We are constantly talking to B2B marketers who want to upgrade their video marketing. And even though the “death of email” has been predicted, marketers still favor email more than ever. That’s why we’ve put together a short list of answers to frequently asked questions that you’ve probably already thought about:
One of the most common questions is:
__[“How do I use video in an email?](https://www.brightcove.com/en/resources/blog/how-include-video-email-campaigns) Should I embed a video directly in an email or link to a landing page where it will play?”__
The short answer is that we don’t recommend embedding video in email for two main reasons:
– About a third of email clients can’t play embedded video. If you code your video in an email, the email client may strip out the code, leaving the recipient with no video at all.
Video is just one of many elements of digital communications. Host your videos on a landing page where videos play inline with other elements, giving viewers easy access to all the information they need. This allows you to influence your customers’ next steps and avoid keeping your customers stuck in an email-defined silo.
So what is the best practice for video in email? We recommend embedding a video thumbnail in your email that links to an informative video-focused landing page, where it is surrounded by related content. You can set the video to autoplay, improving video metrics and the user experience.
“We are a global company. What video problems can we encounter with global delivery?” “How do I localize video content?”
There are several points to consider here:
The distribution of global content via free social video sites is problematic. Access to some social video sites is not only blocked internally in some companies, but in some cases even in an entire country, such as China.
Create an accessible video environment. Video subtitling, whether for localization or regulatory compliance, must be compatible with all devices, especially for a global workforce that uses mobile devices.
Localize video content with transcription and translation services. This way, you can reach your target groups in their native language.
Optimize the website experience by localizing online text and metadata.
_Our client Herbalife created 32 Gallery websites in six weeks, available in 23 languages. Now all customers and franchise partners can access the information they need._
__“I only have a small number of videos. Why should I consider an online video platform for marketing?”__
We keep saying it: video is the most effective form of digital communication. And for this reason, the use of video is growing exponentially: according to a Cisco forecast, video will account for 80% of all Internet traffic by 2019. When choosing a new business technology, you should always take into account future market developments.
The advantages of an online video platform are as follows:
– Better internal video management: On the back end, you want to be sure that your platform can scale with user-friendly folders and playlists. Develop a tagging strategy that allows you to quickly and dynamically categorize resources so you can incorporate them into an online content experience.
Impressive user experience for your target group: Consider a (https://www.brightcove.com/en/products/gallery/) for your viewers, organized by topic. Videos can be found quickly and easily because you provide related content. This can also improve understanding of your brand, products, and solutions. For example, customers like Oracle Marketing Cloud and Accuweather (https://www.brightcove.com/en/resources/blog/create-compelling-video-experiences) create template-based galleries for their collections of live events and on-demand videos (https://www.brightcove.com/en/resources/blog/3-ways-take-your-live-events-next-level).
ROI of video marketing and expansion of the initiative: By using a video platform, you have video analytics for your homepage, landing pages and social websites. The analytics data shows you how your viewers interact with your content. Even if you only have a few videos, you want to know what works and how you can be successful.
What is the advantage of distributing videos outside of YouTube and Vimeo platforms?
First of all, we are strong advocates of a mixed distribution strategy for videos. YouTube has its own communities of users, so marketers would be ill-advised to ignore YouTube when using video across the entire customer lifecycle during the awareness phase. But reach isn’t the only thing that matters in a marketing strategy. Experienced video marketers and digital marketers know when it’s time to expand their strategy beyond YouTube and Vimeo.
Some basic things to consider when choosing a free social video site like YouTube or a professional business-class online video platform (OVP):
– To guide prospects and customers through the customer life cycle, you need to provide each user with a holistic and attractive content experience that directs them to your site.
There is a difference between SEO for individual videos and website SEO. If you only post your videos on YouTube, the search engines will only register YouTube as a website with attractive content, not your own website. [Find out how you can boost your website’s ranking with video SEO here.](https://www.brightcove.com/en/resources/blog/how-video-seo-mere-mortals)
On the competition front, you want to avoid the player showing competitor ads and related titles that distract the viewer from your own content.
Tech-savvy individuals should note the comments about the lack of real security features on YouTube and Vimeo, such as LDAP and single sign-on protection for your videos. Furthermore, both services do not offer the option of assigning specific administration rights. Anyone with administration rights for your free site has full administration rights. Because of this, you should consider carefully who and how many employees of your company should be given rights to manage videos.
__“So how can video improve business efficiency?”__
Think about the kind of action you want to trigger with a video on a particular channel, and then build an interaction with your viewers. Compared to all other media, video enhances your brand experience and builds trust and loyalty faster.
