In the case of video, we entrepreneurs typically focus the dialog on short-form video — no shock, given this may be essentially the most partaking format. No matter size, for me personally, among the most impactful advertising and marketing content material I’ve seen has been in interactive movies.
Despite the fact that the medium will be traced again to the decades-old “Select Your Personal Journey” board sport format — I LOVED these video games rising up — it nonetheless feels comparatively novel within the advertising and marketing world. I ponder if that’s why we don’t see a lot interactive video advertising and marketing? In any case, I’d wish to see extra of it on the market.
When you’re curious, I’d love you to maintain studying as I share what interactive video is, the way to create one, and eight examples from manufacturers which are actually on the chopping fringe of this format.
Desk of Contents
What’s interactive video?
Interactive video is a non-linear type of media that permits viewers to have interaction with the video they’re watching. Viewers can click on on hotspots, reply questions, select their very own paths, and different types of engagement.
You need to use interactive movies for a number of functions. Many entrepreneurs use it to extend engagement, encourage two-way communication, and enhance conversions.
There are a number of forms of interactive movies:
- Branched tales. This enables viewers to decide on their very own path when watching a video and resolve what they’ll watch. They will additionally decide the storyline by their selections.
- Hotspots. These clickable areas inside a video permit viewers to find one thing new within the content material.
- Polls and quizzes. You may interact your viewers with questions associated to the content material in your video.
- 360-degree view. This enables viewers to immerse themselves within the video and get an augmented actuality expertise.
- Reside movies and webinars with Q&A sections. This encourages a two-way dialogue between the host and the viewer the place viewers can work together by asking questions and receiving solutions in real-time.
Advantages of Interactive Movies
A 2024 Wyzowl report discovered that 91% of companies use video inside their advertising and marketing. Additional, HubSpot surveyed over 500 global video marketers to study extra about 2024’s prime methods and alternatives in video advertising and marketing.
The outcome? Over 70% of survey respondents discover video advertising and marketing efficient in serving to them attain their firm’s broader enterprise targets.
Relating to interactive movies particularly, the largest purpose to make use of this format is the excessive return on funding — aka reaching a important, however typically illusive, enterprise goal. Don’t imagine me? Let’s take a look at the info.
At 52%, HubSpot’s video advertising and marketing report revealed that interactive content material affords the fourth-highest ROI. For context, this landed behind product-related, fashionable, and humorous movies at 66%, 55%, and 53%, respectively.
In the case of lead technology, round 50% of video entrepreneurs place hyperlinks to touchdown pages on video adverts by way of social media. These hyperlinks are sometimes added to interactive parts like buttons or swipe-ups. To prime it off, entrepreneurs cite this as one of the vital efficient methods to generate leads by way of video content material.
Interactive video can be among the finest performers on the engagement entrance. For instance, dwell movies — the place the viewers is commonly invited to ask questions — are within the prime three video sorts that get essentially the most viewer engagement.
This video kind also can depart a deeper impression on its viewers. With so many manufacturers preventing for our consideration, one solution to hold them engaged longer is thru interplay. Doing so will help your model consciousness and recognition, serving to you stand out from the competitors.
Lastly, you’ll be able to achieve extra perception into your viewers by interactive content material. Say you embrace a quiz in your video. Not solely do you get insights from the video itself (views, time watched, and so forth.), however you additionally study extra about your viewer’s preferences by quiz outcomes.
So, by interactive video marketing, you get extra knowledge by a single piece of content material.
Find out how to Make an Interactive Video
Based on Wyzowl, 89% of customers wish to see extra movies from manufacturers in 2024 and past.
Nonetheless, you understand it, and I do know it: As entrepreneurs, we should justify our inventive efforts with outcomes. Probably the most vital outcomes decision-makers wish to see is a return on funding.
As I shared above, HubSpot knowledge suggests interactive video content material ranks extremely for this metric. So, I wished to share just a few steps that can assist you make your personal.
1. Brainstorm your idea.
Earlier than you create your interactive video, it’s important to construct an idea. What is going to the video be about? What’s the journey you wish to take viewers on?
Your advertising and marketing targets ought to drive your solutions to those questions. In any other case, making a profitable idea that good points buy-in from stakeholders exterior of selling can be difficult.
After getting that sorted out, how will you interact the viewers? Given the varied forms of interactive content material you’ll be able to have, you’ll want to find out which one will work greatest.
Professional tip: Undecided what advertising and marketing targets to decide on to your video content material? No worries. I counsel taking inspiration from video advertising and marketing professionals. HubSpot data signifies that video entrepreneurs prioritize the next three metrics:
- Growing model consciousness and reaching new audiences (52%).
- Growing on-line engagement (38%).
- Growing income and gross sales (36%).
2. Select your video platform.
The platform you select will rely on the kind of content material you’re creating and what you wish to accomplish.
Common interactive video platforms embrace:
When you’re working an interactive dwell video or webinar, think about platforms that assist this format. For context, YouTube, Fb, Instagram, and LinkedIn — all of which cater to dwell video — are essentially the most extensively used video advertising and marketing platforms. In truth, 90%, 86%, 79%, and 76% of video entrepreneurs belief these platforms, respectively (Wyzowl.)
As soon as you choose the fitting platform, it’s all about placing the items collectively, making a draft, reviewing it, and re-editing till you might have an excellent remaining model.
Professional tip: Whether or not you’re a video professional or utterly new to the medium, I extremely suggest HubSpot’s Clip Creator. Clip Creator’s AI options will let you remodel text-based directions into watermark-free skilled movies in just a few clicks.
3. Analyze outcomes.
As soon as your video goes dwell, the arduous work isn’t carried out. It’s now time to evaluate its efficiency.
Throughout your idea section, you ideally set some KPIs. If that is your first time creating an interactive video, use your different movies as a benchmark.
This manner, you’ll know what numbers to anticipate and have a baseline to judge your outcomes.
Professional tip: I like to recommend utilizing A/B testing as a part of your evaluation. For context, around 30% of video marketers use A/B testing to check video parts or structural modifications.
Need assistance determining what to check? Round 26% experiment with the positioning or wording of CTAs. An additional 21% examine the efficiency of various movies in opposition to each other.
8 Interactive Video Examples
When you want inspiration, I’ve gathered eight examples of interactive videos to get your inventive juices flowing.
1. Mile 22
To advertise the 2018 motion film “Mile 22,” the advertising and marketing crew behind the movie created an immersive, interactive video that allowed customers to decide on their path and get snippets from the film based mostly on their choice.
This video is fascinating as a result of it doesn‘t depend on simply the trailer to construct pleasure. It takes the viewer on the characters’ journey and provides them a peek into how issues play out within the movie.
What I like: I actually like that this interactive video positions the viewer because the lead character. I discovered that the “level and click on” type development naturally engaged me all through. I wished to maintain clicking to seek out out what occurred subsequent, and earlier than I knew it, I had labored my manner by what was primarily a whole film trailer.
2. Candy Digs
Normally, if you wish to catch the most recent episode of Candy Digs, you head to YouTube. Nevertheless, with the assistance of Eko, Refinery29 determined to change issues up with an interactive video as a substitute.
Sweet Digs x eko: Interactive Home Tours
On this interactive video, viewers get a tour of somebody’s house, as standard, however this time, they get to make guesses as they watch about prices, designs, and extra.
What I like: I feel this video format is a good way to deliver some freshness into a longtime sequence and hold viewers engaged. The present makes use of interactive parts cleverly, even permitting watchers to enter design options alongside the way in which. Then, on the finish of the episode, viewers get to see if their design options had been used.
If inside design is an curiosity of yours, I can think about this format would hold you entertained from begin to end.
3. Boursin
Ever marvel what a fridge filled with Boursin merchandise seems to be like? With this interactive video, you’ll be able to. This model reimagines what a meals business seems to be like by providing viewers a 360 digital expertise by a fridge.
What I like: I like how the gold carpet guides viewers by the fridge. Because of this, the viewer sees numerous Boursin merchandise naturally positioned all through. I additionally love how the viewer can transfer the mouse to see different gadgets within the fridge. I feel it is a actually enjoyable solution to promote a product.
4. Mindstamp
The next interactive video created by Mindstamp is an instance of a sensible manner to make use of this video format for appointment reserving.
Viewers can work together with clickable in-video CTAs that hyperlink to exterior pages and discover branching storylines based mostly on their responses all through the video, leading to a very personalised person journey.
The interactive parts create a fascinating and immersive expertise. I don’t learn about you, however “partaking” and “immersive” are usually not two phrases that I’d often use along side reserving a gathering or appointment!
What I like: Like all new expertise, interactive video might need began as a form of fringe expertise that appeared barely intimidating and inaccessible. Now, that is altering. I like to see this format utilized in a enterprise setting like this, making it simpler than ever for results in e-book appointments based mostly on particular calendar preferences.
5. Honda
Honda’s interactive video, “The Different Aspect,” makes use of interactive branching to create a “Select Your Personal Journey” type of commercial. Every video clip offers the viewer a unique alternative or “path,” and every alternative determines what occurs subsequent.
What I like: I like how this video invitations viewers to take part within the narrative and have possession over the plotline slightly than passively consuming content material.
6. The Jungle E book Interactive Video
Forward of its 2016 launch, Disney partnered with Wirewax to supply a behind-the-scenes look at how the live-action model of The Jungle E book was created. The video permits viewers to make use of a slider to check the filming stage to the top scene.
What I like: Except for an interactive slider, the video additionally makes use of hotspots. I like how Wirewax has integrated this interactive characteristic. On this case, the hotspots permit viewers to open bonus content material, together with a profile and outline of every character.
7. That Second When
Eko makes the listing once more with its That Moment When interactive video sequence. The sequence follows a girl named Jill, who faces awkward moments at the beginning of every episode. Your job because the viewer is to assist her survive each.
Within the example pictured above, it’s essential assist Jill navigate that point when she vaguely remembered somebody who appeared to know her rather well. The hilarious tagline is “Assist Jill bear in mind how she is aware of this man and what his f***ing title is.”
What I like: I like how this present as soon as once more places Eko on the forefront of interactive video. In Eko’s signature type, it’s relatable, hilarious, and extremely partaking.
8. Lifeless Lonely
Lifeless Lonely is an interactive zombie romance created by Aardman Animations in partnership with Rapt Media. Anybody who enjoys the four-time Oscar-winning manufacturing studio Aardman Animations’ work is not going to be upset.
Like Wallace & Gromit, Rooster Run, and Shaun the Sheep, Lifeless Lonely is charming, quirky, and enjoyable.
As for the premise, all through the interactive movie, the viewer is tasked with serving to Fred (a zombie) reunite along with his misplaced love, Barbara.
What I like: I like how inventive this interactive video is. Despite the fact that the storyline appears harmless sufficient, loads of morbid however enjoyable moments hold viewers entertained. General, I feel that is an instance of one thing exterior of selling that might encourage inventive content material inside of selling.
Stand out From the Crowd With Interactive Video Advertising and marketing
Our knowledge reveals that interactive content material is a number one video format for ROI, however as I discussed in my introduction, many entrepreneurs stay tentative about producing interactive video content material. That may very well be as a result of sure sorts require extra technical experience and a much bigger manufacturing price range.
Right here’s the factor, although: Sure, you will get inventive with this format, which usually calls for extra finance and tech-wise. However you can even do one thing so simple as including an interactive ballot or CTA to your video.
Let’s additionally not overlook that dwell video streams will be interactive, offering you permit area for parts like viewers questions and polls. Plus, YouTube, Fb, and Instagram readily assist dwell streams, and you can begin one on any of these platforms totally free.
Both manner, I feel interactive video advertising and marketing is one thing to check out for your self, particularly with so few others doing so.
Editor’s Word: This put up was initially revealed in Might 2017 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.