New marketing tools emerge everyday. Some of them are passing fads and others become a permanent part of the marketing toolbox. Vmail mashes together two of those proven tools to create a new marketing tactic greater than the sum of its parts.
But what is vmail and how can brands use it to their advantage? We’re glad you asked.
What is Vmail?
Vmail is what you get when you combine video and email. It’s a marketing strategy that involves sending videos to people on your email list.
Video + email = vmail
Did we need a fancy name for video in email? Maybe not, but the internet does love creating cute names for simple concepts. Even the word email is a shortened version of electronic mail.
This word isn’t completely new. V-mail, or Victory Mail, is also the name of the service soldiers used to send letters during World War II. But modern uses of the word pretty much always refer to videos sent to email inboxes.
Which Brands Can Benefit from Vmail?
Almost any brand can benefit from using vmail, but brands in some industries may see an even higher return on investment. These industries include:
- SaaS – video helps Saas companies increase sign-ups and conversions
- Real estate – video doubles email clickthrough and reduces opt-outs by 75%
- Healthcare – video improves patient adherence and satisfaction
- Nonprofits – the highest grossing fundraising campaigns use video to tell their story
These are just a few of the industries that benefit from vmail. The best way to determine if your brand is a good candidate for vmail is to do some A/B testing. Send emails with and without video to compare open rates and conversions.
Why Brands Send Video in Email
Most brands already use both email and video, so it’s only natural that someone might choose to combine them. Like peanut butter and chocolate or movies and popcorn, combining video and email makes both things better. Here’s the data to prove it.
Brands make about $36 for every $1 they spend on email marketing. When it comes to video, 92% of brands say it gives them a good return on investment. That number has grown steadily over the last few years.
Combining these two good ideas leads to even better results. Video can increase email click rates by 96%.
So brands take an already-effective tool, email, and make it more effective by adding video. Try this for yourself and you could improve email results and may also boost ROI on your videos. Afterall, more people will see your video if you deliver it directly to their in-box.
An Important Tip for Emailing Videos
There’s an important caveat brands should be aware of before using vmail: Don’t embed videos directly into emails.
That might run counter to advice you’ve seen in other places. Wikipedia claims that vmail “refers to the embedding of videos directly into the body of an email.” But the truth is that embedding videos in email is more trouble than it’s worth.
Although you can use HTML5 to embed videos in email, that doesn’t mean you should. Many email clients can’t handle video embeds. Also, videos tend to be large files that can take up too much space in inboxes. If someone doesn’t have enough space to accommodate your video, they might not receive your email at all.
You’ll get the best results from video email marketing if you link instead of embedding the full video. Upload your video to your website or a video hosting platform and link to that. You can use a thumbnail image or animated gif as an eye-catching anchor. The smaller file size is less likely to clog inboxes, and almost every mail client can handle these file types.
How to Create Effective Vmail
Sharing your video content via email is easy. Follow these four tips for the best results.
- Use the word “video” in your email subject line to entice people to click.
- Link, don’t embed. Many email clients can’t handle video embeds or large video files
- Put the video front-and center. Don’t bury it under a lot of text.
- Include a call-to-action so people know what you want them to do after watching.
Of course, your results are only as good as the video you share. IdeaRocket can help you create eye-catching videos that tell your brand story and engage your audience. Contact us to get started on your next video.
