Video emails: clarity...and a challenge
Latest posts | Feed | By Mark Brownlow on June 30, 2008
Let's admit we all love the idea of videos playing from within the email, because it has that futuristic coolness factor attached.A few days ago, a case study suggested success with embedded video was possible. It met with skepticism.
EmailKarma responded with a survey on video email practices and just published the results.
The many findings confirm the general tenor of video design advice: take a screenshot, put the image in the email, and link that image to the video hosted on a website.
Now I agree with the survey respondents, but are we all missing the point?
Most email rendering environments suppress images. When they do show up, you get the benefits of an image. When they don't, sensible use of alt tags and text links should still provoke the action (e.g. a click) you're looking for.
Now apply that accepted philosophy to embedded video...
Most email rendering environments won't play them. When they do play in the email, you get the benefits. When they don't, can you use accompanying text links ("click here to see the video online") to get clicks through to a website-hosted version?
In the end, do you get the same number of video views as if you'd gone the recommended screenshot -> link -> website approach? Or even more views?
A lot depends on how a blocked video degrades. What's displayed? How does any security warning impact on the viewer experience and the likelihood to click? Does it depend on how much the reader trusts the sender? Or if there is a clear benefit to viewing the video?
The simple and safe way is to use the video screenshot approach. Which is what I do, too. But...is there more to embedded video than we think?
Your experiences, comments and criticism welcome!
More on video and email | Tags: email marketing, video emails, emails in video
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3 Comments:
Mark -
You raise a good question. Personally, I am in the camp of providing a screenshot of the video (vs the embedding method) as we can not be sure how the embedded video will render. At least with an image/alt text/text link, it is a bit more clear.
*I think Lisa Harmon's post on videos is pretty much spot on.
dj at bronto
By 
DJ Waldow, on
30 June, 2008
Yep, what we need is for a respected ESP to do some tests and produce a nice white paper on video email rendering...hint, hint ;-)
By 
, on
30 June, 2008
There are a few ESP's that have some great reporting on this topic including Campaign Monitor. We did some testing and found out that Apple Mail really was the only major email client out there that displayed flash. See blog here http://blog.mobilizemail.com/2008/07/14/flash-and-email-can-it-work/
By , on
14 July, 2008
