Video instant play inside an email is becoming a real possibility in a wider range of email providers. But technically speaking, we’ve come a long way from traditional video content watching. Its consumption and demand boosted to unseen numbers before the pandemic that impacts email marketing results.
Using Video to Boost Email Marketing Results
Taking Pharma Campaigns to the Next Level
The results speak loud when it comes to email marketing campaigns that make use of video content integration. The most significant ones are in the emails’ open rate (+19%) and click-through rate (+65%).
Generally speaking, marketers are creating more video content within the content management system and hosted from the company’s servers. But depending on the audience and the purpose of the video created, the type of content differs to match the segment’s needs and journey stage.
Being fit-to-size with the current global preferences of the consumers throughout the industries, let us dive further into its integration in email marketing campaigns.
Embedding Video in Emails: The Different Possibilities
Step #1:
Use a static image and add a play button to it to link in the easiest way possible to the video content. Use this regardless if it’s on your website or a third-party platform.
Supported by all email providers it increases consistency in the prospects and customer experience throughout the segment and it’s as simple as linking the image to where it’s hosted.
To play the video immediately after clicking the play button, add “?play” at the end of the URL. Or consider enabling the autoplay function when clicked on to delete the need for an extra click from the prospect/customer’s end.
Step #2:
Make a GIF of the video, creating the illusion through the animated imagery. Note that in some cases only the first frame appears due to incompatibility with some email software versions. Like, for example, Windows 10 or Outlook 2007/2010/2013.
To successfully make an alternative image available for the Outlook versions that don’t support GIF imagery, experiment using this code:
<!–[if gte mso 9]>
<img src=”OutlookStaticimage.png”>
<![endif]–>
Adding a top layer with a play button to the video increases the prospect/customer motivation to effectively click through.
Step #3:
Create an animated play button by linking a static image to an animated GIF. Make sure you have the play button circle full on the first frame. This is to guarantee the impact on all the targets regardless of the email provider.
Step #4:
Make a CSS animation that creates the effect of video through a sequential static image sprite combined with a background image and CSS keyframes that dictate the movement effect and increase the recipient’s motivation to play the video.
Step #5:
Lastly, embed the video in the email through HTML5 programming with a large part of the email services and applications supporting it to enable recipients to play the video from the inbox.
With this option, it’s easier to determine the engagement rate vs. the video length. Not only that but also which prospects/customers have watched it from beginning to end.
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Details that Make the Difference…. And the Results that Prove It!
Step #1:
Add video to give an extra edge to the email signature, through a thumbnail. Use a screenshot of the video on a 1280*720 scale. Combine this with a combined play button added to the static image.
Upload the thumbnail in the signature settings section of the email. Click the option to insert an image, and add the link to the video in the correspondent section for that purpose.
A small image will display in the signature. Overall, we recommend a test to ensure that all is set up correctly.
Step #2:
Add a video to the initial email of the campaign to achieve a higher click-through rate. You will enable an increase of 96% and complement it by including the word “video” in the subject line to improve both open – 6% – and click-through – 65% – rates.
Step #3:
As shown above, sharing video content in email marketing campaigns allows pharma teams to get better click-through results. It’s possible to achieve an increase that ranges between 200% to 300%.
The Conclusions
Products and services benefit from video watching in both B2B and D2C audiences. It helps to move the customer forward in the buyer journey, with higher chances of an effective conversion with the buy action.
With content, such as explainer videos, pharma marketing teams can address the pain points and meet the audience’s need for educational resources. It can be done at each step of the journey through high-value email campaigns.
There are many choices to add videos to your emails. Success can be found by either using an animated GIF or HTML5 programming. You can include tailored content that adds value and meaning to each digital interaction with the target audience. This has a direct positive impact on effective engagement, trust-building, relationship development, and campaign performance results.
But don’t forget to account for the different email providers’ limitations, the audience preferences, and the data from past interactions. You can advantage of the powerful resource of video content in the present disrupted, time-constrained, and hyper-connected healthcare landscape.
