With technological advancements and increasing consumer expectations, brands are finding it challenging to make their viewers interact with their marketing content.
Look – It’s not that your audience hates watching your videos. However, today’s demand has boiled down to expecting videos that are appealing as well as action-provoking.
This brings us to interactive videos which are one step superior to traditional play and pause style videos.
An interactive video goes beyond your traditional marketing assets, providing you the freedom to reach more audiences, gather customer data, and boost clicks.
But what’s the secret ingredient that makes them special? And are they worthy of getting created?
The answer is YES! I mean their usability and the power to engage viewers speak for themselves.
So for your better understanding, I’ve discussed at length what are they, and how you can integrate them into your marketing campaigns and generate results, types, and a few examples.
What are Interactive Videos?
Interactive videos are videos that provide your customers the freedom to interact with the content displayed within the video itself.
And by the term ‘interact’, it’s about different engagements such as click, drag, zoom, purchase, etc. Well, this is the differentiation line that separates an interactive video from a non-linear video.
Non-linear means – normal videos that only allow you to play, pause, forward, rewind, etc.
So if you’re a brand, you have an opportunity to enhance your customers’ experience by providing them with multiple navigational paths for better interaction with your products.
It’s like taking your existing and potential customers on an interesting journey where they can virtually participate and make a buying choice – through a video format.
4 Types of Interactive Videos
Now that you’ve understood what an interactive video is, check out below the most common types of videos that brands generally prefer.
But hold on for a second. Before you choose the most suitable type for your brand, I believe you should refer to and analyze the buying behavior of your audience and experiment with all the types.
This will probably give you a better idea regarding their preferences and also if it perfectly aligns with your B2B marketing goals.
Here are the best 4 in my opinion:
1. Shoppable Videos [Best for Marketing & Sales]
A fan-favorite of brand marketers, shoppable videos are one of the most widely preferred and integrated interactive video types.
And customers are persuaded by these appealing and quick videos allowing them even to click the products showcased via clickable hotspots and understand their features.
So now if you look at it from a brand’s perspective carrying a detailed product line, you can showcase your wide range of products and drive direct sales.
2. Tutorial or Walkthrough Videos [Best for Training & Education]
The use of interactive videos in the corporate sector is not new for marketers.
This is because today, a lot of training supervisors rely on using such videos to enhance their modules and improve feasibility.
Commonly, integrating Live Quizzes and Q&A sessions in an interactive video is preferred to bridge the communication and learning gap between educators and learners.
And for the technical part, many prefer using walkthrough videos to break down technical concepts into simpler terms through visuals and make learning accessible.
3. Interactive Webinars [Best for Product/Brand Marketing]
I’m sure you must have attended dozens of live webinars. What if you could just interact with the information shown and improve your learning experience?
That’s possible through interactive webinar videos. These live sessions can be transformed by integrating interactive elements such as quizzes, polls, clickable resources, etc.
Also, brands can engage the audience by using visual storytelling, thus delivering a dynamic experience to the audience.
4. 360° Decision-driven Videos [Best for Sales]
If you have a physical product packed with tons of features to showcase, a 360° interactive video type is the best style to proceed with.
It offers your viewers a comprehensive yet immersive viewing experience where they can quickly check out your entire product from all dimensions.
On top of that, you can integrate navigational buttons to increase the chances of quick conversions or demo signups.
Best Interactive Video Examples
1. Call of the Wild [YouTube - Netflix]
This is one of the best interactive video examples I’ve come across.
So Netflix wanted to promote its latest show ‘You vs Wild’ and chose this video style to not only grab its viewers’ attention but also subtly navigate their attention to other parts of their campaign.
The video carries a kinetic typography style and begins with a few questions, keeping its viewers guessing. When it is time to answer, viewers are presented with 2 options to choose from.
Upon clicking either of the two, the viewer gets navigated to another video which is the next in the campaign.
2. Lifesaver - Interactive Live Video
[Want to experience this video? Click here]
What would you do if you saw someone choking in front of you? Administer a CPR?
Through this explainer video, LifeSaver showcases you the power of CPR.
Upon clicking any of the 4 story plots depicting different characters, your virtual life-and-death situation begins where you’re required to choose a course of action to move forward.
As soon as you administer CPR and rescue the victim, you are showcased your operational timing and performance. These types of activities make viewers feel involved in the video virtually and allow them to expand their horizons and make decisions.
This video scores full marks on all parameters – Engagement, Storytelling, and Reward.
3. Hyundai - Interactive Product Explainer
Hyundai’s interactive video is a prime example of how you should produce your marketing materials while keeping in mind your mobile users – which apparently happen to be much higher than the desktop ones.
You can consider this a premium version of a product demo video where Hyundai’s Elantra is showcased. Its key features are provided in the face of navigational buttons placed at the bottom, thus offering a clear and engaging viewing experience.
Upon clicking them, a crisp informative piece pops up for viewers to go through.
3 Benefits of Using an Interactive Video
1. Increases Product Engagement
An interactive video is a proven weapon to deal with low attention spans.
The presence of interactive elements in the video acts as an attention-grabber thus retaining your viewers’ attention to your product and key offering.
How does it benefit? When viewers engage with your content, it transforms them from mere viewers to participants, thus increasing dwell time on your videos.
2. Helps Brands collect Consumer Data
Since these videos carry clickable elements known as hotspots or CTAs, these interactions translate to consumer choices, preferences, and buying behavior analytics if tracked strategically.
Collecting and analyzing them can provide you with deep insights into their decision-making process.
Using them, you can enhance your product offering and design your ‘hotspots’ to better persuade them into taking action on your videos.
3. Enhances User Experience by 5x
Interactive videos bring much more than normal videos to the table.
By integrating them into your marketing campaigns, you can elevate your customers’ experience, boost brand recall, and stand out from your competitors.
And the key reason behind this is that your offering is now the most interesting in the current market, thus increasing the likelihood of your products.
4 Tips for Creating Interactive Videos
1. Selecting the Right Platform
Before you begin planning for your next video, choose a suitable platform that perfectly aligns with your product or brand requirements.
The platform should match your technical capabilities and carry the necessary elements to offer interactivity opportunities to your viewers.
For Ex: Wirewax – It’s one of the most preferred platforms for hosting interactive videos. It offers better options for hotspots, quizzes, etc., compared to its competitors.
2. Planning the Interactivity Pattern
Here, I would suggest you prepare an outline of all the interactive touch points or engagements you plan to offer in your video.
This will ensure a purposeful interaction and user experience thus opening doors to product engagement
3. Keeping Interactions Visible
While mapping your video’s flow, keep an eye on integrating hotspots at clear points where they’re the most easily accessible.
You can consult with your video production services vendor to design the video keeping in mind the comparability of multiple devices.
This will automatically allow your video to play smoothly and grab viewers’ attention
4. Monitoring & Optimizing
Before you roll out your interactive videos to the world, conduct an interaction test and confirm it flows as planned.
After publishing, monitor your visitors’ clicks, time spent, and navigation through various analytical tools available.
Now that you have fresh consumer data, enhance your video’s quality and touchpoints for better performance
Conclusion
Interactive videos are the key to unlocking brand awareness, product engagement, and customer satisfaction.
I feel it doesn’t matter if you’re planning to educate, train, or even promote your products because these videos are well-suited for all your requirements.
If produced keeping product goals in mind, brands can leverage their power and generate measurable marketing results.
