Interactive Videos Increase Conversion and Boost Engagement

Ever since its inception, video has had the power to draw viewers in and hold their attention. We are all overloaded with information and video has the power to quickly cut through the fluff and reach your audience. As a moving image platform, video is interesting, fun and engaging. Created correctly with the good content, animations and the right tone of voice, interactive video can draw in customers and inspire them to take in your message and take action.

Video is no longer simply a linear device that you need to watch from start to finish in order to understand. Interactive video means viewers can join the video and watch it at a point that which interests them. They can also replay various sections and dip in and out of the format as they feel, creating a unique new way to engage with content more deeply.

What is interactive video and how can it engage users?

Interactive video is a relatively new concept but is rapidly set to become a more mainstream tool for marketers. New user experiences are built enabling marketers to hook users deeper into the content funnel. But what makes a video interactive and how can its power be harnessed? There are many ways in which a video can be interactive. Interactivity can use pop-ups to persuade viewers to participate in the video. For example, viewers can click on Call To Action buttons and be directed to fill in a form, subscribe, request more information, be directed to an external URL, or even to Buy Now.

Interactive video is an engaging format which provides the user with the choice of how they interact with the message being communicated. The viewer can decide which section of the interactive video they view first. They can experiment with how they move organically through the interactive content. Users can click on hotspots of the video to watch sections relevant to them.

This gives businesses the ability to design a pathway to engage viewers more fully because it’s fun and informative and the user has control over their experience. No two users will have the same experience with an interactive video. Each customer has the ability to customise their viewing experience on their own terms.

Discover customer needs

Using interactive video, you can discover exactly what customer needs are. The information gleaned can then be used to improve your business model, products and services and see what is works and what doesn’t. Using clickable icons on screen enables users to review the content at their own pace.

Customers can interact with products before they buy them and get a better feel for what you offer. Interactive video can be even more subtle though, it can calculate the retention rate and interactions with features of your product. Viewers can also speak directly to customer service operatives via chat bots embedded within the video.

Interactive video gives the user a unique experience of your content and enables you to convey your message visually with moving images. Above all, interacting with videos is a fun experience for users which allows them to experience the video content in bitesize chunks presented in a fun way. Providing a variety of ways to consume information enables greater retention and understanding of business objectives and messages. When a user is more deeply engaged by the content, they stay focused longer and become more immersed and understand more about your message and products or services. Customers are naturally curious and want to learn and experience new products and services.

Create more conversions

Interactive videos increases the interaction rates, longer engagement and higher click-through rate. So, if you’re seeking to justify your marketing budget and spend on creating an interactive video, start with that conversion rate!

Successful marketing means spending your budget on tools that make a difference. Interactive video has been proven to make a difference and increase conversions. So this further shows that when a user has control, they are more likely to answer a call to action. Rapt Media surveyed 500 consumers and discovered that “64% said they were more likely to spend time watching a video if it gives more options to interact with it”. User experienced viewing accelerates behaviour change and increases participation.

Stand out from the crowd with interactive video

Successful marketing is all about standing out from the crowd, that’s what everyone wants to do. Getting ahead of competitors takes modern day tools and interactive video is one way to get the edge. When you engage digital media experts to create an interactive video it helps create memorable and enjoyable customer experiences, helping your business stand out. In research carried out by Business2Community, “88% of marketers argue that interactive content differentiates them from their competitors”.

Cut through the noise and measure ROI

There’s a lot of noise out there on the internet which means you need to be the one to shout the loudest and make the most impact. Interactive video builds a really powerful relationship with your viewers and increases their receptivity to your message. Interactive video can educate users about your business offering and can inspire the viewer to choose to take action in a more natural way than the pester power of repetitive advertising ever could.

How do we know it engages viewers? It does because there are measurable metrics which provide feedback on the elements users engage with most. Metrics monitor how long users spend viewing, reviewing and interacting with the content and can show conversion rates and revenue generated.

Higher Return on Investment with interactive video

So, when you use a portion of your marketing budget to create an interactive video, rest assured its money well spent. The return on your investment will be higher than other less dynamic forms of advertising media. Interactive video is rapidly becoming a much more mainstream tool for conveying key messages and creating meaningful calls to action. Can you afford to ignore it? One thing is true, interactive video is here to stay and the more we harness its power, the greater our conversion rates will be and ultimately our profits.