Last updated on 9th August 2023
Interactive video is a form of media many top brands are using to engage consumers and reach their digital marketing goals. While new, this media is exciting viewers and marketers alike.
According to our State of Video Marketing report, 17% of video marketers plan to include interactive video in their 2022 video marketing strategy.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves…
Just what exactly is interactive video? If you’ve heard of this new form of video media but don’t know exactly what it is or how you can use it, we’ve put together this simple guide to understanding it.
Contents
Interactive video vs linear video
Traditional video, or linear video, is the type of video you’re probably most used to. When you view a linear video, you click “play” to start the content, with the options to pause, rewind, fast forward and restart the video during the experience. Aside from those limited functions, there isn’t much you can do to interact with a linear video.
An interactive video gives the viewer the ability to interact with the video content itself through a variety of tools. Users can click, drag, scroll, hover, gesture and complete other digital actions to interact with the video’s content, similar to the way they’d interact with web content.
There are several different functionalities you can build into an interactive video, but the most commonly used options include:
- Hotspots: clickable areas within a video; these buttons can take a viewer to a separate web page or reveal content directly within the video, like merchandise pricing
- 360 views: the ability for a user to drag the screen within a video frame to see in all directions
- Branches: different paths a user can take to control and customise the content they see
- Data inputs: form fields through which a user can enter information like their name, age, etc.
- Quizzes: combining buttons and branching to deliver an assessment and reveal a personalised result at the end of the video
These tools create a more fun and engaging experience for the viewer and turn a potentially static video into something more memorable, enjoyable and interactive.
Why use interactive video?
Interactive video has quickly become a well-established and widely used marketing tool. According to a study by Spiel Creative, almost 90% of marketers surveyed noted a growth in their online sales after incorporating interactive video, and over 85% said that they would create more interactive videos in the future.
Those numbers will likely increase further as brands explore different tactics and figure out which resonate most with their target audience.
As you contemplate whether interactive video is right for your brand, consider the main reasons many companies are adding it to their digital media toolbox.
It’s popular
The best marketing strategies incorporate media that consumers want to interface with – and right now, that’s interactive video. Its popularity is shown by both brand and consumer behaviour. Brands are producing interactive videos at an astonishing rate; in fact, it already accounts for 36% of all video content that’s produced. On the other side, consumers are responding to interactive video with increased engagement rates. According to DemandGen, interactive content gains two times more engagement than static content.
It’s trackable
For a long time, the only way marketers could track a video’s success was through view rates. This was a problem for many people who found it difficult to prove the value of their video efforts; without data to show a correlation between video activity and conversions, it can be hard to prove a video’s impact.
Interactive video has enabled much more powerful video metric tracking. You can now track clicks within a video, analyse different paths taken with branching, collect data with video form fields, and much more. There are several tools you can use to track these metrics. Some well-known tools include:
- WIREWAX, a leading interactive video creation platform that tracks a wide range of metrics from the moment a video is published, including dwell time, interactions, shares and ‘add to carts’
- Rapt, a cloud-based interactive video creation and publishing tool with a built-in analytics dashboard to track user demographics information, plays, user paths and more
- DilogR, a video hosting platform that integrates with CRM and email marketing platforms to analyse how interactive video impacts the end-to-end user experience
It’s more engaging
When a user is watching a linear video, it can be easy to get distracted. 87% of viewers use more than one device at a time, meaning you’re already vying for your audience’s attention. Interactive video makes viewing active instead of passive, creating a game-like experience that grabs and keeps a user’s attention and results in a 591% lift in user activity – a huge increase most marketers can’t afford to pass up.
It converts
Interactive videos convert at significantly higher rates than many other types of digital video ads. Specifically, banner ads, Google display ads and Youtube Annotations convert at rates of less than 1%. Interactive video blows all of those out of the water, converting at a rate of more than 11%.
It’s more memorable
It turns out the sheer ability to engage with content in an interactive video makes a user more likely to remember your brand. Even if a viewer doesn’t interact with the video itself, interactive video ads are 32% more memorable than linear video ads.
It delights the user
On top of the hard data points above, interactive video is simply more enjoyable than linear video. It’s a great way to add a moment of delight to the user experience as your viewers explore an interactive story and learn more about your brand, all while having fun.
What makes a great interactive video?
While there are lots of things you can do with interactive video, there are several qualities that the best examples all share. As you consider how to add this media to your marketing mix, take into account these best practices.
They use interaction thoughtfully
First and foremost, great interactive videos are intentionally designed. Just like you strategically design a user interface so that a digital product or website is easy to use, an interactive video must also be designed with the end-user in mind. A great video isn’t interactive for the sake of it. It uses interactivity to enhance the user experience, not show off.
Paymentshield is a great example of a brand that’s designing this media thoughtfully. Through their research, they found there were many different reasons that financial advisers didn’t speak to their customers about general insurance (GI). Not every adviser had the same reason – which is why interactive video became a perfect fit.
This video asks the audience what specific reason is giving them pause before talking about GI. Viewers can then click on this reason to be taken down a curated path that can help to quell their doubts. Click here to interact with the video.
They use gamification
Interactive video gives marketers the ability to gamify a video experience in a way linear video could never do. This technique is called branching or creating multiple content pathways for a user to create a unique experience they select themselves. The Paymentshield video above used branching to create different content paths based on the user’s own situation. Paymentshield’s video may have been more corporate, but this technique can also be used for fun.
Buzzfeed showed how interactive video can create a choose-your-adventure style experience for audiences. This fun fashion quiz asks users different questions about themselves to find the perfect outfit to match their personality. Check it out here.
They’re engaging and entertaining
Great marketing doesn’t just sell products – it’s enjoyable and entertaining for the audience. This is true for most media; think about the best social media campaigns and Super Bowl ads. The ones that come to your mind likely have an entertainment factor built into the campaign. Interactive video takes video marketing entertainment to a whole new level.
One brand that did this well was Honda. The automotive giant wanted to showcase the diversity of the Civic Type R as part family car, part performance vehicle.
In their video, users could toggle between two parallel yet completely different stories by literally typing “R” on their keyboard. One story positions the Civic as a family car; the protagonist in the story picks up his daughters from school and completes other fatherly duties. Meanwhile, if you type “R,” you’ll see the same man, still in a Civic, living a much more intense and dangerous life as an undercover agent busting a major robbery. Honda shows how interactive video can be a nearly cinematic experience if you weave in an entertaining plot line.
They let the user be part of the story
Perhaps one of the greatest values of video is its ability to tell a strong story. Interactive video takes storytelling to new heights, letting your viewers become characters in your brand story who make decisions on how the plot unfolds.
One great example of this is a video by popular rock artist Coldplay, who released an interactive music video for their single “Ink.” In the video, the viewer plays the role of the main character and makes decisions about his choices throughout the video, truly becoming part of the character’s quest to find his long lost love. All in all, there are 300 different paths the video could take based on the various branching options. The video went on to win a Webby for Best Use of Interactive Video because of its original approach to a traditional music video.
Final thoughts on interactive video
Interactive video is a non-linear, gamified media that lets users click, drag, scroll and interact with video content. It’s a popular, trackable and highly effective way to convert users and help you reach your marketing goals. As you’re working on the concept for your interactive video, remember to follow these best practices:
- Use interaction thoughtfully: Design the user experience of the video as carefully as you would a website or app.
- Gamify the user experience: Use the interactive tools available to you to create a game-like experience where the viewer can choose their own destiny.
- Be entertaining: Don’t just talk about your brand. Add value and create a fun experience for your viewers.
- Let the user play a part: Craft a powerful plot and make your viewer feel like they have a role in your brand’s story.
If you’re planning to use interactive video in your marketing strategy this year then we’d love to help you. We’ve created thousands of videos for happy clients all over the world, and we can handle everything from scripting to giving you access to analytics that help you measure the interactivity of your video.
Visit our interactive video page to find out more.
