Video content is a powerful medium for exchanging information. In recent years, the popularity of interactive video has transformed the way we consume video content. Interactive video offers a unique experience that traditional linear videos just can’t match. In this blog post, we will learn more about interactive video and delve into 5 reasons why interactive video is better than linear video and how it’s changing the game.
What is an Interactive Video?
An interactive video is a type of video content that enables viewers to interact with it via various interactive elements. It is a non-linear form of content with which viewers can engage by answering questions, participating in polls, clicking on hotspots, etc. These interactive videos add an extra layer of engagement to your content.
Features of an Interactive Video
There are various features of interactive videos that help boost the engagement rate. Viewers can interact by making gestures, hovering the cursor, and clicking buttons, depending on the type of feature included in the video.
a. In-video meeting links: You can add in-video meeting links that will enable the users to join or get invited to a meeting.
b. Polls: You can insert a poll in your non-linear video if you want to get an opinion from your viewers. They can simply click on the option that they prefer, and you can view the poll results after the poll deadline has passed.
c. Quizzes: This feature enables the viewers to participate in the quizzes in the video. They can answer one or more questions by typing their answers or choosing an answer from multiple choices.
d. CTA: You can also add clickable Call-to-action (CTA) to your interactive videos that help the viewer understand what the next steps are for engaging with your brand. These in-video CTAs generally contain a link to the login page or other sales-related external pages.
e. Annotations: You can also add one or more notes to the video to explain certain aspects of the video (such as a diagram or an image) to the viewers. This helps them to understand the context of the video in a better way.
f. Branching: With this feature, your audience has the ability to choose their own path in which they want to view the video. This enables the user to take control and personalize the video viewing experience.
Difference between Interactive Video and Linear Video
The main difference between linear video and interactive video is the presence of some specific features in the latter. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Unlike linear videos, creators can insert in-video call-to-actions that can help to boost the performance of the marketing campaigns. Viewers can also have customized narratives and viewing experiences according to their choice in the case of interactive videos. There are many more functionalities of interactive videos that separate them from linear videos. Look at the chart below to understand the differences in detail.
Why Interactive Videos are better than Linear Videos
In general, videos are a great way of delivering information to viewers. However, with the increasing popularity of video content, it is essential to create videos that stand out from the rest of the crowd. This is where interactive videos come into the picture. These non-linear video formats are considered to be superior to linear video formats because of the following reasons:
a. More engaging and compelling
It is well known that video is comparatively more engaging than other types of static marketing content. However, if you allow the viewers to interact with the video, it can help you make the video more engaging and compelling. According to a study, it is estimated that interactivity helps increase the engagement rate of linear videos by 3 to 4 times. This is mainly because interactive videos transform the role of viewers. They are no longer simply passive audiences consuming the content; rather, they are active viewers who can interact with several video features to have a personalized viewing experience.
b. Improved viewer retention
An average person retains about 95% of the information when they watch a video, while they can only retain about 10% of the information after reading it as text. This shows that video content has better retention as compared to text. But research also shows that people will have forgotten 50% of the information presented to them within one hour. And as a brand marketer, your aim is to create a long-lasting impression in the minds of the viewers. Interactive videos can help you combat this problem because these non-linear videos require the active participation of the viewers. This will increase the chances of them remembering all the essential information.
c. Access to trackable data
As mentioned earlier, one of the most important differences between interactive video and linear video is that you can monitor the performance of your interactive video campaigns more effectively. There are various tools that can help you analyze video interaction, such as the number of plays, dwell times, completion rate, conversion rate, engagement rate, etc. Furthermore, analyzing your past video campaigns also helps you plan your upcoming video campaigns in a more efficient manner.
d. Better Conversion rate
People also tend to share video content with their friends and families if they find the information useful or engaging. An interactive video has all these qualities, which encourage the viewers to share it with their peers. Hence, it is much easier to get more views and likes in a short period of time. And as you already know, the conversion rate is directly proportional to the number of views and likes. It is estimated that the click-through rate of interactive videos is about 10 times higher than that of passive videos.
e. Preferred by Viewers
Interactive videos enable the viewers to be actively involved, which transforms the video viewing experience. These non-linear video formats offer valuable information to the viewers and offer a new form of entertainment at the same time. Hence, viewers prefer to engage with these interactive videos rather than linear videos.
How to create an Interactive Video
Now that you know about the benefits of interactive videos, let’s learn about how you can create them for your marketing campaign.
a. Brainstorm an Idea
The first step to creating an engaging interactive video is to develop a concept. You need to think about some basic questions, such as:
- What is the subject of the video?
- What are the types of interactions that you want to include in the video?
- Who is the target audience for the video?
The answers to these questions must be based on your marketing objectives. Also, your answers will help you come up with a concept on which your video can be based.
b. Select a popular video platform
There are several online video platforms that you can use to create an interactive video. One of the most efficient and user-friendly tools available on the market is Hippo Video. With a range of creative options and simple-to-use features such as a custom poll, a lead generation form, a video playlist, etc., you can make stunning interactive videos that elicit intrigue in your viewers.
c. Monitor and track video metrics
After your interactive video is online, the final step is to evaluate and track its performance. This step helps you learn from your mistakes and make better videos in the future. While conceptualizing an idea for the video, you can also figure out some metrics or indicators that can help you assess its performance, such as engagement rate, number of views, completion rate, etc.
If you are creating your first interactive video, you can use the performance results of other videos as a reference. This will help you set realistic expectations for the video’s performance.
Best practices to create Interactive Videos
Interactive videos have a lot more to offer viewers as compared to linear videos. Here are some useful tips for creating interactive videos that will help you boost your engagement rate:
a. Use Interactive elements mindfully
Interactive videos are not only fun to watch, but they are also exciting to create. However, it is important for you to make considerable use of interactions. You shouldn’t get overexcited and put way too many interactive elements in the video. For instance, if you put multiple links, branches, and a few quizzes all in the same video, your audience might get overwhelmed. This might lead to the failure of your interactive video. A lot of interactions in a single video confuse the viewers; hence, it is recommended to use video interactions considerately.
b. Gamify the viewing experience
Interactive videos enable marketers to gamify the viewing experience in a unique manner. One way to do so is to create multiple content pathways for a viewer that enable them to create a unique, customized experience for each selection. This technique is commonly known as branching.
You can also add other gaming components and make use of reward schemes to improve the viewer engagement rate. Some common aspects of gaming that you can include are scoring weekly competitions or quizzes. This way, your viewers can have a more engaging and wholesome video experience.
c. Walk your audience through the interactive video
Some of your target audience may not know about the concept of interactive videos; hence, it is important that you walk them through the viewing experience. Here are some ways in which you could let the audience know that they can interact with the video:
- Include some annotations in the video explaining to them how to interact with the various in-video elements.
- Include a poster frame or slate at the start of the video, affirming that the video is interactive.
- Make use of narration or voiceover to walk the viewers through the viewing experience.
Conclusion
Interactive video is no longer a new outreach tactic. These non-linear video formats are now considered mainstream video content. It is estimated that 35% of marketing professionals experienced better conversion rates, and 25% of them experienced increased sales after using interactive videos. Interactive videos are ones with which viewers can interact by hovering, clicking, scrolling, or dragging some specific elements. Some of the elements that you can use to create interactive videos include branches, quizzes, polls, links, etc. You can use Hippo Video to create highly engaging interactive videos to achieve all your marketing objectives.