5 steps to better performing videos

Have a great thumbnail

Getting clicks starts with the thumbnail. Humans are visual creatures, so a good thumbnail should act as a teaser to tempt someone to watch. People like to see other people so if there’s a friendly face in your video, try using them. color is also a good way to stand out. Give thought to the composition: a clear, simple image is more attention grabbing than a busy, indistinct visual. Importantly, make sure your thumbnail is in focus-video is a dynamic medium, but excessive movement doesn’t lend itself to a still thumbnail. Vudoo automatically serves thumbnail suggestions for users to choose from, but you can also set your own image by using the slider to select a video frame. We highly recommend this. The thumbnail is an important element to get right if you’re aiming for better performing videos.

Include a snappy title and description

We may be visual creatures, but text still plays an important role. A snappy video title and description gives people a reason to watch and should work hand-in-hand with your thumbnail for maximum impact. Text that does little more than describe the thumbnail is a wasted opportunity. Use the title and description to build on the story told by the thumbnail. If your video is publicly available and you need to attract eyeballs, make sure your title and description are optimized for SEO to get your content seen by search engines. SEO helps with creating better performing videos.

Add interactivity

Making a video interactive instantly makes it more effective. Interactions turn watching a video from a passive experience into an active one and when viewers engage with your interactive content, they’re far more likely to remember it. Interactive video also has cut through in a digital environment of traditional video content. Research also indicates that people feel more favorably following an interactive video experience. The way you apply interactions will also help improve the video’s performance.

Stay on brand

Every piece of content you produce is a reflection on your brand. When someone has a positive experience, a consistent and recognizable brand character plays into their brand perception. Even if those cues are only subconscious, they play an important role in reinforcing positive associations, right down to the type of interactions used. Vudoo gives users total control over the look and feel of their video interactions-icons, styles and fonts can be adjusted to create on-brand experiences, right down to specifying hex colors from your brand palette.

Listen to your data

Diving into the data generated by your content helps you understand what resonates with viewers… and what doesn’t. If you’ve added interactions to your videos, each one creates a data point that provides greater performance insights. These go far deeper than the usual play rates and completion rates and get fed back to you in real time so you can refine and optimize the interactions, without removing or reloading a video (updates appear instantly wherever the video is posted). Take whatever data you have at your disposal and use it to learn about your audience and improve the effectiveness of future video content.

Need more tips on creating interactive video? Check out our best practices!