The Evolution of Interactive Video: A Chat with HapYak

Many companies are starting to discover the benefits of integrating video with marketing automation tools. Like video and email, it’s a win for both sides. Videos help you gather all sorts of impactful data to pump into your automation platform of choice, and marketing automation tools can help you quickly pinpoint and reach your most captive audience. HapYak, an interactive video platform, is using events within their videos to generate leads and gather useful information from their viewers—lead intelligence. By integrating video into their automation platform, their small-but-scrappy sales team can identify their best prospects and nurture them efficiently. We spoke with Cass Sapir, the Customer Success Director at HapYak, about the power of video marketing and the benefits of incorporating interactions within the video player. ### The case for interactive video For companies hoping to generate leads and collect meaningful data for marketing automation purposes, interactive video is a no-brainer. Viewers who are immersed in your video content are perfectly primed to enter their emails or answer quick, low-pressure questions that result in valuable marketing insight. If your video is longer than 90 seconds (for example, an educational video in your support docs), brief interactive elements can actually encourage engagement. “It’s the same effect as having a playlist,” Cass said. “Those lightweight interactions can reset your viewer’s attention, or even reward them for paying attention. When you place interactions in your videos, what was once a monologue becomes a dialogue. In essence, you’re making conversation.”

“When you place interactions in your videos, what was once a monologue becomes a dialogue.”

Getting started with interactive video can be intimidating. That’s why HapYak addressed some of the most common fears in this blog post. ### Anticipating interaction “Our customers have typically used video for a couple of years and thought, ‘there has to be something more,’” Cass said. Cass went on to explain an interesting trend that he’s observed. “Companies typically start by slapping interactive elements on top of existing videos after they’re produced. Then they move toward producing videos with specific interactive elements in mind.” In other words, companies are beginning to base production decisions on when and how the interactive events will come into play. In the following video example by HapYak, they explain the benefits of adding a simple chaptering tool.

“We didn’t invent this evolution of video marketing, but we’ve definitely noticed the shift in our customers,” Cass said. ### Timing isn’t everything By paying careful attention to the implementation of interactive elements in your videos, you can not only create a seamless experience for your audience, but also increase conversion rates. #### Turnstile data At Wistia, we’ve looked into the data surrounding the placement of our Turnstile email collector. In a nutshell, we found that required Turnstiles 20-30% of the way through your video or 60-70% through your video have the highest conversion rates. It’s clear that the timing of the event (in this case, an email collector) is important, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle.

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#### A human touch We’ve also found that appealing to your viewers with a human touch can make a huge difference when asking for information. For example, it turns out that our audience was far more inclined to take a quick survey after our team performed the Hustle.

 

This experiment often comes to mind when we’re asking our audience to provide any type of information. #### Promising results HapYak is constantly experimenting with different ways to integrate interactive elements. “When we conducted some preliminary research in May 2014, the submission rate across all quizzes, surveys, and polls was roughly 65%,” Cass reported. “It’s really exciting.” If you’re interested in learning more about HapYak’s specific findings, check out their blog post. ### Improving marketing automation When it comes to video and marketing automation, HapYak is continually improving upon their process. Currently, they’re combining video with marketing automation to alert their inside sales team when prospects have indicated strong interest. When viewers click on particular interactive elements and calls to action, a real-time notification is sent to sales. The next step for Cass and his team is to take advantage of email automation. In this case, they will be using the same interactive elements to trigger email messages to prospects. The goal here is to provide timely and relevant follow up to leads, so that when they are contacted by a member of the sales team, they are even more receptive and prepared. By building low-pressure interactive elements into their videos, HapYak has gone one step further in gleaning helpful information about their prospects and delivering meaningful content in return.

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