Experts from Wistia and Litmus teamed up for a webinar focused on how video and email can work together. Kristen Craft, Justine Jordan and Kevin Mandeville discuss: --The benefits of using video and email together --How to increase engagement and conversion --Real examples and tips you can use to get started right away

1. Email + Video
What works, what doesn’t,
and what to measure

2. Your host +
master of
ceremonies
Kristen Craft
Director of Business Development, Wistia
@thecrafty

3. Your guest know-it-alls
Justine Jordan
VP Marketing, Litmus
@meladorri
Kevin Mandeville
Email Czar, Litmus
@kevinmandeville

4. WAV E H E L L O !

5. WHY EMAIL?

6. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Preferred
✦
60% of consumers say they
prefer to receive updates
and promotions via email
✦
Snail mail: 49%
✦
Website: 38%
✦
Social media: 20% Source: https://www.marketingsherpa.com/article/chart/how-consumers-prefer-to-receive-promotions

7. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
✦
Track opens, clicks, conversions,
web traffic, and more!
✦ A/B Testing: See what type of
content (including video!) is
working vs. what’s not
Measurable

8. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Direct
✦
1:1 medium / 1:1 communication
✦
Trust between your brand and
your audience

9. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Personal
✦ Connect with your customers
right in their inbox
✦
Segmentation, personalization,
and dynamic content mean that
email is more personal than most
marketing mediums

11. WHY VIDEO?

12. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Delivers ROI
✦
Traffic: on-site video increases
traffic 200-300%
✦ Engagement: video content
doubles time on site
✦
Demand gen and leads: Video
drives the most leads
Source: Marketing Sherpa, 2015

13. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp Source: Harvard Memory Lab, 2012
It’s a rich medium
✦
Conveys complex information
✦
Creates and emotional
connection; we remember
emotionally-charged events
better

14. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Brand & Experience
✦
Helps people connect with your
brand
✦ Fosters evangelism, advocacy,
and word of mouth
Source: Harvard Memory Lab, 2012

15. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
It’s applicable everywhere
“Video is the new HTML”
-Benedict Evans

16. WHY EMAIL + VIDEO?

17. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
✦
Grow your list
✦
Improve open + click rates
✦ Engage your audience
✦ Retain subscribers
✦
Show off your brand’s human side

19. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp

22. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp

23. VIDEO IN EMAIL
VS
VIDEO WITH EMAIL

24. Video in emailVideo with email
NEWSNEWS
Press play and watch without leaving the emailClick to watch video on a landing page or website

25. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Three video + email options
Static image w/ play button
Animated GIF / cinemagraph
Embedded (HTML5) video
1
2
3

26. Linked static image:
video with email
NEWS
Static image with play button graphic Watch video on website or landing page

27. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Apple Mail Yes
Outlook 2000-2016 (Windows) Yes
Outlook 2011 + 2016 (Mac) Yes
Lotus Notes Yes
Android (Email app) Yes
Gmail app (iOS + Android) Yes
iOS (iPhone + iPad) Yes
AOL Mail Yes
Gmail Yes
Google Apps Yes
GMX.de + Web.de Yes
Outlook.com Yes
Yahoo! Mail Yes
Windows Phone Yes
Thunderbird Yes
Linked static image support in email
* Note: some email clients block images by default

28. Animated GIF
video with email
Static image with play button graphic
Watch video on website or landing page

29. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Apple Mail Yes
Outlook 2000-2003 (Windows) Yes
Outlook 2007-2013 (Windows) No
Outlook 2011 + 2016 (Mac) Yes
Lotus Notes Yes
Android (Email app) Yes
Gmail app (iOS + Android) Yes
iOS (iPhone + iPad) Yes
AOL Mail Yes
Gmail Yes
Google Apps Yes
GMX.de + Web.de Yes
Outlook.com Yes
Yahoo! Mail Yes
Thunderbird Yes
Animated gif support in email

30. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
In 2014, over 53% of email clients
supported HTML5 video
😃😃😃

31. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Apple Mail Yes
Outlook 2000-2013 (Windows) No
Outlook 2011 (Mac) Yes
Lotus Notes No
Android (Email app) No
Gmail app (iOS + Android) No
iOS 7 and below (iPhone + iPad) Yes
AOL Mail No
Gmail No
Google Apps No
GMX.de + Web.de No
Outlook.com Yes
Yahoo! Mail No
Windows Phone No
Thunderbird No
HTML5 video in email support (2014)

32. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
In 2016, less than 1% of email
clients support HTML5 video
😱😭💩

33. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Apple Mail No
Outlook 2000-2016 (Windows) No
Outlook 2011 + 2016 (Mac) Yes*
Lotus Notes No
Android 4.4 (Email app) No
Gmail app (iOS + Android) No
iOS 8+ (iPhone + iPad) No
AOL Mail No
Gmail No
Google Apps No
GMX.de + Web.de No
Office 365 + Outlook.com No
Yahoo! Mail No
Windows Phone No
Thunderbird No
HTML5 video in email support (2016)
* Only works with autoplay & no controls

34. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
‟Many years ago most desktop and web-based
email clients actually supported video in email.
As security tightened and spam became a bigger
problem, the belt was tightened and video
support became a thing of the past.
https://www.campaignmonitor.com/dev-resources/will-it-work/video/

35. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Outlook for Mac video rendering

36. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
True HTML5 video that plays
inside an email is not
possible right now

37. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
HTML5 background
video in email has
slightly better
support
>>> bit.ly/html5-video-email

38. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Apple Mail Yes
Outlook 2000-2016 (Windows) No
Outlook 2011 + 2016 (Mac) Yes
Lotus Notes No
Android (Email app) No
Gmail app (iOS + Android) No
iOS 8+ (iPhone + iPad) No
AOL Mail No
Gmail No
Google Apps No
GMX.de + Web.de No
Outlook.com No
Yahoo! Mail No
Windows Phone No
Thunderbird No
HTML5 video background support (2016)

39. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Video in Email Usage
Have you ever used embedded or streaming video inside an email?
Yes, and we plan on using it again soon (8.6%)
Yes, but no plans to use it again soon (5.4%)
No, but plan on trying it soon (44.4%)
No, and no plans to try soon (41.6%)
Source: Litmus poll of 1,622 visitors to its blog between Jan. 15 and Feb. 3, 2016

40. H O W TO C O D E H T M L 5 V I D E O

41. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
<video> </video>
Use the video tag

42. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
<video width=“600" height=“300”> </video>
Add the width and height dimensions

43. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
<video width=“600" height=“300”
poster=“fallback-image.png"> </video>
Add a poster image to the video (before playing)

44. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
<video width=“600" height=“300”
poster=“fallback-image.png” controls
autoplay=“true”> </video>
Add controls to show video controls and autoplay of
true or false to start or not start playing on load

45. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Add the video source file type
<video width=“600" height=“300” poster=“fallback-
image.png" controls autoplay=“true”>
<source src="video.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
</video>

46. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
<video width=“600" height=“300” poster=“fallback-
image.png" controls autoplay=“true”>
<source src="video.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
<a href="http://litmus.com"><img border="0"
src=“fallback-image.png" width=“600" height=“300”></
a>
</video>
Add a linked fallback image tag
(for clients where video is not supported)

47. THAT SOUNDS COMPLICATED…

48. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Third-party providers for video “in email”
powerinbox.comrealtime.emailmovableink.com

49. WHAT SHOULD WE MEASURE?

50. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Measuring video in email
• Without third-party providers, no bulletproof method to measure analytics
• Click to play could be measured based on asset requests to video
• No method to measure engagement (how long someone watched)
• Requires manual development and segmentation work (no integrations)
• Hard to tie behavioral data to individual subscribers

51. Capture email with video
Opportunities to connect
1
2
Video + leads

52. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Video + open rates
✦ Set expectations
✦ Add value
✦ Be honest!
✦ Tease video content
✦ Include a call-to-action
✦ Try emoji

53. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Video + click rates
http://wistia.com/blog/improving-email-clickthrough-rates-video
38%
CTOR
12%
CTOR

54. http://blog.mailchimp.com/keeping-our-eyes-on-video/
5.2%
7.7%
62.8%

55. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
If you video, they will click.
A WOR D OF C A U TION
C H O O S E Y O U R E M A I L + V I D E O
GOAL WISELY.

56. VIDEO FUN WITH EMAIL

58. PRODU CT VS. PERSON THUMBNAIL TEST
Person
Product

61. A N I M AT E D G I F P R O D U C T D E M O
✦ 48.81% CTR on
animated GIF
✦ 22.51% CTR on button
at top of email
✦ 14.93% CTR on button
at bottom of email

63. #WistiaCast@wistia @litmusapp
Animated GIFs are not
supported in Outlook
2007, 2010, 2013, 2016
for Windows
>>> bit.ly/gifs-email First frame should include play button and CTA

64. LINKS + RESOURCES

65. SELE CTIVE AUTOPLAY
W/ WISTIA
<script charset="ISO-8859-1" src="//fast.wistia.com/assets/external/E-v1.js"
async></script>
<div class="wistia_embed wistia_async_5bbw8l7kl5" style="width:640px;height:
360px;">&nbsp;</div>
<script>
_wq.push(function(W) {
var playedOnce = false;
W.api(function(video) {
if (!playedOnce && /[&?]autoplay/i.test(location.href)) {
playedOnce = true;
video.play();
}
});
});
</script>
S ELECTIVE AUTOPLAY W/ WISTIA
https://wistia.com/doc/player-api#selective_autoplay

66. C H O O S E A G R E AT T H U M B N A I L
http://wistia.com/blog/common-thumbnail-mistakes

67. P LAY BUTTON PSD TEMPLATE
http://ghostlypixels.com/freebie/wistia-video-player-psd/

68. OPTIMIZE LEADS WITH VIDEO
http://wistia.com/blog/collect-more-emails-with-video

69. VIDEO + EMAIL GUIDE
http://wistia.com/library/using-video-in-email

70. A N I M AT E D G I F S
https://litmus.com/blog/a-guide-to-animated-gifs-in-email

71. P ROS/CONS OF VIDEO+EMAIL
https://litmus.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-video-in-email-video