5 Benefits to Interactive Video

For years, annotations have allowed content creators on YouTube to harness the power of viewer interaction. As interaction metrics continue to improve on mobile media, there’s been a resurgence in the creative use of video annotations. Here are some of the most creative ways annotations have been used to create interactive videos.

• Linking to exclusive content. When you upload a video to YouTube, it gives you the option to make your content public or private. For private videos, only people who have the custom link will be able to view it. More brands are using annotations that link to exclusive video content. Not only does this engage your viewers, but it gives customers the opportunity to interact more with your brand if they choose. Because the content is exclusive, many brands use the opportunity to upload bloopers or content that is more light-hearted in nature.
• Issue a call-to-action. Annotations embedded in interactive videos allow brands to broadcast a direct call-to-action to the viewers. Because it’s shown via text, the CTA doesn’t interrupt the flow of the video and gives you the opportunity to harness viewer traffic.
• Linking to social sites. YouTube has recently allowed brands to post to external links using annotations. This means that those that take advantage of interactive video will be able to blast content from their video marketing to their social media pages. Remember, integrated marketing is critical to a solid strategy that grows your bottom line and business.
• Promote older content. As you continue investing in video content, the reality is that some videos will get pushed to the back of the closet. Through interactive video, you can keep old content fresh by linking to it with newer updates. This ensures that older content has fresh eyes and that you get the greatest ROI possible for your strategic investment.
• Longer viewer attention. Did you know that most videos on YouTube have an average view time of just a few seconds? Adding interactive content keeps viewers interested and ensures that they are continuously engaged by your content.

Interactive videos give viewers the opportunity to determine how their viewing experience unfolds. In fact, there are some brands that create multiple endings to a video and allow the viewer to select the ending they want to watch. Regardless of your tactics, the more that you can drive engagement, the better the result will be for your brand.

Fortunately, an uptick in mobile video viewing continues to drive the popularity of interactive video and stress the importance of encouraging interaction with your fans. Interactive elements also boost subscriptions to YouTube channels and email marketing lists, which results in recurring views for future video marketing campaigns. Furthermore, if viewers respond positively to interactive video, they’ll be more likely to follow CTAs and may even share your video with their friends.

Remember, there is no one, right way to interact with consumers. What you want is the opportunity for them to respond to your brand and develop a professional consumer-brand relationship. Whether it’s through video content or your general marketing strategy, consumer interaction is critical to growing your business.

How are you driving brand interaction?