Nowadays, 55% of all email “opens” happen on a mobile device according to research by Yesmail, and mobile-only viewers grew by 64% during the second half of last year.
This means optimizing video email marketing for mobile devices is absolutely critical as these stats are only going to continue to grow. Reading an email that isn’t optimized for mobile devices can be frustrating and it increases the odds that they won’t spend much time actually reading it. Many people will read the first sentence or two to see what the email is regarding, and then close it. At that point, it is no longer an “unread” message and the odds that they return to this email to go through it more thoroughly are greatly reduced.
Similarly, if you are embedding video you want to make sure it is optimized for mobile along with the rest of the email. According to ABI Research, mobile video views make up about 25% of all online video views worldwide and that percentage is expected to double by 2019. Video is engages its audience in a way that other platforms simply can’t match, so it is important when combining this dynamic technology with email marketing campaigns that we bear in mind the high probability our video will be viewed from a mobile device.
A few tips:
- Grab their attention in the first few seconds
Your audience is viewing your video on their mobile device and you have precious little time before they decide whether to continue watching or not. Whether through imagery or powerful opening statements, make sure you remember that you have even less time to engage the viewer than you would if they were seated at a desktop. - Keep it short and sweet
Even if they love your video, they aren’t likely to sit through something long. Some videos that are great for sharing online may not be the best fit for an email marketing campaign if they are too long for the video view on-the-go. Once you have their attention, you need to communicate your message in a clear and concise manner while you still have it. - Include a call-to-action (CTA)
Really, this should be a pillar of any promotional video but you particularly need to do this in a mobile email setting. Give them an option to keep watching video or a link leading them directly where you want them to go when the video ends. - Use video widgets
Video widgets in your email template allow a video to play in place without downloading or opening a new screen. This makes a world of difference in the viewer experience on the receiving end. - Big text & graphics
Bear in mind that your viewer is using a small mobile screen to watch your video. Compensate for this by making any text or graphics you include larger than you otherwise would so it is easy for the viewer to read.
Harness the power of web video and include it throughout your marketing strategy, but keep these tips and the mobile experience in mind to make sure you not only engage your audience at first blush, but keep them interested in more content from you and your brand.
