​A high-percentage of brands may not include video in email collateral, but the practice improves CTRs and brand visibility.

​Marketing departments take note – email and video will become the next content frontier to master. The Relevancy Group found that 81 percent of marketers indicate they are at least somewhat likely to include video content in their email programs in the near future. This practice makes sense as On Device Research noted earlier this year that 92 percent of mobile video viewers share content they enjoy with their personal networks.

However, few have the knowledge needed to implement an email marketing strategy that depends on video content. The Relevancy Group report found that only 25 percent of surveyed brands understand how to use visual content in their email outreach. Unique challenges prevent companies from experimenting with newer video marketing practices, including production costs (27 percent), other content priorities (24 percent) and skepticism that video will improve campaign performance (22 percent).

Brands do see high content ROI when they distribute branded video via email lists, according to the report. Fifty-five percent of respondents reported higher clickthrough rates, and 44 percent increased how long respondents engaged with the content. More, 41 percent of marketers said emails were forwarded more often, which aligns with data from On Device Research.

Certain challenges must be taken into account when building any video marketing strategy, such as load time and buffering. Conviva’s “Viewer Experience Report” noted that 17.5 percent of long-form videos never started on Android devices, and 14 percent never started on iOS smartphones and tablets. While the study looked at TV shows and live events, the same insights apply to video marketing efforts.

To generate returns on investments, creative departments must evaluate the metrics behind their visual media, to ensure clips are streaming properly across devices. Without a close eye on the back-end, video marketing through email won’t have a long-lasting effect on consumers or profit margins.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.