How to Revamping Your Video Analytics
Video marketing and analytics go together like peanut butter and jelly. You can’t fully enjoy one without the other.
Not just any analytics will do, though.
Some marketers just tally up views and call it a day. But what do views really tell you about the effectiveness of your video content?
Exactly what constitutes a view varies widely from platform to platform, and even if you can keep that key metric consistent, the big questions of who is watching and why they’re interested remain unanswered.
With so many unknowns, it’s little wonder why many companies struggle to leverage video analytics into actual ROI.
The obvious solution to this issue is an analytics tool that measures much more than view count — something that allows marketers to pinpoint their target audiences and measure whether their content is having the desired effect.
Such a system can provide a dramatic boost to marketing ROI, but before you dive in headfirst, you must understand which analytics you’ve been missing so far and how they can help your business.
Metrics That Matter
Unique views aren’t the perfect metric but don’t completely ignore them in your measurements. Views have an important seat at the analytics table, but without the other metrics present, it’s a lonely tables-for-one that fails to maximize ROI.
Engagement metrics help you determine how people interact with your videos. Are they rewinding the informative bits over and over? Are they closing it immediately after the speaking starts? Engagement goes beyond views to measure which parts of the video people actually watch.
Interaction metrics play a big part as well. How many people are playing the video on your landing page, and how many of them are glossing over it? Of those who make it to the end, how many actually follow up on the call-to-action and get into your funnel? Knowing stats like these can help you tweak the environment surrounding your video to ensure you’re setting up your content for success.
Don’t forget about the importance of demographic information, either. Capturing data regarding the locations and browsing habits of your viewers will help you optimize your content for your audience.
With so many analytics at play, limiting yourself to view counts seems silly. But now that you know what to measure, the question becomes how to capture all that data and use it effectively.
Take Control of Your Analytics
With a few small tweaks to your approach, you can make big improvements in your usage of video analytics:
- Consider Changing Platforms: Maybe YouTube just isn’t cutting it anymore, but you don’t know where else to turn. Never fear! You have more options than you realize. Platforms such as Vidyard and Wistia provide better analytic opportunities for just a bit more upfront cost.
- Review Regularly: An analytic shift isn’t a one-time decision. Set aside a specific recurring time to check on your results to see what’s trending.
- Cross-Reference Data: Do you have only a few total views but high engagement, or do you have high engagement but no call-to-action follow-through? Use information like this to see where your opportunities for improvement lie.
- Move Things Around: If total views are lagging, reevaluate your landing page. There’s a good chance you might need to relocate your video to more premium online real estate, such as the top of your home page.
- Identify Drop-Offs: Do people typically turn the video off around the same part? If so, you either need to take that part out or change it up to keep engagement flowing. If content changes don’t do the trick, your video may simply be too long.
- ABC — Always Be Creating: Don’t try to make one perfect video. Instead, use the lessons you learn to fine-tune the content you create in the future. Keep pumping out fresh material to hone in on precisely what works best for your business.
Don’t let incomplete data prevent your videos from reaching and resonating with your audience. Boost your analytics and follow the steps outlined above to improve your ROI and create more impactful content.
