We’ve talked about him before and recognized he has good ideas, and now he has something new to share. Tim Carter, the owner of AsktheBuilder, recently tried a different method to grow his list and is willing to share what he found. Carter teaches his audience how to complete construction projects using videos. These videos [...]

Maybe.

As you may have discovered, sending video email by embedding a video in the message body doesn’t work. The best practice has been to insert a clickable screenshot of the video (perhaps an animated image that looks like a video).

While this is still the case, it looks like at least one major email provider is getting closer to making video in email a reality…

Gmail Adds YouTube In-Email Video Preview

Gmail just announced a new “Labs” feature allowing users to preview YouTube videos in emails.

Now, as Alex at Return on Subscriber explains, this doesn’t mean you can embed YouTube videos directly in your emails.

BUT, it does mean that if you put a YouTube link in your email, Gmail users may be able to view it at the end of your message.

Alex has a nice write-up of the feature and the tests he ran on it. Here are my takeaways:

1. It’s only for Gmail, and only for YouTube (not other video sites that you might be using instead)
2. It only works for links that point right to YouTube – so if you want to use it with a message you send through AWeber, make sure you turn off click tracking.
3. Gmail users have to turn on YouTube previews (under “Settings” > “Labs”) to preview the videos.

Sounds Like a Lot of Obstacles – Can You Really Use This to Send Video Emails (Now)?

For most people, probably not yet. The fact that it’s only Gmail, and only YouTube, and only for people who have turned on the YouTube previews in Labs means most of us can’t reach more than a tiny fraction of our subscribers like this just yet.

BUT… if you have a lot of Gmail-using subscribers, or a tech-savvy audience in general, you might try pointing out to them that they can do this, and position it as a benefit (“view the latest episode/get a sneak peek of the latest product directly in your email”).

This could work if you already use a lot of video in your marketing anyway, as it would be a logical extension of what you’re already sending subscribers.

The biggest thing to take away from this is that at least one major email provider is moving toward video in email. Hopefully others are too, even if we haven’t heard about it. Yet

More on Video Email.

If you could send a “silent video email” to subscribers, would you?

In a previous discussion of how to send video emails, we noted that Flash and JavaScript (which video programs typically rely on) are blocked by pretty much major every email provider out there.

Our suggestion, then, was to put a picture of the video in your email and encourage subscribers to click on it to play the video.

This is a useful way to drive traffic to your video, but it’s not quite a video email – after all, there’s no movement to grab the reader’s attention. It uses a static image just like other HTML emails do.

Recently, someone took the idea of video email a step further and created a campaign that used video in a way that I hadn’t thought feasible – and it displayed properly in nearly all major email programs!

Here’s how she did it…

“Silent Video Email” Uses Animated GIF

Take a look at this email created for the movie “Twilight” (link opens in new window).

That video trailer playing on the left-hand side? It not only works on the web page, but it works in all major email clients except Outlook 2007 (which only displays the first frame of the trailer).

In other words, it works in:

• AOL
• Yahoo
• Hotmail
• Gmail
• Mozilla Thunderbird
• And More

Pretty cool, no?

How’d They Do That?

The email uses an animated GIF to simulate video.

GIFs have been used before in numerous email campaigns, but I’ve never seen one used on this kind of scale – most tend to be just a couple of frames and are often used to create small moving icons.

Anna was kind enough to post a detailed write-up of how she made the GIF. I’ve included my “Cliffs Notes” version below, but her write-up includes a lot of useful suggestions on frame rates, dimensions, colors, and other technical details that can help you create a high-quality animation.

1. Record or capture video
2. Convert video file to GIF
3. Upload GIF to your website
4. Put GIF into your email just like any other image
5. Add remaining email content
6. Test and send your email!

A Few Things to Consider When Using This Tactic

1. This tactic can be useful not only for “normal” videos, but for any situation where animation might be helpful.

   Two quick examples of this: a 360-degree rotating view of a product and a “slideshow” of different rooms in a house for sale.

2. You don’t get any sound in the email with this method.

   So if your original video has sound, and that sound adds meaning/value to the video, link the image to a page of your website where your subscribers can go watch the video with sound.

3. If someone has images turned off, they’re not going to see the animation.

   Encourage subscribers to turn on images. Also, provide a text link to an online version of the video.

4. Keep the video short and the file size small. The image in Anna’s example was over 2MB, which is pretty big, especially for subscribers on slow Internet connections.

   You want your image to load quickly, right?

Tools That Can Help You Create Animated GIFs

Note: I have not used any of these solutions yet to create animated GIFs from video. Neither I nor AWeber endorse any of these solutions in particular. I Googled most of them. Please use your best judgment in deciding whether any of these are a good fit for you.

• Pro Motion – the software Anna used to create her GIF. Software download for Windows. Cost: $78.
• VidGIF – software download for Windows. Cost: $29.95.
• GIF Ninja – web-based video to GIF converter. Free. (But remember that when you use an online converter, you’re uploading your video to someone else’s site. If you’re not comfortable with that, don’t do it.)
• VTubeTools – web-based video to GIF converter. Free.

I’m sure there are other tools out there that can do this as well, but hopefully that’s a good starting point.

Other Discussions of Using Animation as Video

You can read a couple other discussions about this email, and about video email in general, at:

• No man is an iland
• Email Karma

What Do You Think?

Will you be trying animation in your own email marketing campaigns? Why/why not?

What pros/cons do you see to using animation as a “silent video” like this? What tips might you offer to make it as effective a tactic as possible?

Know someone who would benefit from this? Share it with them!

The other day I saw an interesting YouTube video, created by AWeber affiliate John Chow. It was a quick demonstration of our recent Twitter integration.

The 2 minute video explained what our Twitter integration does, plus it gave simple instructions on how to use it. At the end, John included his affiliate link (and yes, I did click on it ).

With the growing popularity of online video, I think screencasting should be in the arsenal of all serious affiliate marketers.

Let’s take a look at how posting videos on YouTube can drive traffic to your affiliate website, and boost your sales.

What Do I Need To Get Started?

Getting a video up and running on YouTube can be done quickly and easily.

All you will need is screencasting software, your imagination, and you will be ready to become the next George Lucas.

Some screencasting programs I recommend are:

• Camtasia – Created by TechSmith. Costs around $70 to $146
• Imovie – Normally bundled with all new Macs and can be used right away.
• The Jing Project – The Jing Project is free, and is also created by TechSmith.

After finding a screencasting program that works for you, you’ll then be ready to work on the content of your video.

What Should My Video Be About?

Remember, the aim of your video should be to show how AWeber can potentially increase someone’s business productivity.

Make sure your content is brief, easy to understand and gives the viewer a good reason to visit Aweber via your affiliate link.

If you are an AWeber customer, a great idea could be a video about a feature that has really helped your business grow in the past.

Some other useful subjects for your videos could be:

• AWeber’s RSS to email feature, and how it can convert blog subscribers to newsletter subscribers.
• One of our new analytics features and how it can add value to an email campaign.
• Adding web form features such as a light box, a subscriber count chicklet, or sending downloads.

With the many features of AWeber, you should have no problem finding one suitable to publish as your next screencast.

How Do I Publish My Video On YouTube?

Founded in February 2005, YouTube is now the most popular video sharing site on the internet. Anyone can sign up for a free account and get started right away.

Once signed up for an account, you can very easily upload your file using ( YES! ) a video tutorial on how to load videos into YouTube.

After your video is loaded, it can then be easily seen alongside the over 150,000 daily uploaded videos.

This is a great way to give your affiliate campaign more exposure and increase your affiliate click-throughs dramatically.

Good luck and happy screencasting!

Not an AWeber Affiliate? There’s no better time to start than right now.

Sign up for free today!

Videos are a great marketing tool — they your prospects’ attention, they let you show (not just tell) about your products, and they get passed around (helping you to get more subscribers virally).

However, as many people have found out, creating "video emails" by embedding the video directly in an HTML email (like you would on a web page) doesn’t fly. It’s simply not reliable because most email programs disable or strip out the video.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of video’s appeal in your emails!

You just have to get a bit creative…

Easily Send "Video Emails" Using Image Links

In a recent addition to our Knowledge Base, we’ve shown step-by-step how to drive your email subscribers to watch videos that you’ve posted to your site or video hosting sites like YouTube.

How Can I Add Video To My Messages?

A Couple Pointers

I recommend using an image to link to your video — you can use text, too, but the image will naturally draw the eye and increase your response.

That said, not all of your subscribers will have images enabled in their email programs.

So, remember to put appropriate ALT text for your image, so that if they have images turned off, they know there’s a video to click to.

Example:

Have You Used This Tactic?

Has linking to videos this way worked well for you? Have you learned anything along the way that you think our readers could benefit from when creating their own video emails?

Share your thoughts!

RSS Subscribers: Here’s a permalink to pass along to others you think would benefit from this tip!