The video above is interactive!
It’s already well known that videos are great for engagement, 49% of marketers say video helps engage their audience. Engaged viewers means more connected viewers and this ultimately leads to higher conversions. However, a common problem is audience retention for the full duration of a video. On average 50% of a video’s audience will drop off by the 30 second mark, demonstrating how important it is to properly plan your video content and structure.
The good news is that there are technologies to help combat the issue of attention scarcity. A major trend that is emerging is the increasing use of interactive video in marketing. With interactive video the audience is no longer a passive viewer but instead engaged participant in the video content. 25% of marketers who implemented interactive videos see 25% better conversions rates. Interactive video provides the audience with a memorable experience and any kind of marketing that is memorable is sure to lead to a higher conversion rate.
What is interactive video?
To define what interactive video is its best to first look at what ‘traditional’ or ‘linear’ video is. When watching a linear video, the audience only have access to limited functions. They can: play, pause, rewind, fast forward or restart the video. They are a passive viewer, and the viewing experience will be universally the same from viewer to viewer.
Unlike linear video or passive video, an interactive video allows viewers to interact with the video by clicking on clickable time-based content, which then allows them to perform an action. It’s video that goes beyond the simple “play” and “pause” functions of a linear video, the viewer has far greater control over their viewing experience.
Why should I use interactive video?
Better tracking
Currently, video metrics are limited; the success of a video is normally measured by views and engagement. However, this can make it hard to prove the real value of video marketing – without the data showing the correlation between activity and conversions, it can be hard to prove that the video has been a good return on investment.
Interactive video allows you to track more information than traditional video. On an interactive video you can track clicks, collect the data within embedded ‘from’ fields and even track the purchases made through the video via a linked e-commerce site. Having information about what parts of a video people are more engaged with can give you very valuable data about your customers and their particular interests. The inclusion of forms in a video is great for allowing you to build your customer lists.
By taking a look at previous video analytics you can optimise your interactive video. By placing interactive features into your video where the audience normally drops off, you can encourage them watch for longer- leading to even better engagement!
Better at educating
When your audience interacts with your video, they are in control of the information that they consume. This means that the viewer is only absorbing the information that is relevant to them. They can choose to either quickly view the video or go in-depth on one point that is relevant to them. It also allows them to be in control of the pace of their consumption of content.
In an interactive video your audience only has to watch what they’re interested in, meaning they are engaged for longer, and the more engaged your audience is the easier it’s going to be to remember the content in your video.
More memorable
Although interactive video is becoming more popular it still isn’t completely mainstream in video marketing. Interactive videos stand out especially now that more businesses than ever invest in some kind video marketing. Interactive video could offer you a competitive edge to earn your audience’s attention and stand out from your competitors. 88% of marketers say that interactive advertising is great for businesses to differentiate themselves from competitors.
Since your audience actively participates in your video, they are much more likely to remember it. If you make a video that is easy to recall, you’ll be the first to come to mind when pain points arise.
Greater return on investment
To measure the ROI of video you need to first set goals for what you want to measure but if your goals include better engagement or longer viewing time then you may want to invest in interactive video. Interactive video leads to 66% more engagement and 44% longer viewing time. Both engagement and view time ultimately lead to a video that is optimised for converting.
It’s more assessable now than ever before!
Interactive video now accounts for 36% of all video content that is produced- this is probably because it’s easier to produce now than ever before.
We’re now seeing interactive video pop up more in mainstream media. A recent example of this is the Honda Civic advert “The Other Side”, that won a Gold Lion in the Cannes film festival and doubled traffic to the Honda Civic website during the time the campaign ran. Obviously, the success of this campaign came with a matching price tag. However, interactive with simpler functions is now becoming very affordable. Digma an interactive video platform, now offers one of the cheapest ways to add interactivity to video, starting at just £50 a month. Currently 33% of marketers don’t use interactive video because they believe they don’t have the budget for it but with the arrival of platforms like Digma that percentage will most likely decrease.
How can we help?
Feature Media now offers interactive video using Digma’s unique SAAS platform. If you have an idea for interactive video, please call us or use the contact from here.