In recent years there has been a rise in broadband speeds and usage across Europe, the US and Canada.

This has meant that, with faster download speeds, users are able to get more from their online activities. As a direct result use of video online has become increasingly popular, just look at the success of sites like YouTube and MySpace. Online video producers are now able to take moving images, once for TV and cinemas only, and put them online.

Show me the money!

Video advertising brings with it many benefits to the advertiser. Video ads are more engaging than viewing a static ad and with such technologies as provided by Google advertisers can even measure just how engaging by tracking the number of people who watched 25%, 50% or 100% of their advert.

Email is the logical next step for video advertising. Not only can you determine exactly how many people have opened your email and clicked through to watch your video but you can also see exactly how many of your target audience are engaging with your brand and for how long.

Although video is an exciting prospect it’s a relatively new development and there are risks which need to be taken into consideration.

The main issue with sending video via email is whether to imbed the video in the email itself or host the video online and provide a link from the email. Both have their pros and cons.

By sending an imbedded video in your email, to a large audience base with a high open rate, there will inevitably be a surge in demand on your servers therefore risking deliverability

Loopholes and short falls

A way around this would be to imbed the video in a branded web page using a video provider such as YouTube and include a link within your email to the video. However, you can run the risk of losing the viewer’s attention if the video doesn’t load fast enough or potentially damaging your brand if the video quality is poor – which ultimately depends on the platform it’s being viewed on, taking the control out of your hands.

Despite the risks, it’s an aspect of email marketing to watch out for so keep your eyes peeled for future developments!