Because video does such a great job of attracting and holding consumer attention, it can contribute to a wide range of successful marketing initiatives aimed at everyone from current customers to new prospects.

For example, video can be used in a bounceback strategy – promoting relevant products to consumers who have already visited or made purchases at your site. And its strong search value can be used to hook consumers who are researching potential purchases on the web.

In addition, try these five ideas for making video a powerful contributor to your successful campaigns.

1. Boost email clickthroughs and sharing

Add greater interactivity and promote engagement with your promotional emails, simply by including video.

A recent study from the Relevancy Group found that 55% of marketers surveyed reported higher clickthrough rates for emails that included videos. What’s more, 41% saw an uptick in sharing and forwarding.

It’s clear that in addition to providing more compelling content, they can be a powerful tool for generating customer referrals – and we all recognize the exceptional value of word-of-mouth advertising. In addition to promotional emails, consider adding video to post-purchase confirmation and follow-up emails, drawing attention to similar or related products.

Finally, perhaps the greatest impact can be from including videos in emails to customers who have abandoned their shopping carts. Product video paired with a special incentive may be all it takes to get them off the fence.

2. Grow interest through display advertising

A recent test by Blue State Digital confirms what many of us had already intuited – if you want people to watch your videos, put them in display ads.

Blue State found that video views were much higher for ads in the Google Display Network, compared to the Google Search Network. They theorise that when a consumer has reached the point of actively searching content, they may be seeking website content rather than a video.

On the other hand, consumers likely to tune into a display ad may be in the mood to engage in richer content such as video.

3. Increase the impact of retargeting

Combining the attention-grabbing capacity of video with the strategic power of retargeting can yield impressive results. Some studies have shown that video retargeting can generate a 5% to 10% lift in conversions, site visits and revenue.

To make it easier to take advantage of these gains, new services such as DoubleClicks’s Bid Manager and Videology have emerged. Bid Manager is designed to integrate search-to-display retargeting and can also connect with YouTube to retarget video ads elsewhere.

This can be an especially compelling tactic for converting users with abandoned shopping carts.

4. Reach more viewers via paid search

The SEO value of video is well-known – in fact, I’ve written extensively on the topic. What is less recognized is the way video can augment the effectiveness and ROI of paid search campaigns.

Since last year, retailers can bid on keywords to place paid search ads on YouTube and enjoy the heightened visibility this premier online destination offers. This opportunity isn’t part of the broader Google Search Network – yet – but we can anticipate that it is not too far off.

5. Get pinned and Instagrammed

Most marketers regularly add videos to Facebook pages. But don’t forget to add them to your Pinterest pinboards as well. As Pinterest’s user community continues to grow, the content being shared goes well beyond the static images around which the site was established.

Take advantage of this trend by selecting graphically appealing key frames and adding videos to your company pinboards.

In addition, Instagram now allows users to post short videos, similar to Vine. So add them to your video distribution checklist.

Consumers are getting quicker on the trigger when it comes to deleting marketers’ emails, and it takes a great deal to attract their attention on the web. Video has proven itself capable of making communications stand out and keeping consumers’ eyes and minds engaged.

Consider using it in every possible channel and platform to get the maximum bang for your marketing buck.