So on one of the marketing discussion groups we have been going a
few rounds with how to support video in email or even if you should.
Two of my good friends who founded Smith-Harmon creative agency posted
this GREAT synopsis of the discussions, their own experiences,
suggestions, and successes they have had with their customer base.
Reference Video in Your Subject Line.
Including the word “video” in your subject line can help inspire opens. Three examples:
- Saks Fifth Avenue, Feb. 4, 2008: “Video Exclusive! Days 1 to 3 of Fashion Week”
- J.Crew, Feb. 13, 2008: “The well-traveled tote (see video)”
- Ralph Lauren, Feb. 18, 2008: “RLTV Presents: Cape Lodge, An RL Home Video”
Use Strong Visual Cues to Indicate a Link to Video.
Recipients respond best to obvious treatments like play buttons, and
frames that look like Windows Media or Quicktime video players. Of the
group at right, the Williams-Sonoma Bananas Foster example is
particularly strong, as it uses a combination of camera iconography,
video player frame graphics and verbal indicators. (Don’t you just love
Bananas Foster? I wonder if there’s a video on how to make an Orange Mocha Frappuccino®!?)
Match Your Video Content to Your Message.
Yes, video’s hotter than Hansel—but hotness doesn’t hide irrelevance
(at least not for long!) Video needs to support your ultimate goal,
whether that’s to build your brand or inspire a direct response. Two
ways I’ve seen it used effectively in email:
To Demonstrate or Instruct
- REI’s Winter Newsletter links to a series of Expert Advice videos on how to select ski and snowboard gear.
- Williams-Sonoma announced the launch of their new website (featuring video) with this email. The “Cooking Videos” callout links to a Bananas Foster recipe demonstration embedded within a French Skillet product page.
To Deliver a Cross-Channel Experience
- Saks recreates an in-store experience online with a holiday windows unveiling video.
- Free People brings us behind the scenes of their catalog shoot with this on-location video montage. Party at Hansel’s house!
http://blog.emailexperience.org/2008/03/make_it_pop_video_in_email_so.html
-Dennis
Eloqua
Last 5 posts by Dennis Dayman
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Without a doubt, video content can increase engagement. Embedding video directly into the body of an email message is a risky proposition.
For email marketing campaigns, one of the best ways to engage a recipient to interact with a video is to push the person to a videosite.
Our customers who have created and launched flimp email campaigns have generated extremely strong engagement results when incorporating video into an email message.