Want to build stronger relationships with your customers? Try incorporating videos in your emails. According to HubSpot, 80 percent of businesses use video in their marketing efforts. And for good reason, too. Kayla Carmichael, a junior staff writer for the HubSpot Marketing Blog, says that video can drastically increase click-through rates (CTRs).

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we highlight Carmichael’s six ways to effectively use video in your email marketing.

1. Personalized emails. Do you have a backlog of video content on your website? Carmichael advises using that to your advantage and sending personalized emails. For example, have you noticed a trend of website visitors watching only a portion of a video on your site? Consider automatically sending a video to those users in an email to remind them to finish. From a business perspective, this means more clicks for you, a better relationship with the customer and more views on videos.

2. Event marketing. If your company hosts events, whether internal or external, take videos of the events for a recap to send subscribers. This way, you can give subscribers a taste of how your brand works in-action and build interest in your company's events overall, says Carmichael. Do you host or participate in quarterly industry mixers? Try including a video in an email about the most recent one, along with a call to action for subscribers to learn more about the next one. The video can also serve as social proof that these events are well-attended and informative for other people in your industry.

3. Include video in subject line. Formatting is critical in emails, beginning with the subject line. Carmichael admits that as a consumer, she’s more interested in an email with emojis in the subject line. Try including "Video" or a corresponding emoji in your subject line to entice subscribers to open it. You'll likely want to A/B test a variety of subject lines in the beginning to figure out what your readers prefer. Carmichael offers another important formatting tip: Embed the video in the email in a place that keeps readers interested. Putting videos at the beginning of an email is a good idea but placing them near the end invites readers to keep reading to better understand the video.

4. Product marketing. To build interest in your new product roll-out, film mini-teaser videos to include solely in emails. This makes subscribers feel as if their subscription is useful. It also keeps the product in your customers’ minds. In addition to a mini-teaser, Carmichael suggests shooting a product demo that explains the new release and how it fits into the lives of your audience. Giving a visual example, rather than just text, makes emails more interesting.

5. Newsletters. If you give subscribers scheduled newsletters with no video, you're missing out, according to Carmichael. Video-heavy businesses can benefit from newsletter video embeds so subscribers can catch up on content they may have missed. You can also use video in newsletters to round up popular industry videos. If your company doesn't do many videos, Carmichael says this an excellent avenue.

6. Engage with your community. Industries are constantly changing. If new laws or industry standards go into effect that could possibly affect your relationship with customers, engage with them using a video. Because subscribers are familiar with your company, they have a higher chance of being far enough along in their buyer's journey to be invested in videos that call for their participation.

Before you hit send on your next email, consider how you can incorporate video. Even if you don’t get the results you were hoping for, you’ll have videos on hand to use in future content.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Kayla Carmichael is a junior staff writer for the HubSpot Marketing Blog.