Using interactive videos can be a really engaging and fun way for a brand to connect with its target audience, but what is an interactive video? TechTerms.com defines interactive video, also known as IV, as “a type of digital video that supports user interaction. These videos play like regular video files, but include clickable areas, or ‘hotspots,’ that perform an action when you click on them.” Throughout this article, we’ll go through the benefits of using interactive videos in advertising, tips for successfully using interactive videos, and whether you should use interactive videos in your marketing.
The Benefits of Using Interactive Videos in Advertising
In a nutshell, interactive videos make digital advertising more engaging and interactive, which results in a more memorable ad experience for users. This, in turn, promotes brand engagement, more brand awareness, and ultimately more sales. Consumers are becoming more accustomed to interactive ads, as they are more likely to click on them. Interactive videos also give brands the opportunity to provide more value to their customers, like offering special deals or discounts, when they click on the ad. The top benefits of using interactive videos are as follows:
A new way to reach customers — Interactive ads enable brands to reach out to customers in a completely new way. By making the process of clicking on their ads more engaging and exciting, brands are able to create a more memorable experience.
Engagement — Interactive ads enable brands to engage their potential customers in a more personal way. A major advantage of using interactive videos is that they can encourage more engagement from users.
More benefits — IV ads provide brands with an opportunity to offer more benefits, like special deals or discounts, when users click on the ad. This increases the overall value of the experience for customers and encourages more engagement.
Increased revenue — The revenue from the sale of goods and services is calculated based on the price the customer is paying for those goods and services. The higher the number of customers who are exposed to the ads, the more revenue that brand will generate.
Better quality of traffic — Users who click on an interactive ad are likely to be more engaged with the brand, which will result in a higher click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate.
Better brand recognition — Users who click on interactive IV ads are more likely to remember the brand because they were more engaged with the ad experience.
Tips for Successfully Using Interactive Videos in Advertising
The main challenge of using interactive videos in advertising is to create a fun and engaging experience while still abiding by the regulations of the country in which the ads are being broadcast. This can be difficult to accomplish when you are working with a small budget and tight timelines, but with a bit of ingenuity, it’s certainly possible. Interactive video ad types often include:
Promotions — Promotions are the most common type of interactive video ads. This category includes deals and discounts, and it’s often one of the first things people see when clicking on an IV ad.
Game-based ads — These IV ads include activities like puzzles, games, quizzes, and challenges, and the user is encouraged to complete certain challenges to earn a reward or complete the challenge for fun.
Product demos — These IV ads allow users to watch a product in action and experience it firsthand.
Promotions -
Promotions are the most common type of interactive video ads. This category includes deals and discounts, and it’s often one of the first things people see when clicking on an IV ad. Promotions can be tricky to implement because they need to be relevant to both the product and the target audience. If the giveaway is too general or unrelated to the brand, it might not resonate with the target audience and be ignored. On the other hand, if the giveaway is too specific to the brand, it might seem like an endorsement, which violates advertising regulations. Here are some tips for creating successful promotions:
Promote a limited number of items — Limit the number of products you are giving away and make sure each product is relevant to the target audience.
Build anticipation — Create an engaging teaser that piques the interest of the target audience. This teaser should include enough details to whet their appetite but should not give away any crucial information.
Be creative — Be creative with your promo materials and don’t be afraid to experiment with different templates and strategies.
Game-based ads —
Game-based ads usually consist of activities like puzzles, games, quizzes, and challenges, and the user is encouraged to complete certain challenges to earn a reward or complete the challenge for fun. When it comes to game-based ads, make sure the puzzles, games, or other activities you choose are relevant to the brand. This will increase the likelihood of converting users who complete the activity and provide a better user experience. Here are a few tips for creating successful game-based ads:
Bring fun to the brand — A good way to bring fun to your brand is to make the IV experience interactive. By encouraging your customers to have fun while clicking on the ad, you can create a more engaging IV experience.
Keep it short — Make sure the duration of your game-based ads is kept short. This will discourage users from spending too much time on the activity and will also encourage them to finish the activity as quickly as possible.
Product demos —
Product demos allow users to watch a product in action and experience it firsthand. This category includes product reviews, assembly instructions, product updates, and other related content. When it comes to product demos, it’s important to make sure the content you choose is relevant to the brand. This will increase the likelihood of converting users who complete the activity and provide a better user experience. Here are a few tips for creating successful product demos:
In-depth content — In-depth content, such as product updates and instructions, provides users with more information about the product and encourages them to research the product and make an informed decision.
User benefits — Showcase the benefits of using a certain product, such as how it can make users’ lives easier and save them time.
Why Use Interactive Videos in Advertising?
The primary reason to use interactive ads is to engage your customers. Interactive ads are more engaging than static ads because they allow users to physically interact with the ad and complete challenges or earn rewards. This translates into a more memorable experience and ultimately more brand engagement. When users experience an ad that results in more engagement, they are more likely to remember the brand, which helps build brand awareness and name recognition. Here are other reasons to use interactive ads:
More attention — Users are more likely to click on interactive ads because they are more engaging, resulting in a higher overall exposure for your brand.
More sales — Interactive ads result in more sales because users are more likely to click on them than static ads. This can be especially important for B2B companies who may not have the budget for more expensive traditional ads.
Improved user retention — Interactive ads result in a better user retention rate when compared to static ads, which means users are more likely to return to the site and engage with your brand again. This can result in a higher lifetime value for your customers.
Improved brand recognition — Users who click on interactive ads are more likely to remember the brand because of the high level of engagement they experienced.
Should You Use Interactive Videos in Your Marketing?
The main benefit of using interactive ads is the ability to engage with your customers on a more personal level, creating a memorable brand experience. This can increase brand awareness, name recognition, and ultimately lead to more conversions and revenue. Interactive ads are also more likely to result in higher click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates. However, interactive ads come with a few downsides. The main drawback of interactive ads is the increased risk of being perceived as an endorsement, which can result in an advertising ban in some countries. Additionally, interactive ads can be expensive to produce, so it’s important to evaluate which IV ad types are worth investing in.
If you’re looking for a cost-effective way of creating interactive videos, there are plenty of online sources to choose from. Something like Filmora, LightMV, or another web-based browser that’s relatively affordable may be a good choice.
Also using the native YouTube video editor may give you some options for interactive videos with the option to include hover box links and an ending slide with links to other videos or your YouTube channel.
What’s the future for Interactive Videos in Advertising?
In the near future, these interactive videos will be widely distributed on Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Platforms. These interactive videos will become full-on experiences on the new platforms and some are already available for download on the Oculus/Meta Quest VR Headset for you to explore.
It’ll be really interesting to watch how this new format will evolve with the emerging technologies and become readily available. Being able to experience a “Black Mirror” episode in VR/AR and have more options than just a simple “yes” or “no”. Eventually building in mini-games and the like to be closer to an actual video game all within a YouTube web browser, or similar app.
What are your thoughts on interactive videos? Do you think they’re useful for advertising? Where do you think this technology will take us in the future? Let me know in the comments below.
Thank you for taking the time to follow me on this journey, if you have any questions or comments, please share them in the comments section as I would love to hear from you! If you like this content, please like and share to help spread this useful information.
Links:
Comments