The power of video links

We tend to go on about the importance of links in video content – here’s why!

Whether your video is promotional or instructional, interactive links are a valuable addition to any video. Clickable video links are different from YouTube ‘annotations’. Annotations can only include links restricted to your youtube account. Clickable video links can take you anywhere.

Separating in-depth content from general information keeps your audience engaged. When a video is clear about its content, the viewer gets the most out of it. Those who need a brief overview will have what they need, while others who require greater detail can access the information they need.  Providing a link to background information, an elaboration on your topic or one of your own webpages is simple!

Clickable video technologies – ones to watch

One popular model currently emerging facilitates online shopping. Ideally, viewers are able to immediately add items to the shopping cart by clicking on items in the video. Some videos are working to incorporate games – the Actimel ad featured here offers discount coupons for viewers who can identify 90 bottles in their short film.

Many videos claim to be interactive, but they rarely prompt you to continue playing or provide extra information. Other ‘interactive’ videos turn out to be just a playlist of videos linked together to resemble a ‘choose your own adventure’ game. A stack of these 8-bit ‘Interactive Games’ can be found on YouTube, and are a great way to relive completed film and TV series like Mad Men, Freaks and Geeks, Twilight, Glee, Saved by the Bell, and Harry Potter. These aren’t what we really consider interactive or clickable video, but they’re still creative and a heap of fun.

The Brightcove Alliance Program supplies a comprehensive list of online and shop-front services for interactive video design and production, but Content Theory seems to be the only one in Australia. Wirewax is being hailed as a DIY tool for people of all experience levels to create clickable videos. Their examples elucidate the potential of clickable video, from virtual museum tours to interactive TV trailers.  Clickable video could even be used to mimic Google Business View.

Where do we go from here?

It goes without saying but the importance of a landing page is vital. If we provide a link to our video, where do we want people to go when they click? Your website with a clear sale proposition!

If you want to discuss the importance of how to optimise your website for sales, get in touch with one of our team members via the contact form.