Is Your Online Video Engaging Enough?

Have you ever endured one of these common videos? Shots of a guy sitting behind a desk, struggling – painfully, to himself and the viewer - to fill two-and-a-half minutes of airtime with information about his company’s mission and past successes? Obviously, this is anything but a good use of online video. Such efforts don’t cut it anymore with fickle web users who know there’s something better - just a click away.

Still, many companies choose this boring route when developing their online video strategies, opting out of exciting, engaging clips and instead wasting time focusing on shows that only serve to drive viewers to tune out milliseconds after clicking “play.”

“Video is more engaging than any other form of communication, both online and offline,” says Diaz Nesamoney, CEO at San Mateo, Calif.-based video technology firm Jivox. “The fact that you can add personality to online videos and make them engaging is exactly why you use the medium in the first place.”

With close to 85 percent of the online audience currently watching videos on the web, Mary Spio, president of Orlando, Fla.-based digital content creation firm Gen2Media, says those firms that take the time to create engaging clips are reaping significant rewards. “We see retailers getting 20 percent increases in web traffic because they’ve ‘humanized’ the online experience through video,” Spio explains.

Those retailers are using video to guide consumers through the different buying cycles, create awareness of products and services, and to even do some hand-holding, helping customers research their options and make the best purchase decisions. All of this goes a long way in creating consumer loyalty, says Spio.

Nesamoney says smart marketers also go beyond the “television mentality” and use interactive elements to transform online clips into an engaging experience for end users. A utility that allows viewers to download a restaurant menu, or that whisks the user off to a virtual tour of the establishment, for example, can expand the usefulness of a single video, and ensure that consumers do more than just watch for an obligatory two minutes and move along.

You can also add color and excitement to online videos with simple tools like interactive quizzes and coupons, says Nesamoney, who has used these options successfully with numerous clients. A company in the financial planning industry (not exactly considered “exciting” by the typical consumer), might embed simple quizzes, on retirement preparation or wealth management, for example, complete with advice and recommendations, into its online videos.

Once viewers figure out that they will run out of money in 10 years if they don’t start investing wisely now, they’ll call your firm for financial planning advice. These types of interactive video elements “go a long way in keeping consumers glued to a site,” says Nesamoney, “and engaged in the content.”

Social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter are other great ways to spice up your online videos. By integrating them into your online video strategy, you’ll be able to invoke higher engagement from – and interaction with – your customers. Combine that with an online video component that’s updated regularly, says Spio, and the end result will be a “sticky” site that keeps viewers coming back for more.

“If you give people the tools necessary to share new videos across sites like Facebook and Twitter, you’ll transform your customers into ambassadors for your products and services,” says Spio, who points to Toyota as a company that employed that strategy successfully via an online video campaign for its Scion vehicle. Other companies have used similar strategies. “We helped Coca-Cola with the same approach,” says Spio, “and wound up driving over 6 million people to an online destination over just three months.”

Companies looking to emulate these results must consider the many different ways that they can engage customers. Understand that some are in a perpetual rush and will never have the time to sit through a 10-minute clip, while others will pore over every last video in search of information and advice. Those with short attention spans will be more apt to “click here” for special offers, hoping to cash in on today’s best deals (or move onto another site), while those with more time on their hands will take a virtual tour of a home offered for sale, or view a product-specific video.

“It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach,” Nesamoney adds. “To get online video right, you have to consider all of the different consumers who are scouring the Web for information.” Spio concurs, and says the “short-attention-span” consumer will be most prevalent online. “Keep your videos simple, short and entertaining,” Spio says. “Ignore this rule, and you’ll see dismal results from your efforts.”

The good news is that marketers who create videos that include engaging content, action, movement and multiple calls to action are reaping rewards with minimal financial and/or time investment. “With online video, you can measure how many people view your shows and whether or not they’re taking the next step to learn more about your products, services and/or offerings,” says Nesamoney. “That alone is reason enough to take more time conceptualizing and developing your online video in the most engaging manner possible.”