’t support the goal of driving traffic.

So how can you get your recipients to watch your video AND visit your website?

Include a still from your video in the email that entices readers to click. Choose the screenshot carefully – the moment you choose to highlight can play a big role in the chances of someone clicking to watch. The video still can direct them to a landing page on your website that hosts the video – allowing them to watch the video and then easily check out the rest of your website when they are finished. As an added bonus, including the video on your website can support your SEO efforts, thanks to increased click-through rates, lower bounce rates and a higher likelihood of sharing.

 

Team ,
Videos in Emails Shouldn’t be Embedded. Here’s Why.
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3 Ways to Create Videos That Viewers Want to Watch

3 Ways to Create Videos That Viewers Want to Watch

Filming a video for your business is only worthwhile if the content in your video meets the needs or interests of your viewers. Before rushing to film your next company profile, product profile or piece of web content, consider the following three tips to determine what will make people click “play” instead of “back.”

Team ,
3 Ways to Create Videos That Viewers Want to Watch
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Marketing Without Vision and the Death of American Apparel

Marketing Without Vision and the Death of American Apparel

We love watching Dov Charney finally get his come-uppings as the most depraved CEO ever to sexually harass his staff, but more joy comes from proof of what we’ve all been feeling for a long time: American Apparel’s advertising sucks.

Sure, the provocative photos seemed edgy, a bit, in 2003. But when you consider that Calvin Klein had already been pushing the amateur porn trope years earlier, Charney’s in-house photo spreads, often shot by the CEO himself, seem hackneyed, at best.

While the brand started with some enlightened ideas — made in America, anti sweatshop, gay friendly — it was never a true fashion house. AA followed its basic, comfy T-shirt with tacky, retro ugliness that could never be more than a fad — oversized glasses, leotards, and leg warmers.

American Apparel’s imagination void is most obvious when you consider its stagnant and stale marketing. Pictures of half clad young people in prurient poses are fine, but for more than a decade, that’s all we got.

It’s well documented that Dov Charney is a sex addicted lothario, but after losing money for four straight years and a stock trading for pennies, the real question is for AA’s board of directors: What the hell is your excuse?

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Marketing Without Vision and the Death of American Apparel
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What to Consider Before Making That Funny Marketing Video

What to Consider Before Making That Funny Marketing Video

“Humor in advertising is like a gun in the hands of a child. You have to know how to use it. Otherwise, it can blow up on you.” (Miller, 1992)

I’m willing to admit a weakness: I am usually ready to forgive and look past almost any shortcomings or personality flaws if someone has just one characteristic—they have to be able to make me laugh.

For me—and for a lot of people—a good sense of humor holds a lot of currency. If someone can make us laugh, we find it hard not to like them and want to associate with them. We even subconsciously think they’re smart.

T.W. ,
What to Consider Before Making That Funny Marketing Video
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