• by Jess Nelson , June 16, 2016

Video technology provider Vidyard unveiled Vidyard Engage on Wednesday to help marketers integrate video content into their email outreach. 

Vidyard Engage allows Gmail and Microsoft Outlook users to attach a video to an email as easily as they would a PDF digital document.

Vidyard Engage also provides marketers with analytics about when the video was viewed, for how long and whether any parts were replayed or skipped, helping Vidyard customers pinpoint which subscribers are the most engaged. Vidyard provides a video intelligence platform for companies, and counts Citibank, Lenovo and LinkedIn among its clientele.

Vidyard Engage for Gmail is now available, and an integration with Microsoft Outlook is expected by the end of the month. Pricing is based on a per-seat subscription license model.

Salesforce customers have the added benefit of integrating Vidyard video viewing data directly into Salesforce’s lead and contact records for a centralized source of record.

“Video is the most effective way to connect with modern B2B buyers, and it can also offer incredible insight into the interests and intent of each individual viewer,” states Michael Litt, co-founder and CEO of Vidyard.

Video can be a powerful addition to email, whether it is utilized in the sales, customer service or marketing departments. Forrester estimates that click-through rates increase by as much as 300% when videos are included in marketing newsletters.

Video email marketing may also lead to healthier email lists, according to an Eloqua study, which found that introductory emails containing videos resulted in a 75% decrease in unsubscribes.

Mobile video consumption is also on the rise, and email marketers need to stay up to date with how consumers interact with online content. YouTube reports mobile video consumption rises 100% every year, and video is a particularly powerful format to reach younger audiences.