What is interactive video? Interactive video explained. What is interactive video?
When you think about the term "interactive video", what do you see within your head? My first thought was an image of in the Monopoly Tropical Tycoon game which needed the use of a DVD player (that can make me feel like I'm a bit old).
The game would be played on the physical Monopoly board, and then you'd need utilize the DVD in order to create certain events (like hitting Chance) in the game.
Technically, this was an online video. However, technology in the area of interactive video has improved significantly since the early 2000's DVD ROM games.
Today, marketers can utilize the power of interactive video as part of their marketing strategy to increase engagement through online content, and stand out from the competition.
In this article, we'll be going over:
- What is interactive video?
- What is it that makes videos interactive?
- Different types of interactive videos
- The reasons why you should incorporate the use of interactive videos in your marketing strategy
- How do you make an engaging video?
- Examples of game-changing interactive videos
- FAQs
With no further delay now, let's talk about what an interactivity actually means.
What is interactivity video?
An interactive video is an type of media that allows users to engage with content inside the video. Interactive videos may result in a myriad of types of functions (more about that in the future) The thing that sets it apart from "normal" videos is the nonlinearity.
When you watch linear videos, you press play and watch the entire video (unless you decide not to keep watching, then click stop). With an interactive video it is possible to create multiple ways for viewers to travel through the movie and include links clickable to other web pages--i.e. you have different ways to press play or pause to make the viewer feel involved with the film.
What is it that makes videos interactive?
In short, what makes a video interactive is its ability to let a viewer manipulate the way or direction to interact with the video as they would like to. If you want to do that and there are some methods you can employ to assist the viewer.
- Hotspots. If you're looking to point viewers to a different piece of related content (as an example) it is possible to use Hotspots. A Hotspot is a part of the video that can be clicked or touched that is hyperlinked to the location you would like the viewer to go, such as a product page--creating a shoppable video.
- Overlays. If you wish for the user to be able to create a lasting impression with your interactions using overlays, it is possible to include contextual content after hitting a hotspot, or hitting a trigger. The overlays can contain pictures, text, call-to-action (CTA) and visual and audio prompts and much more.
- time triggers. If you'd rather not leave potential interactions up to chance, you could create events that occur within the video at a certain moment without the viewer having to hover or click on the video's content. One of the most popular uses for this is to open overlays.
- Branching. The most exciting method to use in interactive video The branching method allows viewers to navigate the movie in the "build your own journey" way. It is possible to take viewers on various paths to watch the film based on the decisions they make regarding your interaction options.
These techniques in conjunction with or without multiple techniques in the same video, is what makes video content interactive. The viewer is given the option of taking the movie in a completely different direction, as opposed to simply going through the entire video to end.
Types of interactive video
The DVD ROM game I talked about earlier is a type of interactive video. However, there are quite several other. We'll only list the ones that are likely to be of interest to business owners as well as marketers.
Quizzes
If you're looking to engage (and perhaps be rewarding) your audience, taking a quiz could be the way to go.
Interactive video quizzes can include real-life or animated footage in the background of the quiz. You can also interact with the quiz elements.
"Build your own adventure"
Did you catch the buzz surrounding Black Mirror's "Bandersnatch" episode? If not, then it was a feature-length Netflix show in which viewers were able to take decisions about the main character at key moments that lead to a specific ending based on those choices.
If you are a marketer, you are able to create (albeit on a smaller scale) this kind of interaction by using an "build your journey" kind of interactive video.
Shoppable videos
It's a little simpler to create a technical video, creating a shoppable video could be exactly what your marketing plan requires to advertise new (or resurrect older) products.
Shoppable videos use the Hotspot method mentioned previously in order to generate a clickable part within the video which leads to a page of products that people can visit.
Educational
Using the same techniques like the shoppable videos you can create informative interactive videos about your brand or the wider market.
These types of videos can be excellent for instructional videos, "About Us" pages as well as if your company does all non-profit activities.
What are the reasons to include interactive videos as part of your marketing strategies
According to Wyzowl's 2022 State of Video Marketing Report Only 17% of marketers intend to incorporate interactive videos into their marketing plans. A majority (82%) use YouTube to create their video content. Why? It's because it's simpler.
This section will try to inform you about it is worth the effort to create an interactive video is worth it
- Better data gathering. With various interactive video tools, you're able to monitor exactly how and when people interact with your video components (rather than just observing how long they watch).
- Higher conversion rates. According to recent studies Interactive video shows an average click-through rate of 11 percent. That compares to less than 1% of click-throughs on YouTube annotations and Google Ads.
- more engaging. Linear videos by nature create a more passive view. Interactive videos on the other hand offer a lively viewing experience. People are much less likely to get distracted if they have to engage in the videos.
- more remembered. There's a little curiosity element that is at work with interactivity in videos. Although a person might not necessarily like the interactive video, its novelty (remember just 17% of marketers plan to utilize it) will likely to make it at least memorable.
If you've learned what interactive video is and how using it can help your marketing plan, but what do you need to know about creating one? This section will provide a step-by-step tutorial.
How can you create an interactivity video?
In the present, the tools are only available to Enterprise users. However, they will soon be making its way over to self-serve customers.
- Create or log in to an account. Once you're logged in, head into your library of videos to upload a new video or open up your existing one in the editor.
- After you've opened the editor, there's the Interactive button in the Advanced settings option on the right-hand side within the editor.
- Clicking on the Interactivity button opens the Interactive studio where you can add the interactivity elements we have previously discussed.
- You can add a Hotspot or Time Trigger element to the video using the pane to right-hand side of the video preview or the timeline editor below the preview. You can upload your own images or choose from the collection.
- If you add a new component that you want to add, it can "stick" to an object or open to a certain area on the screen.
- Additionally, you can make use of Time Triggers to build on the "branching" technique that we talked about in the past by offering viewers the choice of skipping to an appropriate segment of the movie at the touch of an icon.
- When you've added each component you'll be able to view the animation prior to making them part of the video. When you're satisfied, you can hit the blue checkmark or tick mark in the side-panel editor.
That's it! After you've included all your interactive elements, you can preview the whole video before leaving your interactive Studio. After returning to the editor you'll be able to choose whether or not to publish the video via other social media sites, save the video link and then get the embed code for placing on your website.
Game-changing examples of interactive video
Now that you've figured out how easy it can be to create an interactive video with , how about some ideas? We'll give you incredible examples of animated videos, along with an explanation of the reasons why they're great.
Nespresso
Nespresso is a globally renowned coffee maker. The company created the animated video to promote the Nespresso Vertuo range of coffee machines and related products.
The video features both Hotspots as well as Time Triggers that help create this "build your adventure" kind of navigation. The thing that makes this video amazing is the ease with which Nespresso lets you choose a path by making the interactive elements very big.
Asurion
Another example comes of the tech support business Asurion. In this interactive video, the host takes the viewer through a second "build your journey" style video that is that is reminiscent of a quiz, that will lead you until you can purchase the final page.
There's a lot of interactive components in the clip, but what distinguishes it is its engaging nature and not overly complicated (you do not have to click on everything in order to continue).
Both of these examples show that you can make use of interactive videos in innovative way that is on brand and will improve the marketing campaigns you are working on.
FAQs
What is the meaning of interactive video?
Interactive video is a kind of video that allows viewers to engage with the material they watch. There are clickable parts that can take users to different parts of the video or to an entirely different website.
What are examples of interactive videos?
Some examples of interactive videos are quizzes "build your own adventure" as well as shoppable videos as well as educational videos. These kinds of videos employ interactivity elements such as Hotspots as well as Time Triggers to create an interactive experience.
What exactly is a video that can be purchased?
A video that is shoppable is an interactive type of video that permits the viewers to click on an highlighted product in the video. This takes them straight to the product website.
Does it have interactive features?
Enterprise customers can create interactive videos with the brand-new interactive studio. The interactive studio is planned for release to self-service customers by the end of the year.
Do you want to get more people involved? Go interactive
The goal of making your video interactive is to create an effective method to encourage viewers to be more engaged with your content. If done with the proper approach, they can also be a powerful lead generation tool--think targeted product recommendations based on information the viewer has chosen to view.
Interactive videos could have appeared as if they were science fiction a couple of decades in the past. But now creating interactive videos can be done with ease thanks to tools like . In addition the marketing department can put one together in mere few minutes.
Are you ready to give it a to give it a