Did you know that the YouTube search bar has become the second-most used search bar in the world? The first of course being Google Search. And did you know that 79% of consumers would rather watch a video about a product than read about that same product? Now, that's the kind of stats we can sink our teeth into. Let's explore the methods we can use to make videos part of our email marketing campaigns.
It might seem trite but video did kill the radio star... and in recent time it's come to lay claim to the written word, too. With Facebook upping the amount of video content in user feeds, it has given streaming platforms like YouTube a run for its money.
So, if video has become such a popular means of conveying a message, why aren't you using it? Oh, you are? Good But are you using it in, or as part of, your email marketing campaigns? Well, don't start panicing, we're here to get you on track and ready to jump to the front of the marketing race.
As we all know, 'delight' forms a part of the inbound marketing flywheel. Consider using emails to give subscribers bonus content. Email subscribers are likely to enjoy a variety of your content, so going the extra mile with a surprise bonus could delight your audience.
For instance, if you share weekly newsletters about Instagram content, you can add a link for early access to a live webinar you're hosting about Instagram Stories at the end of the month. That way, you can build interest for the event, keep subscribers in the loop about things going on within your company, and give them an incentive to keep checking your emails. So, above and beyond the ten effective strategies to build your email subscriber base, you can sneak in an eleventh one: delighting with video.
Alternatively, you can use emails to educate subscribers about the values that matter most to your business.
Patagonia often includes a video in a product-related email to tell the story of where their product materials originate. Since Patagonia values both the environment and supporting local businesses, it makes sense that they'd focus their content on highlighting both of these initiatives.
In the video below, for instance, Patagonia includes links to some of its hemp-made products, along with a video of a farm in Kentucky that grows hemp, which helps regenerate damaged topsoil:
If you're giving subscribers scheduled newsletters with no video, you're missing out! There's a lot of ways to include video in newsletters so they can be effective. Video-heavy businesses can benefit from newsletter video embeds so subscribers can catch up on content they may have missed — especially if your subscribers prefer watching over reading.
Another way to use video in newsletters is to round-up popular videos in your industry. If your company doesn't do many videos, this is an excellent avenue for you. Alternatively, if a member of your team is interested in a routine video schedule, try filming a round-up of weekly content in video-form.
For instance, if there was a commercial that rocked your industry recently, include that video in your newsletter with a corresponding blog post about your thoughts to increase traffic on your blog.
Email marketing isn't just limited to loyal customers — you can also use it to nurture leads. Just use workflows in your CRM to automate videos that will move them along the customer journey. This works with forms you can add right into that video.
These forms might give your sales team enough information to follow up with interested customers. Or, give leads an opportunity to watch your latest crash course in SEO link building — in exchange for the completed form fields, of course.
If you're currently thinking, "I'm no tech wiz, how do I do that?", don't worry. HubSpot's integration with Wistia makes it easy to add this widget into your marketing emails. Check with your CRM software to see if it offers something similar.
Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/video-email-marketing