Including videos in emails can be tricky. While it's fairly simple to include an image which, when clicked on, can take someone to a page displaying the associated video, it's quite another thing to actually embed a video in the email itself.

In fact, embedding video in email is challenging on a number of fronts. To work properly, the coding must be compatible with the various web and client (personal computer) based email readers used by email recipients. What's more, given the ongoing trend towards email readers blocking images by default, there's no guarantee that many people will actually see the embedded video when they open the given email.

For all these reasons, embedding videos in email has, for many marketers, been more trouble than it's worth. Yet, research shows that email recipients have responded positively to embedded videos in email and that, on average, emails containing such videos get higher click-through rates.

In the case of a travel company, embedding video in an Easter email campaign resulted in, not just a higher click-through rate, but a 50 percent higher conversion rate.

This travel company put a lot of effort into optimizing its embedded video email campaign. The company worked out what the optimal length of the video (and associated file size) would be to maximize deliverability. The company also tested the emails in the most popular email readers (web and client or PC based) so that, when it came to beginning the campaign, most email recipients would be able to receive and view the video without any trouble.

In this particular company's case, a 20 second video was found to deliver optimal deliverability, click-through and conversion rates. That doesn't necessarily mean that 20 seconds is best for all email marketers. The ideal time will likely vary from email marketer to email marketer, based on such factors as the average Internet connection speed and the typical email reader used by the marketer's email subscribers.

Whether or not we will see more emails containing embedded videos remains questionable. The effort involved in ensuring such emails can be read by the typical email recipient can't be underestimated. Nor can the very real trend towards automatic blocking of rich media by today's web and client-based email readers. But, if you're game, and willing to put the effort in, you may just achieve the same results as the travel company mentioned above. A 50 percent increase in conversions is certainly nothing to sneeze at!