Video Stories
Step into the world of interactive videos. Our blogs give you an inside look into creating video content for your e-commerce store. Learn how you can drive customer engagement and turn one-on-one conversations into conversions.
Interactive videoThe Simplest 5-Step Method for Making an Interactive Video for Your Online StoreMaking an engaging interactive video is not as intimidating as it sounds. If you partner with the right platform you can produce captivating videos like a real pro. The good news is that Tolstoy offers a simple and easy-to-use platform that will get you started, no mess, no fuss.
In this blog we take you through the five easy steps you'll need to take to create your very first Tolstoy.
» Interested in interactive marketing? Discover the best interactive marketing tools for online businesses.
Create Your Video With Tolstoy
Before you record your video, you'll need to brainstorm what the purpose of the video is, what will engage your target audience the most, and decide if you want to add a call to action—as well as what your call to action is going to be. It's also good to write a script so that you can speak with authority, knowing exactly what you are going to say.
1. Record Your Video
Ready, set, record! You can use your phone or a camera—whichever works better for you. Remember to try and color code objects in the video so that they complement your brand colors. Keep the video short, punchy, and engaging. It must have some sort of 'wow' factor to grab and hold your viewer's attention. You should also record a few versions so that you can select the best one for uploading.
Then, simply upload the selected video. You can experiment by recording a few short segments and tying them together, or import your creative TikTok videos directly to Tolstoy.
Pro tip: No inspiration? Not a problem! Tolstoy offers a wide variety of templates and stock videos to help you get started with interactive videos.
2. Add Responses to Your Video
If you add responses to your video, you can boost user interactivity. Depending on the goal and the type of interactive video, you could collect customer information by leading the viewer to a form, schedule appointments by leading the viewer to a calendar, or stimulate a 'conversation' by leading the viewer to another video. This is otherwise known as your call to action.
Pro tip: Keep your responses short, make sure they are clear and bold, and make them clever so that you entice your viewers to interact with your brand.
3. Link Your Video
In this step, you can use Tolstoy's interactive video builder to link videos to your end destinations. This is where you activate your chosen response from step 2. Let's look at a simple example. If you sell sneakers, you could add a link to your catalog and encourage viewers to browse your other sneakers by adding a "Like what you see? There's more!" call to action. It all depends on what you want your viewers to do.
Pro tip: The Tolstoy platform will help you to easily manage entire video and audio conversations that are deeper and more authentic than traditional chatbots.
4. Share or Embed Your Video
Almost there! Your next step is to embed your video on your online store's website. But you have other options too, you can embed your video with a widget, share it via email, or upload it onto your social media platforms.
Pro tip: Have a look at what your competitors are doing. Then, make sure your videos are better! Checking out the competition will also help make sure you are doing something different—you want to stand out from the crowd.
» Use Shopify for your e-commerce needs? Learn how to add videos to your Shopify homepage without YouTube.
5. Track Your Video's Performance
With this really cool feature, Tolstoy provides insight into what makes your viewers tick! Tolstoy's powerful analytics dashboard allows you to create super-smart segmentation based on your viewers' responses.
But wait, there's more! With Tolstoy, you will get notified every time someone engages with your brand. If you reach out immediately and professionally, you'll be able to build your brand reputation. You will get insight into what your customers are looking for and what has made them reach out, allowing you to mold your videos around these valuable insights.
Pro tip: The analytics dashboard is probably your most valuable tool when it comes to marketing your product or services. Let it become your go-to for monitoring the performance of your videos.
» Want to know more? Learn how to track Tolstoy analytics.
In closing
The tech landscape is changing and developing fast, and more people are watching videos instead of reading reams and reams of boring content. If you want to keep up with this changing landscape, you need to invest in videos.
With Tolstoy, it is made easy, giving you the support you need to create engaging content that captivates and maintains your audience! Then, building on your video content using your metric dashboard, you'll be able to give your viewers more of what they are engaging with most. It's a real no-brainer!
» Create captivating interactive videos for your online store with Tolstoy. Choose a plan to get started!
Interactive video5 Ways to Increase Shopify Engagement With Video AdvertisingAccording to a recent study, about 87% of marketers say videos have helped them increase traffic, while approximately 94% of marketers stated that videos have helped them improve their users' understanding of a product or service.
As an eCommerce shop owner, these statistics should open your eyes to the unbelievable benefits of video marketing, especially because people are now more likely to research products and services first before making a purchase. So, here are five smart techniques to increase your user engagement using video marketing.
» New to video advertising? Discover interactive videos for online stores
1. Improve Engagement With Storytelling
Everyone enjoys a good story, especially if it is relatable in some way or another. It is one of the best methods for you to connect with your target market and engage them emotionally. This Allstate insurance video advert is a really good example of connecting with the target market through storytelling.
Allstate's core message is that if you want to avoid mayhem, sign up for insurance that will offer you a soft landing when chaos ensues. Most people can relate to the string of events that the family in the video experience, caused by an annoying pet. Besides using clever humor to entertain, they also present a solution to these common scenarios.
2. Create Testimonial Videos
Testimonial videos really work well because the 'social proof' will add a certain level of authenticity to your brand.
In this marketing video, Drop Box for Business interviews a variety of different people in different positions. Each person gives their reasons for appreciating the product, and their reasons are all relatable and believable. Not only is it marketing the product, but it is also building awareness around the different features of the product.
3. Use Educational Videos That Increase Engagement
Educational videos are especially useful in user engagement where you have a complex or complicated product or service. These types of videos will help your customers to learn more about and conceptualize your products or services. If your users have a good understanding of what you are selling, it will prompt them to make a purchase.
The following Uber Eats video makes it so easy for customers to understand the features of their product. It shows them how to use the app in a simple yet engaging manner.
4. Make Video Guides
There are many advantages to developing and creating video guides for your eCommerce store. Most importantly, these guides increase customer engagement because they show your customers that you are not just interested in making a sale—the guides are there to help them get the most out of your products or services. If you develop them professionally, they will do much more than just push for a sale.
This guide is an excellent example of a video guide because it takes the customer through the step-by-step process of bullet journaling. It gives an overview of what the challenges are and how this product provides various solutions to those challenges.
5. Shoppable Videos on Shopify
An engaging shoppable video will help your brand connect customers directly to the products you are marketing. It will also help you attract more customers and bring in more leads.
The most important benefit of shoppable videos is the ease of use for your customers. They can watch a video and shop all in one easy step. It goes without saying that the easier you make it for your customers to buy your products, the more conversions you will see.
Here is an example of a shoppable video by Tolstoy. It shows different customers and the manner in which they apply Berlin Skin cream - with easy access to the "Shop Now" click-through.
» Want to create engaging shoppable videos? Get Tolstoy and get creative
In a nutshell
Developing engaging marketing and advertising videos is, without a doubt, the way of the future for eCommerce store owners. If you haven't already started using videos, now is definitely the time to get going—just take a look at some of the benefits of video advertising:
Grow your brand presence and increase customer loyaltyNurture relationships with your customer baseIncrease your click-through ratesLower your bounce ratesSimplify the buying process and the customer's journey
As you measure customer engagement with every video you publish, you will also get to know what your customers like and what they don't like. This will help you develop more of what your customers want to see. Now, do you still need convincing?
» Learn how to make an interactive video for your online store
Shoppable video5 Best Instagram Shoppable Video Examples of 2022Shoppable videos are the perfect tool to engage today's social media-centric audience. They are much more effective than traditional ads that most online users have become desensitized to because they are in a format akin to user-generated social media content.
In a shoppable video, you can advertise a variety of products by showcasing them in an attractive and relatable environment. These videos are shoppable because there are shop or website links strategically placed in the video, making it convenient for the viewer to take action.
» Want to learn more? Check out our eCommerce guide to shoppable videos
1. POV Shoppable Video by Target
In this POV video, Target shows how some of their kitchen utensil and decoration products can be used to fill up an empty space in a kitchen.
This content is easily relatable for those looking to decorate their kitchens because Target not only shows them the products for sale but also how and where they can use them. Different products are combined to give a unique look that customers can copy.
Many lifestyle Instagram content creators produce videos like this to give their audience décor ideas and inspiration, so Target's shoppable video fits right in while also guiding the customers to the products they can buy to match the video.
2. Sephora’s Product Showcase Shoppable Video
Sephora's shoppable video is a great example of media that intuitively showcases a product and how it's used, with before and after shots to boot.
While it's relatively obvious that this video is an ad, Sephora does well to highlight what the product is in the first few shots and then transitions to showing three women applying it. This showcase method is effective because it doesn't just show a picture of the product and how it looks for just one person, but many, while also adding attractive visuals from before to after.
» Curious about interactive videos? Here's how to make an interactive video for your online store
3. Nike’s Interview Shoppable Video
Nike does a good job of marketing their new Lebron XX "Trinity" shoes to the new generation by introducing a situation where Lebron James gives them to his son and some previous generation Monarchs to an older "Father Time."
Nike's shoppable video introduces characters who frame their new shoes as desirable and makes it engaging by prominently featuring celebrities.
The first part has Lebron James giving his son the next-generation shoes, who then takes them to go "see what [he] can do in these." Jason Momoa, a famous actor dressed up as "Father Time," walks up and asks Lebron for the new generation of shoes. LeBron just gives him the older shoes and walks away, with Father Time going after him begging for the new generation, suggesting that the new shoes are quite desirable.
4. Collage Shoppable Video by The North Face
The North Face created a shoppable video with a special sticker video design that allows them to combine skiing images into an engaging Instagram reel.
The North Face advertises their skiing equipment by showcasing how extreme sports athletes are using them in one of the best skiing locations—the Alps. Pictures are cut out and combined as the video transitions smoothly from shot to shot showing the different types of The North Face equipment the athletes tested out with.
This video does great to engage the audience by not just showing the equipment, but also the element they're used in by professional athletes, increasing trust.
5. The Body Shop’s Guide Shoppable Video
This The Body Shop reel is a practical example of how the step-by-step instructional video format can be used to showcase products in a way that's both relatable and convincing.
The Body Shop's video is advertising their new Edelweiss Liquid Peel facial cleansing product. It's often difficult to advertise such products without just looking like another generic beauty advertisement. To forgo this, they use a relatable actress and also give the customers useful information to show how easy it is to use the product.
It is also clearly communicated in the video what the product does (with before and after shots) without overloading viewers with information.
Final words
As you can see, shoppable videos are one of the best ways to engage a social media audience while providing them with an instant action they can take. Some of the world's top brands are already using these to great effect—are you ready to create shoppable videos yourself?
» Feeling inspired? Create shoppable videos with Tolstoy
Interactive video5 Ways Interactive Videos Can Increase Sales (+ Examples)In today's online environment, customers have become accustomed to consuming media such as videos that appeal to all their senses.
When it comes to advertising online, static images and text just don't engage well anymore. The statistics are clear: interactive video creates 66% more engagement and 44% longer viewing time than static media, generates 4-5x more page views than static website content, and has a click-through rate 10x higher than passive video. Here's how interactive videos can increase sales for your business.
» Learn more about interactive videos
1. Interactive Videos Help Buyers Understand the Product
Traditional ads will show viewers a lot of information that is often irrelevant or too much to take in at once. With interactive videos, users are guided to what they want to know on their own terms, giving them a sense of control while introducing them to the features they want to know about.
How-to videos are especially good at making customers eager to purchase the product and try out what they saw (and chose) in the video.
A good example of this is Toyota's 4Runner interactive video that guides viewers through how and where they'll be using the vehicle while showcasing some relevant features along the way.
2. Allow Buyers to Thoroughly View the Products
Interactive videos are a great way of showcasing products as they are being used. This adds trust and eases the doubts of potential buyers since they can now see more details about the product while it is being used.
A good example is Tolstoy's interactive video on BUOY's website. It appears in the bottom-right corner after a few seconds, giving customers a little time to read the webpage and then click on the video to find out more. This specific video shows different ways the product can be used, encouraging them to make a purchase and try it for themselves.
3. Interactive Video Shopping Makes Buying Easier
One of the reasons interactive videos are better than static videos is the ability to embed links. These links can lead to the brand's website or a product's online shop page for a quick purchase. Interactive videos combined with a call to action favor quick conversions.
This live shopping experience from Mango is a great example. The video was first released as a livestream showcasing the brand's various fashion items and can now be viewed in retrospect to repeat the experience. Every time a certain outfit is shown, a link pops up for each items' shop pages. Users can then easily purchase what they like onscreen while seeing it displayed on a live model.
4. Encourage Customers to Buy More
Interactive videos are great at encouraging customers to buy more than just what they visited a website for. As the video showcases a specific product, related products can be shown as options for the viewer to explore. Giving viewers the ability to explore helps them feel more inspired to keep interacting.
An example of this is Tini Lux's Virtual Ear Stack Tool that combines an interactive video with an interactive shopping tool, giving users a full shopping experience that guides them to what they want and also recommends similar products they may like as well. Visitors can click a product to add it to their cart and then keep on shopping for more.
» Find out how to make an interactive video for your online store in 5 steps
5. Allow Customers to Be a Part of the Brand
Interactive videos are much more personal than static ads because seeing a friendly face to guide them through the experience puts viewers at ease. The "human element" combined with a direct brand connection is very powerful with interactive videos.
Nike's Air Max Dia interactive video does a great job of combining the human element with a brand connection. It takes customers through the process of designing an outfit with the help of a professional stylist. Through this video, Nike can sell multiple products (the entire outfit) while keeping customers fully engaged by gamifying their shopping experience.
Final Words
Interactive videos are the perfect tool to boost your business' marketing campaign. They do more than just engage viewers more than static ads: they also offer new ways for viewers to explore your products and brand.
Why not start today for free? With Tolstoy, you can launch your interactive video journey right now. Thousands of brands trust Tolstoy to help them give each of their customers a unique viewing experience.
» Stand out from the crowd: use interactive videos for your business
Interactive videoVideo Prospecting Checklist: 5 Beginner Mistakes to AvoidAny successful company knows they need to be constantly searching for new sales opportunities to stay one step ahead of the competition. However, finding new prospects for your organization can often be easier said than done. Today’s consumers are overwhelmed by huge amounts of information in a growing digital landscape, so keeping them engaged takes significant work.
Video prospecting can be a valuable tool for many brands struggling to build their lead pipeline. It’s a powerful way to capture the attention of prospective leads and connect with them on an emotional level. Videos thar are engaging, dynamic, and interactive can be even more effective than traditional sales methods such as email and social media.
The challenge is knowing which mistakes to avoid in your prospecting journey. Here are some of the errors you may need to be aware of.
» Can interactive videos be used for other sales strategies? Discover the versatility of interactive videos in marketing and sales
1. Long Accompanying Text
Whether you’re sending videos via email or social media, it’s important to remember your aim is to capture the attention of your customers as quickly as possible with concise, straightforward information. Huge amounts of accompanying text can often overwhelm viewers and convince them not to click on your video in the first place.
There’s also a risk the text you include alongside your video could simply repeat everything you’ve been saying in the video message itself. Text included with videos should add context to the video and get straight to the point. You could even consider using bullet points.
2. Rambling Statements
While videos can be a powerful tool for both sales and marketing, they work best when they get straight to the point, highlighting the value you can offer your customer. Because of this, it’s important to make sure you don’t talk aimlessly in your content.
Get straight to the point from the moment your customer clicks the “play” button by telling them what you’re going to do for them and the benefits they can expect. It might be helpful to prepare a script before you start recording your video, to ensure you don’t go off track.
3. Poor Production Quality
Your video is one of the first opportunities you’ll have to make a resounding and lasting impression on your target audience. It’s important to ensure you’re sending the right message about yourself and your business with a video that looks and sounds professional. Ensure you have the right environment set up for your video, with plenty of natural light and a clean background.
Check your microphone and video connection before you start recording and ensure everything looks and sounds as clear as possible. In some cases, it may be necessary to invest in additional lighting, pop filters, or a higher-quality camera.
4. Sticking to One Form of Media
Although simple face-to-face videos can be excellent at engaging your audience, they can quickly become visually boring. To keep your audience engaged, it’s worth experimenting with adding other types of media into the recording. Using a video editing tool, you can embed everything from graphics and charts to animations and pictures into your video.
You could also bring more context and depth to an explanation by sharing your screen and walking your customers through a piece of software and how it works. Some salespeople even use virtual whiteboards to help get their point across with color and drawings.
5. Failing to Learn from Your Videos
Sending prospecting videos can be a fantastic way to engage your audience, but the only way you’re going to find out which strategies are delivering the right return on investment is with reports and analytics. Using tools to track how much of a video your customer watches, how many people click on your video, and how many responses you get will give you some useful insights.
Based on the metrics you collect from your prospecting videos, you’ll be able to plan more effective content campaigns for the future. For instance, you might find shorter videos are more likely to drive conversions than long ones, or that customers are more likely to convert from interactive videos.
Master Your Prospecting Videos
As one of the most engaging forms of online content, videos have the power to capture your audience’s attention and accelerate conversions. As a prospecting tool, they can also help to strengthen the initial connection to your brand by giving your company a human face and voice. However, like any marketing or sales tool, it’s important to learn how to use your prospecting videos effectively if you want to generate the right responses.
» Not sure how to get started? Let Tolstoy guide you through making interactive videos
Interactive video6 Tips to Create Interactive Email Campaigns [by Marketing Experts]With 4 billion daily email users, businesses try to capitalize on email marketing campaigns as much as possible. While this does mean there are many businesses vying for customers' attention, including interactivity in your email campaigns can help you stand out from your competition. If you craft them with style and a creative flair, you can expect to see increased levels of user engagement, higher conversion rates, and increased social sharing. You'll also get more feedback, reviews, and ratings. Simply add interactivity and watch as your email campaign soars above and beyond your expectations.
1. Partner With the Right Email Service Provider
That's right, you will need to partner with an email service provider to get your interactive emails off the ground. With so many providers to choose from, it can become overwhelming. Consider these factors when you search for the perfect partner:
Functions: Can the service provider do everything you need?User-friendly: Is the platform easy to navigate and use?Scalability: Can the service provider grow with your business?Cost: Do the available packages fit your budget? Will you be sacrificing necessary features by going for a cheaper option?Customer support: Does the service provider offer efficient customer support?
It's a good idea to test features or ask for a demo wherever possible to allow you to get a better sense of the service provider and what they offer.
2. Use the Right Type of Interactivity in Your Email
In email marketing, content is definitely king. Take your time to establish the goal of your email campaign, then align your chosen interactivity with your goal and the behavior of your target audience. Just remember—never overload your readers with too much content. They won't read it and your efforts will go to waste. Let's look at some examples:
Polls, quizzes, and surveys: Get to know your readers better through their feedback and insights.Countdown timers: Build excitement and anticipation about a product launch.Showcase new products (GIFs or videos): Launch a new product by showcasing its features and uses.Reward new customers: Turn a potential customer into a loyal lifelong customer by encouraging them to play a quick game to redeem a discount code. RSVP for events: Provide customers with convenience by letting them RSVP directly from an invite in the email.
3. Link to Social Media
Sharing is caring, right? That's why you should always allow your readers to share your email content on their social media platforms. But it doesn't end there. Encourage them to view your social media channels, and, if you really want to keep them coming back, alert them to new content you're uploading.
Here's another pro tip: make some of your content exclusive to social media, for example, competitions and exclusive videos. This builds FOMO (fear of missing out) and therefore drives more viewers from your email to your social media platforms.
4. Tell Your Story
Your brand has its own personality and its own story—from inception to where it is today. Your interactive email campaigns should not focus on attracting new customers only. You should also use it to retain your current customers by building your brand and its presence every time you send another interactive email.
5. In-Email Shopping
User experience is everything. If you can get your users to shop straight off your interactive email, you're giving them less work and making it easier for them to buy your products. And they will love you for it! Especially if you have a special deal that's hard to ignore. A good example is to launch a new product at a special price for a limited time to build excitement. What's more, a seamless and pleasant purchasing process will stay in the back of their minds. They'll trust your brand more the next time they receive an email from you.
6. Make It Personal
Address your user by their first name, create copy that makes them feel like you're talking to them, and make sure all the interactive elements you use come across as personal. Research has proven time and again that personalization works, so why not combine personalization and interactivity for a double helping of success? You can also make the emails real-time to amplify the personal experience. Include time-based events to make your campaign feel fresh and ripe for the picking!
A Final Thought...
Data published by Statista indicated that over 300 billion emails were received and sent daily in 2020, and is forecasted to increase to 376 billion by 2025. To drive the point home even further, studies done by MartechAdvisor concluded that interactive email newsletters experience 73% higher open rates compared to conventional email marketing. How much more proof do you need to come to terms with the fact that interactive marketing is the way to go if you want to optimize sales and boost your bottom line?
» Where to get started? Let Tolstoy help you create interactive content
Interactive video5 Effective Interactive Marketing Strategies in 2023 [+ Examples]Static marketing is a thing of the past. Customers want to be able to connect and engage with a brand. This means that the traditional one-way marketing strategies of the past don't perform as well as they used to.
By using an interactive marketing strategy, you create a personalized one-on-one interaction with each client, allowing them to make decisions and engage with your brand. This promotes conversions, increases brand awareness, and ultimately provides a better opportunity to boost sales.
1. Product Demonstrations
Interactive product demonstrations allow potential customers to experience a product and all its features through a self-guided, clickable process.
By providing each customer with the opportunity of a personalized demo, they're able to view the product in a way that interests them, thus avoiding unnecessary information and potentially boring your customer.
A product demonstration can be as complicated as allowing a customer to explore the intricacies of an engine, or as simple as displaying different clothing items on different models with different body types.
» Struggling to promote your products? Increase product and customer engagement with Tolstoy
2. Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) marketing incorporates the full immersion of a customer into a virtual world. This can connect a customer with your brand or product by engaging a variety of their senses, thus encouraging more interaction. VR lets you tell your story in a personal manner, create and imbed memorable experiences, as well as bring an entertainment factor to your advertising.
An example of how VR could be used as a marketing tool is by walking a visitor through a realistic replication of a studio where they can walk through rooms and view different pieces of art. This is instantly more entertaining than a customer scrolling down a static catalog and will encourage your visitors to spend more time viewing your products, interact with your brand, and ultimately increase the chance of sales.
3. Competitions
Competitions and quizzes are prize-driven strategies that encourage people to participate and engage with a brand in the hopes of a reward. Contests can help a business obtain multiple goals such as increasing brand awareness, encouraging customer loyalty, and increasing sales.
For example, competitions that encourage you to "share" something to enter are likely aiming to increase brand awareness, while competitions that provide prizes for the most loyal customers or for the highest purchase numbers are often trying to directly boost sales.
4. Games
Games are an ideal way to not only gain a person's attention but to hold it. Thanks to their interactive nature and the constant dopamine hits from completing small tasks, implementing games into your marketing strategy can significantly boost sales, increase awareness, and obtain customer information with little effort.
Not only are people more than willing to share their details when it comes to playing games, but they will also share achievements around social platforms which can further boost awareness. Moreover, games can be used to teach customers about a new product while keeping them engaged and constantly wanting more. A simple game such as spinning a wheel to win a prize can keep a customer coming back day after day until they win.
5. Interactive videos
Whether you're aiming to educate an audience about a product, showcase a catalog, recruit new staff, or simply send a user on a personalized journey, interactive videos are a unique marketing strategy.
Interactive videos allow you to send users on a unique journey where there's more of a person-to-person conversation or personal experience, as opposed to the linear, monologue that traditional videos create. By allowing viewers to ask the questions they want, or to see and interact with the products they're interested in only will save you scaling costs and time and provide you with more targeted leads.
For example, when using interactive videos for generating leads, you will be able to ask potential customers for their personal details, as well as many specifics you may need before you make personal contact. This will sift out the less serious clients, save time on repetitive questioning, and obtain essential information, all while ensuring your customer maintains a feel of personal touch and control.
» How do interactive videos work? Follow Tolstoy's simple steps to create interactive videos
Conclusion
Humans have a short attention span (that's increasingly becoming shorter), therefore, the need for interactive marketing strategies has become more important than ever. Without an engaged audience, your business and your brand cannot grow.
Interactive videoWhat Is an Interactive Video & Should Online Stores Use it?In today’s digital world, customers are spending more time researching and shopping online than ever before. In fact, around 75% of all adult consumers shop online at least once a month. Unfortunately for e-commerce store owners, connecting with this growing community is far from easy.
In a world where virtually anyone can set up an online store with minimal initial investment and time, there are countless potential options for customers to choose from. Globally, some estimates suggest there are around 24 million online stores available today. In a space this cluttered, it takes something special to stand out, and connect with your audience.
That’s where interactive video comes in.
What Is an Interactive Video?
Interactive content facilitates greater consumer engagement, and videos are one of the best interactive marketing strategies online stores can use.
An interactive video is essentially a form of visual online content that builds on the video marketing trend. With interactive videos, consumers have the opportunity to engage with the content, by clicking on links, answering questions, and responding to polls. Around 17% of video marketers say this is one of the key video trends they plan on using today.
Interactive videos are an alternative to traditional “linear” videos where customers simply press play to start the content and watch to uncover information. In an interactive video, customers can scroll, hover, gesture, drag, click, and complete other actions to influence the content.
Common forms of interactive video include:
360-degree contentBranched videos where users can choose their content pathVideos with form fields and clickable linksQuiz-based videosShoppable feeds
» Want to learn more about interactive videos? Let us show you.
The Benefits of Interactive Videos for Online Stores
Simply put, interactive videos give companies another way to engage with their target audience, evoke emotional responses, and differentiate their brands. According to one study, around 90% of the marketers who implemented an interactive video in their campaigns saw an increase in sales. Aside from this, there are many other benefits of using interactive videos:
Keep Up With Content Trends
Implementing interactive video into your marketing strategies shows you’re up to date with the latest trends and consumer interests. Interactive videos already account for about 36% of all videos produced.
An interactive video can also differentiate your business from other outdated content.
Personalization
An interactive video allows you to deliver more personal, human content to your target audience. Videos allow your viewers to associate a face and voice with a company and a brand, while interactive videos ensure they can collect only the information they want at their own pace, creating a more personal and exciting journey.
Trackable Insights
Interactive videos give you another way to collect information about your audience by tracking what kind of components they interact with most. Just because a customer views your video doesn’t mean they’re more likely to buy something from your brand. However, if they click on specific links and answer questions, you know they’re likely to turn into a warm lead for your business.
Increased Engagement
Creating a game-like experience with your marketing efforts can increase user activity by around 591%, improving your chances of customer interest. Customers are also more likely to remember videos they interact with than straightforward video content. In fact, interactive videos are 32% more memorable.
» Looking for more than just videos? Discover the best interactive marketing tools all stores need.
How to Use Interactive Videos
One of the biggest benefits of interactive videos is that they’re extremely versatile. Companies can create videos for a range of use cases, and to achieve different goals. For instance, you might decide to use an interactive video to recreate a physical store with 360-degree content and clickable hotspots. This allows customers to experience the sensation of “walking around” your store and exploring the items they’re most interested in.
You can add items directly from your product catalog to your videos, and links to their pages on your website to accelerate sales opportunities. Other options could include:
Providing guidance
Interactive videos can be an excellent alternative to the old-fashioned user manual. They can guide your customers through how to use certain products and allow them to decide which features or capabilities they want to learn more about.Shoppable feeds
Interactive videos can be used to create shoppable feeds on your website or social media platform to streamline your sales funnel and boost your conversion rate.Gamifying the shopping experience
An interactive video can help guide customers to the perfect product in your catalog by asking them questions about their interests or preferences, boosting the chances of a sale.
» Ready to get started? Learn how to create an interactive video for free.
Embrace Interactive Video
Interactive videos are an excellent way for e-commerce companies and online stores to enhance the experience they offer their consumers. More than just your standard linear video, these pieces of content inspire and engage your target audience, boosting your chances of sales, brand loyalty, and growth.
Interactive video6 Best Interactive Marketing Tools to Boost Customer Engagement in 2023With more consumers opting to buy online over physical stores, the e-commerce scene is becoming more lucrative by the day. However, with great opportunity comes great competition, and thousands of online stores around the world are fighting for customers' attention.
The latest technology helping online businesses stand out is interactive marketing. These marketing tools initiate two-way conversations with customers when they visit a website, giving them a personalized experience that engages deeper than ever before. Online stores discover their customers' preferences as they interact with these tools so that they can produce even better-targeted content for future campaigns.
» The best tools require the best strategies: Discover the most effective interactive marketing strategies.
1. Tolstoy
As customers' shorter attention spans demand more immersive engagement, interactive video stands out as the best tool to capture an audience as it stimulates their audio and visual senses.
Tolstoy uses interactive video technology that leads customers on a personalized, face-to-face narrative as they follow on-screen prompts. This way, customers don't feel like they're wasting time watching an entire video when they only need one snippet of information tailored to their personal choices.
Creating an interactive video with Tolstoy is straightforward: just record a few short videos and tie them together with Tolstoy's simple interactive video builder. Tolstoy then collects responses to the video, giving over control of the conversation to real agents. You get access to a full and powerful analytics dashboard that provides in-depth metrics. Tolstoys can be embedded in a website, a video chatbot, emails, and social media, engaging customers wherever they are.
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2. Ceros
Ceros is a suite of creative tools for creating interactive content with measurable results.
Content creation will become a breeze as Ceros integrates with a business' creative process. With its Studio, MarkUp, Editor, and ChartBlocks apps, both experienced designers and those new to the game can design, publish, and receive feedback without needing any coding knowledge. All their products integrate well to help you supercharge the creation process.
3. Outgrow
Outgrow is an interactive content marketing platform with a focus on driving leads and conversions.
With Outgrow, you can design personalized quizzes, surveys, polls, and chatbots that engage customers to discover their needs and determine whether they're qualified leads. Outgrow has an entire premade template library to provide inspiration and automate engagement.
4. Typeform
Typeform is an online form and survey-building software that aims to save your customers from mundane experiences.
Surveys often feel tedious. Typeform seeks to fix this with forms that are designed to impress. Form builders are given creative freedom to design beautiful, brand-friendly, and interactive interfaces backed by solid conditional logic to improve flow.
5. Videoly
Videoly is a video content provider that finds the best product videos and connects them to online retailers' product pages.
Brands can use Videoly to streamline their video content distribution as it automatically connects videos to retailers' product pages. Everything from marketing videos, reviews, and user-generated content is brought together in one place and used to drive customer engagement. Videos provide an information-rich experience and give customers the confidence to purchase.
6. Whisbi
Whisbi is a live commerce platform providing a plethora of different digital marketing tools to help businesses boost lead volumes and quality.
Tools like Whisbi Engage increase conversion rates by providing customers with a more personalized and engaging shopping experience. Whisbi Boost Visitor Intelligence identifies ready-to-buy visitors so that sales agents can focus on high-quality leads. Overall, Whisbi leverages various online technologies to engage and convert potential customers.
Online Stores Need to Keep Evolving
Whether you're a small startup or a large enterprise, interactive marketing tools are sure to boost brand awareness and user engagement so that you can stay ahead of the competition. Online stores stand to gain much from simple changes like using interactive videos to showcase products. The online world is always evolving, it's crucial that you keep up to date.