Ask Emma is an email Q&A series in which we take a frequently asked question from the Emma community (Q) and do our best to supply a semi-intelligent answer (A).
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Ask Emma your question now.
Join the Ask Emma mailing list and receive our near-weekly series in your inbox.
Emma answers your questions about email marketing and life
in general.
Recent Q&A
in general.
Recent Q&A
Dear Emma,
We've got a great video clip from last weekend's company banquet that we'd like send to everyone who attended. Anything that involves a runaway pet squirrel *and* a chocolate fountain is worth seeing again, we think. So, do you have any suggestions on adding video to my campaign?
Thanks,
Play it Again Sam in Boston
We've got a great video clip from last weekend's company banquet that we'd like send to everyone who attended. Anything that involves a runaway pet squirrel *and* a chocolate fountain is worth seeing again, we think. So, do you have any suggestions on adding video to my campaign?
Thanks,
Play it Again Sam in Boston
Dear Sam,
We agree - video gives your campaign a bit of extra polish, and it's a great addition to the other media you're already using to stay in touch with your audience. Oh, and it's versatile, too - video's helpful for demonstrating a new product, giving a tour of your new office space, or showing the highlights of your latest event (squirrel and all).
Mail servers aren't as fond of video as we are, though - perhaps there's some dysfunctional sibling rivalry afoot in the technology family - and many servers out there tend to block video that's simply embedded in the content of the email itself. And in addition to the dip in overall delivery rates (eek), embedding video in your email makes it darn near impossible to track who's watched it (argh).
A better way to combine the forces of video and email is to *post* your video online and link your recipients right to it. That way, your email won't raise any server red flags, and - even better - you'll be able to track who clicked to download and watch your video. It's a snap with your account's document library, which lets you upload Quicktime videos, MPEGs, Flash movies, WAV files and more, and then link to them right from your campaign. (For more how-to, visit our document library help page.)
Here are five quick tips for using video:
-> Post your video online instead of embedding it into the email itself.
-> Choose a video format that's compatible most everywhere, or offer several format options.
-> If you host your video on your site (instead of using our document library), keep your video clip on a Web page that features *other* content or services you'd like people to see.
-> Consider using your newsletter's sidebar to highlight your video. That way, you can easily add an icon and caption to catch your readers' eye.
-> Plan for follow up. Use your response numbers to see who's interested in your video and consider sending a follow-up note.
-------------------------------------------------
And if you've had success using video with your emails in the past, feel free to pass along your own ideas and stories - our share your campaign form is ready when you are, compadre....
Cheers,
Emma
We agree - video gives your campaign a bit of extra polish, and it's a great addition to the other media you're already using to stay in touch with your audience. Oh, and it's versatile, too - video's helpful for demonstrating a new product, giving a tour of your new office space, or showing the highlights of your latest event (squirrel and all).
Mail servers aren't as fond of video as we are, though - perhaps there's some dysfunctional sibling rivalry afoot in the technology family - and many servers out there tend to block video that's simply embedded in the content of the email itself. And in addition to the dip in overall delivery rates (eek), embedding video in your email makes it darn near impossible to track who's watched it (argh).
A better way to combine the forces of video and email is to *post* your video online and link your recipients right to it. That way, your email won't raise any server red flags, and - even better - you'll be able to track who clicked to download and watch your video. It's a snap with your account's document library, which lets you upload Quicktime videos, MPEGs, Flash movies, WAV files and more, and then link to them right from your campaign. (For more how-to, visit our document library help page.)
Here are five quick tips for using video:
-> Post your video online instead of embedding it into the email itself.
-> Choose a video format that's compatible most everywhere, or offer several format options.
-> If you host your video on your site (instead of using our document library), keep your video clip on a Web page that features *other* content or services you'd like people to see.
-> Consider using your newsletter's sidebar to highlight your video. That way, you can easily add an icon and caption to catch your readers' eye.
-> Plan for follow up. Use your response numbers to see who's interested in your video and consider sending a follow-up note.
-------------------------------------------------
And if you've had success using video with your emails in the past, feel free to pass along your own ideas and stories - our share your campaign form is ready when you are, compadre....
Cheers,
Emma