Last month, I wrote about the pros and cons of email over direct mail, but this month, I’m diving deeper into email marketing. Specifically, about how and when you should use video in email marketing. Like anything else it has a time and place, so let’s delve into when you should call “Action” on videos for your emails.

As an email marketer, you spend quite a bit of time analyzing click through rates (CTR). If you aren’t, it’s time to start doing so as you’ll be amazed at the numbers you’ll see when you include a video in your email.  In fact, Forrester found that when marketers included a marketing or explainer video in an email, the click-through rate increased by 200% to 300%.

Want to see what those numbers will look like for your emails? Do an A/B split test. In this test, half of the emails will be the standard words-only version, while the other half will include a video as part of the message. If you do this test, report back and let me know how it went by commenting below.

Videos work best in emails when they:

• Demonstrate how a product works
• Highlight a new feature of your product
• Show scenes from the prior year of a conference that you’re promoting
• Showcase a company talking about their experience with your product

Word of note: Keep the video short at a length of 90 seconds or less. Seriously, don’t make your customers/potential customers watch an hour-long video. Please, just don’t.

What else should you make sure is included in your video email? The word “video” needs to be in the subject line. Research from Brainshark found that placing the word “video” in the subject line of an email increases open rates by 19 percent, increases click-through rates by 65 percent, and decreases unsubscribes by 26 percent.

You also need to include a link to the video in your email. Don’t assume that everyone has their emails set to automatically download emails. At the end of the video, include a straightforward call to action. This way, the person watching knows exactly what they should do next if they’re interested.

Does your company need help creating videos or with email marketing? Contact our team at PartnerDemand for help with email marketing campaigns and videos that will prompt your customers to take action.