A Good Internet Marketing Investment for the Rest of 2009 – Add a Video

Add a video to your emails (something that wasn’t possible two years ago) and it will improve click-through rates by 2-3 times, according to a recent Forrester report.

The down side of this is that email providers sometimes blocks executable files, including flash video and embedded video scripts, to protect against viruses. One easy solution is to upload the video to YouTube.com or put it on your blog or website, then send a link to it in the email. Another way to create safe video emails may be to use CertifiedVideo by Goodmail Systems. This tool screens video messages for viruses and emails them to opt in lists.

Sending email videos is a relatively new idea, and only 9% of marketers now use video in email, but another 21% plan on including video in their email marketing efforts in the next 12 months, according to a July 2008 JupiterResearch/ClickZ survey.

Here are some tips for adding a video element to your emails:

* Explain complicated products or services quickly and easily

* Make email more personalized with a video message

* Create timely videos that are easily sharable

* Be mindful of message size

* Keep the sound off

A new feature in Gmail Labs http://www.googlelabs.com/ enables users to play YouTube videos that have been linked within incoming emails.

If you are considering having a video created for your company, I can recommend a local company called Aardvarkvideoworks.com in Jenkintown, PA. The website is http://www.aardvarkvideoworks.com and phone number (215) 572-7045. A few of our clients have used them to create affordable and professional videos useful not only for the web, but also for infomercials.