How Might the Ability to Preview YouTube Videos in Gmail Change Email Marketing?

A recent study conducted by Forrester Research shows that incorporating video in email messages can increase click-throughs by up to two to three times more.  A large part of this relates to the fact that millions of people have become accustomed to watching videos online.  Advances in web technology have made it easier for these users to view video content directly from their inbox.  Gmail is among the latest email solutions to provide consumers with this ability. 

Thanks to Gmail Labs, users can now view a preview of YouTube clips via email.  Once this feature is enabled, they can watch video content without leaving their inbox.  There are millions of people who use Gmail so just imagine the potential value this feature offers to the email marketing industry.  As word travels, marketers will make it a priority to reach out to Gmail users in attempts to engage them with video email.  Google Labs definitely appears to be on to something, but does this move really benefit marketers and their subscribers?     

Integrating email and video has been possible for a while now, but never offered a seamless viewing experience to the recipient.  This is mainly because webmail clients like Gmail are not capable of rendering the video file embedded into HTML code.  Google Labs addresses this problem with the YouTube preview feature.  With this function, there is no complicated HTML code to deal with.  Instead of looking for code, the Gmail program is trained to search the email for the video link.  Once the link is detected, a still video image equipped with a play button is displayed in the message.  Users simply have to click the button, and the video plays just like it was embedded in the HTML code.

The benefits are obvious, but the drawbacks of this feature present a few problems from an email marketing aspect.  One downside relates to the positioning of the actual YouTube preview itself.  Instead of being displayed by the link subscribers click to trigger the function, the preview is located at the bottom of the message.  While this may seem like a small issue, it could actually cause problems depending on the length of your email as some recipients may not realize they need to scroll the page to view the content.  This is essentially a disadvantage that forces you to shorten your marketing message to increase the likelihood of the video being seen. 

As you can see, video previews in Gmail certainly benefits the subscriber, as well as senders who have been experiencing trouble embedding files in HTML code.  However, the disadvantages of this feature may lead to problems for those in the email marketing business.  Aside from the positioning issue, marketers also have to consider that targeting their audience with these previews may not be as easy as it sounds.  They must account for Gmail users who may be forwarding their mail to a client that does not support this ability, as well as users who check their email on mobile devices.  This feature can help you better promote your YouTube content and create a more engaging email marketing campaign, but it is far from being the definitive solution to video email.