Without video engagement, your video content will essentially go to waste. You want your videos to spark interest, grab and hold the attention of your audience and spur them to make a comment or share it with their friends.
Contrary to belief, video engagement isn’t solely measured by your viewer count; there is a vast range of factors to consider such as how long people watch for, how many times people share your video with their own audience, or how many likes or comments you receive.
Here are some of the main ways to improve your video engagement and increase your average video engagement over time.
While your videos need to be high resolution and top-quality, they also need to be high-quality in terms of what they offer. Always keep your target audience at the forefront when planning and creating your videos to ensure that your videos don’t waste your time or your audience’s time, and people will stick around to watch.
Don’t just take into account the quality of your videos either; your audio quality is just as important. Audio needs to be crisp, clear and in sync or your bounce rate will increase due to viewers clicking off prematurely.
Always make sure the length of your video is suited to its purpose. Shorter videos tend to produce more engagement as people are left with more questions on their mind and are left wanting more.
Aim to keep your videos two minutes or shorter, especially if your videos are created to be posted on social media. People prefer short and snappy videos while they’re scrolling so long videos in a news feed will cause people to click off before you’ve got to the point or added value.
Despite statistics showing that shorter videos perform better for video engagement if you do think your video’s purpose is suited to being longer, don’t try to cut it down too much. For longer videos, make sure to switch between camera shots and angles to add interest, use plenty of visual cues to signify topic changes and highlight key points and always summarise what’s been said at regular intervals.
The first few seconds of a video are what counts the most - people use this time to decide straight away whether they’re going to stick around and watch the whole thing or whether the videos not suited to their interests. Pay close attention to your video scripts introductions to make sure you provide a hook and spark a certain level of intrigue.
Some practical ways to create compelling introductions are to ask your audience a question, whether it’s rhetorical or you request that they answer it in the comments. Alternatively, make a statement that evokes a particular emotion in your viewers and keeps them engaged.
On top of making sure that your videos are the right length for your purpose and your script is designed to hold people’s attention, it’s essential to format your videos in the right way.
Many brands these days prioritise out-of-home (OOH) content since the majority of people will watch videos while they’re out and about, whether it’s on the commute home from work, on their lunch breaks, or while walking - it’s essential that all your video content takes this into account.
To optimise your videos for this purpose, make sure to use subtitles or closed captions for those who are watching without sound, keep it short for scrollers, and get straight to the point before people lose patience.
It’s also essential to take into account where your video will be shared. Whether your videos are live or pre-recorded, they may need to be filmed or edited differently depending on the platform they’ll be shared on. Various social platforms, for example, will lend themselves to specific frame sizes or dimensions, so its always worth having your sharing platform in mind before you go about recording any content.
Last but not least, it’s crucial to analyse your video engagement once your videos are live so you can make improvements in the future and identify points where people tended to drop off.
It’s normal for some viewers to drop off in the first few seconds, but positive video engagement will show many people sticking around for the majority of the duration. If the majority of viewers drop off early on or at a certain point, its a clear sign that your video isn’t matching its purpose or is not giving your audience what they were after.
With Zidivo, you can share live and on-demand videos, while also benefiting from a range of analytics tools to measure the success of your video campaigns. Whether you are familiar with the benefits of using video in your online marketing strategies or aren’t yet utilising the clear results that video can achieve for visibility and engagement, the Zidivo platform is designed to suit people with all levels of experience and expertise.
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