In 2018, Netflix released an episode of their popular show Black Mirror. The episode was called Bandersnatch and allowed users to give input into how they wanted to watch the episode.
Viewers were allowed to choose where the plot of the episode went next and what the characters would do. The episode was massively popular and even went on to win an Emmy.
Now, interactive video is a much more frequent in media. But what is an interactive video, especially in the context of marketing? Does it make sense for you to dive into this world with your audience?
If you’re curious about this popular tool, you’re in the right place.
In this article, we’ll cover how interactive videos work and whether it’s worth investing in them as part of your marketing strategy.
What is interactive video?
To put it very simply, an interactive video is a video that you can interact with using a variety of elements. Unlike regular videos, you can click on an area on your screen, like a button, to trigger different actions, such as opening a new webpage or downloading a user guide.
Many B2C companies use clickable elements (or hotspots) for shoppable links to create unique shopping experiences that connect their e-commerce websites to these interactive videos. Motion detection technologies brought this function to the next level by making a button follow a moving item on the screen.
Similarly, you can have viewing branches or alternative endings on these actionable videos where viewer participation is required. These ‘choose your adventure’ videos have been highly successful on popular video streaming platforms over the last few years.
You can also have quizzes, extra pop-up screens called overlays, video-in-video views, and so much more with interactive videos.
There are several companies that provide interactivity solutions for videos, and here at Podymos we love using the Vimeo studio.
Interacting with a video vs interactive video
Taking actions on a video is not a new concept. End screens, cards that appear from the top right corner, and subscribe links have been around for a while. Clicking on these elements is considered interacting with a regular video.
However, interactive video creates an entirely different experience where you can view the content in multiple ways. It’s a much more engaging experience to participate in a video, as opposed to passively watching one.
What does it mean for marketing?
We live in a world of noise where we always get content and input from every direction. It’s becoming harder and harder to get people’s attention, and businesses are looking for tools to create two-way conversations with their target audiences. To cut through the noise and be heard, companies need to find creative ways to encourage engagement from their audience.
According to Demand Metric, interactive content generates two times more conversions compared to passive content. Another study showed that 81% of participants agree that interactive content grabs attention more effectively than static content.
Interactive videos are therefore a perfect way to quickly boost marketing efforts. They can be used to create trailers, product videos, shoppable videos, internal training videos, external educational videos, demos and more.
Video is absorbed 60,000x faster than text alone, find out how you can use this to your advantage.
Valuable data from interactive videos
Learning about the preferences of your target audience interacting with a video can be very useful when creating marketing strategies.
Since viewer participation is required to move interactive videos forward, a lot of analytics can be extracted. Every time someone chooses a branch over the other or clicks on a hotspot, platforms record this to create an extensive report.
Dana Harder from Content4Demand says
“The biggest benefit that I see with interactive is around the measurement of content. If you think of the static experience, at some point they download a PDF, and that PDF goes into a folder on their computers and we have no idea what happens after that. You don’t know if they opened and read it. Once you make the experience digital and interactive, suddenly you have contact consumption data you’ve never had before.”
Pricing of interactive videos
Cost is always one of the top questions we receive, and it has been no different in the case of interactive videos.
Currently, there are many platforms that offer interaction tools, and their pricing varies.
But the costs are not only about the platform. Video production is the first step in any interactive video project. If you want to learn more about video production costs, you can read our article here.
Mapping out the experience is possibly the most time-consuming step of the process. After deciding on a clear goal and target audience, the viewers’ journey should be determined, including all the paths and turns one can take in an interactive experience.
These videos are not the most affordable; however, they can be extremely valuable. According to research by Content Marketing Institute, 79% of participants agreed that interactive content can have reusable value, resulting in repeat visitors and multiple exposures.
With that said, every interactive video project needs to be priced according to video length, possible paths, the complexity of interaction tools and so on. As a guide, interactive videos start from £2,500 on top of the base filming costs.
If you’d like to find out what your project could cost, don’t hesitate to contact us for an estimate.
Should you invest in interactive video
Whether or not interactive video is something your company should invest in is down to several factors.
Despite the great statistics surrounding conversion, interactive video does have its downfalls.
Obviously, price is a huge factor. They’re not cheap, so it’s not a decision to take lightly.
It’s also worth mentioning that interactive videos cannot necessarily be embedded on every platform, meaning an interactive video will only be interactive on the platform it was created on. In other words, if you download an interactive video from Vimeo for example, it will no longer be interactive (as of January 2023).
You’ll need to consider how would be best to distribute any interactive videos and what role they will play as part of your larger overall marketing strategy.