- Mar 22, 2021
in 2022 82% of all customer traffic will come from videos.
So, marketers are looking for more cost effective and memorable ways to use video content marketing in their campaign strategies.
By repurposing existing content into shoppable and interactive experiences, brands can engage customers in a hassle free, quick and cheap way.
Why shoppable video works
Shoppable and interactive videos successfully turn viewers into active participants via clickable hotspots. Interactive video platform, Smartzer, places an interactive overlay over existing content to make videos shoppable. Consumers can swipe, click, drag, spin aspects of videos to find out more about a product. Popups show product info as well as calls to actions that encourage conversions, this could be to 'shop now', 'buy now', 'book a test drive' or 'sign up to mailing list'. Brands can add this information via text, images, URLs, product feed, product API's or manually. This format of content marketing can help brands increase engagement by 3-4 x, increase click through rate by over 25% and encourage a 400% increase in conversion.
Here are some of the ways interactive video platforms like Smartzer can help brands repurpose content into interactive video.
Existing standard video into shoppable video
By using existing videos that showcase products, brands can add clickable tags and make them shoppable. Tags will show pricing, information and 'add to basket' CTA's as well as direct links to e-commerce sites. These videos could be shared as ads across the internet as well as on social media and e-commerce. United Colors of Benetton turned their runway show into a shoppable video to drive more more sales. Viewers could click the hotspots that appeared on some of the models to view individual pieces. They could also select the ‘Shop the video’ button in the bottom right corner to see the whole collection.
What you will need:
video
product links
link to e-commerce
Recycling livestream as shoppable video on e-commerce
Smartzer's interactive video platform allows brands to create shoppable livestreams across their chosen platforms. Brands can build a shoppable product carousel to show alongside the stream by importing directly from a product catalogue or manually. Brands can connect the platform to their stream using the RTMP ID and a Stream Key to go live. After the stream, brands can repurpose these videos on e-commerce sites and share them across social media as video content marketing. Brown Thomas used Smartzer's player to create shoppable masterclass livestreams. They have repurposed these shoppable tutorials as videos to be viewed at anytime on their e-commerce.
What you will need:
livestream video
product links
e-commerce links
social sharing
Existing video into interactive social media ads
83% of people say that they use Instagram for product discovery, turning social media into a packed market place for product promotion. Interactive video platforms can turn existing video content into interactive ads on Facebook and shoppable Instagram stories, in feed ads and IGTV. Short videos of below 60 seconds are suited for stories while longer may be suited to in feed ads and IGTV. Product tags can be added to the clickable overlay to let consumers find out more information. These might include links to e-commerce or 'buy now' CTA's. Check out Gymshark's use of shoppable video on Instagram stories. Repurposing content as interactive Instagram stories has the capacity to reach thousands, even millions of consumers.
What you will need:
Short videos suited for ads
Product links for product tags
Effective CTA
Link to e-commerce
Social media account
By using interactive video platforms, brands can boost engagement, CTR and conversions through shoppable video.
To learn more about repurposing video content marketing into interactive experiences click here!
- Mar 19, 2021
Monetisation describes the process of generating revenue from online content. Nowadays, The biggest challenge for marketers across the globe, is trying to measure profit and success from online advertising like standard video.
It is impossible to measure conversion and CTR from standard, flat video since the only metrics available are views and drop-off rate which only provide an indication of awareness and engagement. These analytics can be valuable. However, what if there was a solution that allowed marketers to measure all stages of the purchase funnel?!
The answer lies within interactive video
Here's how it works:
Using interactive video platforms, brands can turn new and existing content into clickable and totally trackable marketing material. Platforms like Smartzer, use an interactive overlay over content so brands can tag videos with products from images, URLs, product feeds and product API's. This means that when a viewer watches a video they can click, swipe, drag hotspots to find out more information about a product being displayed. A hotspot might display a group pop up of multiple products that the viewer can shop from. Call-to-actions could then encourage the consumer to click through to e-commerce sites, 'add-to-basket', 'sign up to mailing list', 'book a test drive' or 'buy now'.
Check out an example of Smartzer's work with Dior on e-commerce sites and e-mail newsletters:
Interactivity injects life into standard video. Content is more engaging, entertaining and memorable which is translated in the analytics that are generated.
How is it trackable?
Every interaction that occurs within the video can be measured, every click, every swipe and every purchase. Brands can see exactly who has watched the video and the actions they took after becoming aware of it. By using branching in interactive video, brands can literally see customer decisions and generate a personalised response to these. Equally, by using quizzes and polls, brands will be able to measure submission rate from videos. Here's how interactive video provides data for KPI's at each stage of the purchase funnel.
Awareness: the viewer views the interactive video
Engagement: the viewer experiences the video. Here, dwell time can be measured as well as skips, re-watches of certain videos. Video navigation can be measured through clicks and brands can see which areas of the video were watched and re-watched.
Consideration: Consideration can be measured through the click-through-rate to e-commerce, product pages and landing pages. This indicates that the viewer is interested in the product featured in the video and is considering purchase.
Conversion: this can be measured through call-to-action clicks. Viewers may be able to complete a sign up sheet from the video, register interest, book a test drive and even make a purchase all without leaving the shoppable video. Submission and transaction rates can be measured to give brands a clear indication of which content converts.
Results
By using interactive video, content can be monetised and measured. Brands can adapt their strategies according to metrics to optimise their videos and achieve conversion.
- Mar 18, 2021
Updated: Sep 10, 2021
2020 saw businesses transfer to the digital world. With some brands losing their bricks and mortar stores to become a totally online entity.
Now, in 2021 many brands are asking how they can optimise their content for online viewing and provide the best possible experience for customers.
One of the most talked about solutions for video content marketing in 2021 is interaction video, with 92% of marketers saying that video content marketing is an important part of their marketing strategy.
Through the immersive and exciting format brands can grip customers, informing them about their products in seconds! It is no wonder that 70% of brands are creating more videos this year than previously.
But how can interactive video platforms help brands and why are they worth using?
Let's dive deeper into the benefits of interaction video....
Defining Interactive Video
Interactive video content is made clickable by "hotspots". Viewers can interact by hovering, scrolling, dragging, tapping and more creating an interesting and varied experience, Videos can be shoppable with hotspots displaying product info and call-to-actions that allow viewers to make purchases within the video.
Branching videos are interactive decide your own path experiences. These videos provide consumers with a bespoke, personalised video that they can control. Similarly, data inputs and quizzes combine buttons and branching to deliver an assessment and reveal a personalised product for customers at the end of the video.
Immersive 360 degree virtual realities let viewers see as if they are inside the video. They can drag and spin to look in all directions, this can give a detailed view of a product or destination from the comfort of their home. Live stream videos can be made interactive and shoppable to bring brands and customers together in a sociable, real-time shopping experience.
Interactive video and the purchase funnel
Brands can tag videos with clickable hotspots that users can interact with to instantly find out information on a brand or product. This takes the viewer on a shopping journey through several layers of the funnel from awareness all the way through to conversion. Here is how interactive video works in the purchase funnel...
1. Awareness: consumer views the interaction video
2. Discovery: consumer clicks on hotspots in the video
The video pauses and opens an overlay of product information. This could include images, prices, descriptions, colours etc
The viewer can click open a carousel alongside the video which contains information about all the items featured throughout the video. This could include details of singular items or groups of items, such as a ‘shop the look’ in a fashion video.
3. Consideration: clicking the calls-to-action
Once the user has clicked the call to action they will be able to ‘Shop Now’, ‘Learn More’, ‘Book a Test drive’, and so on. Viewers can click on the call action button which can take them to a product detail page for example. By clicking on this button after seeing a summary of the item details, the user is indicating consideration to purchase.
The interaction video can also include direct actions within the video itself, such as adding an item to a shopping cart on an e-commerce website without first visiting the product details page.
4. Conversion: placing an order, booking a test drive or signing up to a mailing list.
By using interaction video, all of these stages are fully trackable and can be moved through by the user in a matter of seconds. The path to purchase is shortened with engaging, informative, shoppable content.
Interaction video engages
Nowadays, there is so much online content that users can easily be distracted by when browsing the internet. By using an interactive video platform, brands can make new and existing video content immersive and engaging. This changes the passive viewer into an active participant with game-like experiences resulting in a 591% lift in user activity.
Interaction video informs
The clickable popups allow consumers to make informed decisions about products. Tag videos successfully turn uninformed traffic into qualified traffic to e-commerce sites. Interactive video platforms like Smartzer, help brands raise click through rate by 15%.
Interaction video converts
The easy links to websites and product pages mean that engaged users are quickly transported to the transaction stage. The immersive experience gives them all the information required in a short period of time, they can then feel confident enough to purchase a product. Again, by using Smartzer's tag video platform, brands were able to boost conversion rate by 400%.
Interaction video can be tracked
Brands will be able to track every action that occurs within the video, making them an extremely valuable marketing strategy tool. Each action can be measured against the purchase funnel so marketers will be able to see at which stage there content succeeds or fails to then adjust content.
Interaction videos are clearly an essential format for marketers in 2021. The unique, memorable clickability of videos engages audiences, informs and converts to a high rate that can be proved with metrics.
Brands should jump on this trend ASAP to avoid being left behind!