Interactive video is a video format that includes elements like polls, quizzes, CTA buttons, and forms that allow the viewer to actively participate in the video’s narrative. Unlike static video formats, which viewers can only watch, interactive video engages your viewers and gives them a personalized experience.
If you’ve ever come across movies like Netflix’s Bandersnatch, or shoppable ads and product videos, you’ve engaged with an interactive video.
So, do these videos work? Let’s make the statistics speak for themselves:
- ✔️ 93% of marketers believe that an interactive video is highly effective in educating the buyer
- ✔️ 77% of marketers consider interactive video to have reusable value
- ✔️ 43% of consumers prefer interactive content over static videos
These stats alone underscore the ongoing shift in marketing today, with users looking for experiences and personalization more than just branded video ad copy.
Key Benefits of Interactive Video
Interactive video has plenty of benefits to offer. Let’s check out a few of them:
- Increased Engagement: Since you’re using plenty of interactive elements to create a “choose your own adventure” video, you’re automatically increasing viewer engagement. Your viewers will spend more time interacting with the content itself.
- Personalization: Interactive videos work as a gateway to your video funnel, which can be personalized based on data and audience preferences. This makes it easy for you to customize the videos based on your audience segmentation.
- Higher Conversions: Interactive videos often contain elements like CTA buttons to convince viewers to register, sign up, or purchase a product. Plus, they get to explore more about the product through interactive demos. This leads to better conversions in the long run.
- Analytics: Interactive videos are ideal for analysis as the platforms they’re created on (like Life Inside) come with analytics tools to monitor performance. You can check engagement rates, watch times, drop-offs, and CTRs. Based on this information, you can tweak future videos for better performance.
- Mobile-friendly: Over 70% of digital content in the US is consumed through a smartphone or other mobile devices. Since interactive videos are highly compatible with mobile devices, you get a wider reach of your target audience.
Different Types of Interactive Videos
Based on your requirements, you can test multiple types of interactive videos. We’ve given you a comprehensive look at the major types:
Shoppable Videos
These interactive videos allow users to browse the products that you’re selling without having to download an app. They can browse, interact, and add their liked products directly to the cart and check out.
This reduces the friction that consumers often face when checking out product ads. You’ll find shoppable videos being used mostly in e-commerce websites.
360-Degree and VR Videos
VR stands for Virtual Reality, and provides the user with a virtual, simulated environment. They often give a 360-degree field of view for the best experience. You can use these interactive videos, but bear in mind that the users will need VR headsets to make use of VR properly.
However, we’d say that they’re best used for Events or Real Estate showings.
Choose Your Own Adventure Videos
This is one of the biggest uses of interactive videos, and gives the viewers the freedom to select and determine the video’s narrative. For example, your video funnel can start with a video about what you’re selling. It can then lead to branching storylines about how the product helps or the brand’s vision.
If you want more visibility online and create awareness about your brand, choose your own adventure videos are a good bet.
Interactive Educational & Training Videos
Nobody likes to sit for long hours and watch a training video. It’s rarely helpful, and it doesn’t engage the viewers. To take it up a notch, try interactive educational or training videos.
Add interactive and gamified elements, like quizzes, and award the best performers with points or badges after each win. You can also keep track of progress with a leaderboard, and the person with the highest points wins a prize.
The idea behind this is to appeal to your viewers’ or employees’ competitive edge to acquire higher engagement!
How to Create an Effective Interactive Video
- 1. Register or sign in to your interactive video platform.
- 2. Collect and upload the standard video(s) that you want to edit and release as interactive videos.
- 3. Once the videos are uploaded, you can edit them to include interactive elements like polls and CTA buttons.
- 4. After all the videos have their interactive elements, add consistent brand imaging and styling that emphasizes your brand without overwhelming the video content.
- 5. Next, set up a video funnel containing the different videos in the order that you want.
- 6. Copy the funnel link (URL) and embed it on your platforms of choice. This can be social media, landing pages, and newsletters.
- 7. After the videos are live, track them using your interactive video platform’s analytics tools.
Interactive Video Case Studies
If you’re still not convinced about the power of interactive video, check out these case studies below:
- IKEA: The Swedish powerhouse decided to up the marketing ante with its IKEA Kreativ app. This app uses AR (Augmented Reality) to help customers picture IKEA furnishings around their house. This visualization helped the customers understand the product’s dimensions and how they’d gel with the house’s interior decor.
- Honda: Iconic car manufacturer Honda also used an interactive video campaign called Honda Civic Tour Features the Future X. This campaign paired a customized version of the Civic Type R with popular music group The Future X. The company integrated TikTok into the mix, allowing millions of fans worldwide to follow the group on their tour and provided exclusive behind-the-scenes moments.
Both these campaigns were widely successful and covered by worldwide media organizations. This highlights the importance of interactive video in today’s marketing context—people want experiences, and this is the easiest way to create them!
How Life Inside Helps You Create Interactive Videos
Life Inside is an interactive video platform that aids you in creating, collecting, and distributing interactive videos for your sales funnel. The platform is lightweight, easy to use, and integrates seamlessly with your tech stack.
Additionally, the platform tracks your videos’ performance through metrics like engagement rates, watch times, and views. This helps you make data-driven decisions to optimize your videos for future campaigns. Lastly, the in-house dedicated team ensures that you get your videos up and running as soon as possible!
To step into a new era of video marketing, sign up for Life Inside today and see how two-way communication skyrockets your brand engagement and conversions!
FAQ
Why is interactive video important in digital marketing?
Interactive video turns your viewers from passive observers to active participants, thereby increasing your engagement and conversions. These videos can also be customized easily, helping you target different audience segments.
How can businesses use interactive video for better customer experience?
Interactive videos can include interactive elements like polls, CTAs, and forms. This reduces the friction that customers face when providing feedback or scouring for more information about the product, service, or brand.
Let's sum it up!
Interactive video has transformed the way we engage with digital content, offering a captivating and personalized experience. With its ability to immerse viewers, enhance learning, and drive brand engagement, interactive video has quickly become a preferred medium for marketers, employer branding teams, recruiters, and content creators. As technology continues to advance, the future of interactive video looks even more promising, opening doors to new creative possibilities and experiences.
