If you work in marketing, I’m sure you’ve been told a million times (maybe even from me) that video is the best way to reach your target audience. Video is engaging, it improves search engine optimization, and it builds brand recognition and trust.
While these points are important, it doesn’t mean that implementing videos into your marketing strategy doesn’t get mundane from time to time. I’m sure you’re constantly looking for innovative ways to relay your messaging in a video and find new methods to capture your audience’s attention.
Enter interactive videos.
As a creative marketing agency that specializes in video production, VMG Studios has dived into the world of interactive media and has found it to be a successful option for some of our clients.
This article will dive into the many benefits of interactive video including how it can help convert viewers into customers.
The description is in the title: interactive videos require interaction from the audience. In this day and age of multi-tasking and multiple screens, you’ve probably been guilty of being a distracted viewer.
Interactive video looks to solve viewer complacency by requiring action.
In turn, interactive video can turn a passive viewer into an active one.
Now, you may be asking: “Aren’t interactive videos the same as video games?” In short, yes and no. Video games are, of course, interactive and the player is crucial to advancing the narrative. Interactive videos can also feature gamification. However, interactive videos aren’t always (and don’t need to be) in a typical “game” format. They can be used for training series, music videos, side-by-side comparisons, and more.
Click here to interact with this video
Interactive videos are labor-intensive to produce; however, they can help elevate your marketing strategy and further engage your target audience. Let me show you how.
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE EXAMPLES OF INTERACTIVE VIDEOS
This is a major selling point when it comes to interactive media. There are plenty of statistics that support that video, in general, is more engaging than static marketing materials. Interactive video takes that engagement one step further.
One study found that interactivity results in 3 to 4 times greater viewer engagement than a linear video.
Part of this can be attributed to interactive video turning a passive viewer into an active one. A passive viewer is someone who isn’t necessarily watching – they could be multitasking or perusing the internet for something to grab their attention. Active viewers, meanwhile, are watching with a purpose – they’re engaged and paying attention.
In general, marketers should be targeting active viewers. We don’t want viewers to scroll by our videos or zone out while listening to our messaging. We want to inspire action and drive conversions.
Since viewers are involved in an interactive video – whether they need to make a series of decisions to forward the story narrative or periodically take quizzes to move to the next level of a training course – you’re already in a greater position to promote engagement. In some cases, where action is required, viewers don’t have the opportunity to zone out.
This level of engagement leads to the next benefit…
Getting and keeping your target audience’s attention is imperative, but their retention is just as important. You want your viewers to walk away remembering your messaging or remembering your call to action.
Did you know that after one hour, people retain less than half of the information presented?
To combat this, actively involving your viewer in a video helps increase the chances they’ll remember what they heard, saw, or felt.
Think about when you were in school. Did you remember more of the material when a teacher lectured the whole time, or did you feel more prepared for the pop quiz at the end of class when you had intermittent activities and checkpoints?
If you answered straight lecture, then I’m impressed!
Overall, though, stimulating the brain throughout a working session – or in this case, a video – can help boost retention.
To continue with the school theme, online learning continues to grow in popularity (and is becoming even more mainstream due to COVID-19). I have taken online courses before, and I’ll admit that it is easy to get distracted.
**This is an accurate representation of myself when I see cute animal videos on Twitter**
Interactive video keeps viewers accountable.
Sure, if you’re putting together a training series for employees or creating an online learning course for middle schoolers, putting a quiz or activity at the end of the video can keep people accountable.
However, I’ll bring it back around to benefit number 2: people are more likely to retain all the material with periodic checkpoints. Instead of quizzing someone on an entire book, why not quiz them after each chapter?
This also allows for in-the-moment learning or reflection depending on your subject matter.
I’ve used this example in other interactive video articles before, but it’s too good not to share.
What I like about the video below, which is a recruitment tool for a business looking to find compatible employees, is the accountability factor.
If you answer one of the scenarios “wrong,” instead of simply moving on, it prompts you to try again, even subtly leaving clues as to why your answer was incorrect. Upon answering correctly, it then gives you context as to why that is the correct answer. It allows the viewer to learn from their mistakes or mishaps.
Getting a lot of views on your marketing videos is great, but the real end goal is to convert viewers into paying customers.
Once someone is done watching your video, what do you want them to do next? Schedule an appointment? Call for a consultation? Add a product to their cart?
A call to action (CTA) is designed to guide people through the sales funnel and convert them into customers. Don’t leave it up to the viewer to decide what to do next. Show them and tell them.
Click the image below to download the free eBook
The Beginner's Guide to Video Production
See what I did there? 😉
Another advantage of interactive videos is instead of having your on-camera talent just say, “Call today for our lowest rates” (okay, that’s kind of a cheesy one, but you get the idea), you can include clickable features to drive the desired action. This creates an easy, all-encompassing experience for the consumer.
Also, with traditional, linear videos, CTAs are normally put towards the end. This is still a solid content workflow, however, with interactive videos, there’s opportunity to strategically place clickable CTAs throughout the video.
This is beneficial if you’re trying to sell multiple products or services within the same interactive video. It allows you to include CTAs right after featuring a specific product which is a prominent strategy in shoppable videos, a rising medium for e-commerce.
READ “WHAT ARE SHOPPABLE VIDEOS” HERE
And don’t just take it from me. A study found that the click-through rate for interactive video is 10 times higher than a passive video.
This benefit is somewhat of a summary of the others, but interactive videos are fun. They are innovative, creative, and engaging – all of which will help keep the attention of your target audience.
While they require a lot of work to produce, there is ample opportunity for creativity which can also help keep your marketing and sales team engaged in the content they are trying to promote.
So, not only are interactive videos fun for the viewer, they can be fun for your own team members who are involved in the process.
Interactive videos are still a relatively new form of media, meaning there is a learning curve when it comes to adding it to your current marketing repertoire. However, the benefits outweigh the challenges.
Surprise, delight, and engage your audience by turning them into an active viewer.
If you need help ideating, developing, and deploying interactive videos for your business, VMG Studios has the experience to drive your messaging forward.
Click the image below to download a creative messaging brief