Stand Out With the Help of An Interactive Video!

As the digital world evolves businesses, companies and entrepreneurs are looking for state-of-art, innovative ways to attract new customers, as well as to engage and retain existing customers. Competition gets harder every day and the goal is to not get behind. Nowadays, many top organizations are turning to interactive video to achieve their digital marketing objectives. Although still emerging, interactive videos have already proven to be quite effective with 78% of marketers reporting success with an interactive video. In many ways, interactive content surpasses linear video, with copious results including increased engagement, longer dwell time, and a larger return on investment. In one study, interactive videos received double-digit click-through rates, almost twice as much as that of a regular video!

Interactive content offers you a whole new set of possibilities. Yes, you may create content tailored to certain audiences, generate leads, and better educate prospects. But, you could also a way gather useful information about what people are interested in, the behavior of your audience, and how to further video engagement. So what exactly is an interactive video? If you are old enough, you might recall the Lone Wolf gamebook series by Joe Dever published back in 1984. In this series, the reader makes choices at regular intervals through the story which results in changes in the story’s plot, and ultimately the final outcome. An interactive video is the equivalent of this as the viewer controls the video’s flow by clicking on on-screen objects, asking questions, and purchasing things all within a single video – a totally immersive experience. This is disruptive marketing reimagined for the digital age, with a lot more attractive, engaging, and memorable visuals.

How do you successfully create an interactive piece successfully? 

Link Your Content 

Include links in your video that direct visitors to your site, product pages, or wherever else you want them to go. This is one of the simplest methods to make a video more interactive. To make a great interactive experiance with clickable links, use basic text, icons, boxes or shapes, or any combination of these.

Add Hotspots

Aren’t these the same links? Well, no. Hotspots are similar to links, but they accomplish much more. In a nutshell, this is the epitome of a call-to-action on your interactive video. It’s a clear and visible “button” that your audience can engage with. It’s like a button, but with a touch of fun because it can track objects in your interactive video and make them clickable, reactive, and dynamic.

Hotspots recognize and identify a shape and monitor its movement across your interactive video. Viewers can then engage with the shape by clicking, tapping, or interacting with it at any time. For example, if a car is moving down the road, this entire object can be a hotspot with a clickable link to a product or shopping page. 

This offers visual interest that keeps a viewer’s attention, and it also allows the audience to witness a product in action. A video of a woman strolling down the street using a certain type of clothing can be a hotspot with a buyable link.

Explore a “Choose Your Own Adventure” Format

Remember the Lone Wolf series we talked about? This is the equivalent of that and is often called “branching”. You have the opportunity to choose between similar videos and direct the story’s narrative in a specific video. It offers an interactive experience for the audience, increasing their interest in your interactive video and ultimately your business.

It takes a lot of effort to do this successfully since it requires having a lot more high-quality video assets at your disposal and integrating multiple storylines into one cohesive visual narrative. However, the end result is a truly interactive and interesting experience that can be customized to your liking.

Include Integrations

There are plenty of software integrations that can help you add interactive elements to your interactive video. For example, connecting your CRM platform, like Salesforce or Hubspot, into your interactive video allows you to more easily integrate call to actions, quizzes, polls, and other features.

Even today’s webinar software, such as Join.Me and GoToMeeting, allows you to record yourself, add slides, and ask your audience questions while they watch. Integrating other tools, such as Google Maps, chat boxes, and more will become the norm in the next few years.

Consider 360 Videos

360 videos are great for immersing the viewer in a place since they capture every angle of your interactive video, giving the consumer a comprehensive 360-degree view of a venue or event. That means the viewer can choose the direction they wish to watch by dragging the screen with their mouse or tilting their phone screen. The interactive video reacts in real-time to their movements and varies according to where they dragging or tilting the screen.

These are usually high-definition videos that let viewers imagine themselves in a certain location, such as concert halls, outside in nature, or underwater. As technology progresses, the availability of these cameras and the apps that go with them will be more approachable. Integrations with virtual reality software are becoming more widespread, so expect to see more 360 videos in the future!

Look Into Multi-Stream and Live Streaming

Multi-stream characteristics allow the viewer to watch two videos at the same time, shifting between them using a slider. Multiplayer games, quizzes, and real-time reaction elements have become a fascinating aspect of the video-watching experience. In the last few years, we have witnessed the growth of live streaming, which allows viewers to ask questions and receive responses in real-time.

Don’t be TOO Spontaneous

We know creativity is an important element in the making of an interactive video, but every successful project starts with a plan. So, it’s time to set up a well-thought-out strategy. The content of your interactive video must be supported by the mission and vision of your company and the goal you want to accomplish. Otherwise, it just becomes a sort of entertainment video. So, before selecting or making an interactive video with your selected interactive tools, you must first determine the objectives of your interactive video.

It’s helpful to have a rough outline of the story, especially one with various plot lines, including all of the possible options and scenarios. Always take into account that a good concept with well-considered material and choices will result in a great interactive video, which will ease out the task of shooting and editing your interactive video. 

Don’t know how to start? What about a pen and paper! Approaching the setup of the story of your interactive video with a traditional strategy could be the best way to map out the story of your interactive video. After all, traditional ways are cliché for a reason, they work!

Don’t be in a Rush!

The interactive buttons that will be shown on the screen must be quite long! Keep in mind that you need at least 5 seconds of a button appearing on-screen for a viewer makes a decision and click on your button; make sure you plan for this. It’s crucial to space out your interactions. If you cram them all into one section of an interactive video, the viewers can overlook them or become overwhelmed by all of the options. In fact, it’s better to place your first interactive element somewhere between 1 and 2 minutes, and then wait another minute or two for the next hyperlink or hotspot.

Don’t Miss a Beat!

You’ve put a lot of effort into developing your interactive video. As a result, you must ensure that it is accomplishing the expected outcomes. To put it another way, will it be truly worth the money? Insights can be gained via analytics and viewer feedback. Conducting audience research is another crucial part of creating an interactive video. Determine what is important to them and how they prefer to obtain online content. Your interactive video design must take into account their interests, behaviors, and needs.

End-Note

Interactive video is a non-linear, gamified way that allows users to engage with interactive video content by clicking, dragging, scrolling, and interacting with it. It’s a popular, trackable, and very effective method for converting users and achieving your marketing objectives. 

This is a new technology that we believe will transform the interactive video marketing environment in the coming years. It’s constantly changing, and it’s a fascinating trend to follow. We’d love to hear from you if you’re interested in learning more about interactive video making. Our StoryBox Studios interactive video experts can walk you through your options and answer any questions you might have.

Connecting with your audience is a wonderful thing: it means you’re telling your story, reaching out to new people, and expanding your brand. We are here to help you accomplish your business goals! Are you ready to take the lead?