Does video increase engagement?

Table of contents

Summary 

Does video increase engagement? That’s the question we will ask in this post. We’ll start by defining “engagement”, and then look at the benefits of video marketing for engagement and ways to leverage it. 

What is engagement?  

In our blog, we have talked a lot about video content and video marketing and how, also with the help of social media, video has become one of the most powerful tools to include in a marketing strategy.  

In this post, we’ll investigate if does video increases engagement, but to do so let’s start with the definition of engagement. 

Engagement is defined as the involvement of customers and the continuous evolution of their relationship with the company, a relationship that goes beyond the business transaction, but is aimed at providing value to every interaction they have with the customer, increasing loyalty.  

Engagement involves listening, knowing how to build a lasting relationship and providing tailored solutions. The more a company is able to listen, the easier it becomes to build personalized solutions for each customer. Without taking away, brands that engage their customers well are definitely the most profitable.   

Having introduced the concept of engagement, let’s get to the heart of the topic of this and answer the question: does video increase engagement? 

Video and engagement: two connected realities 

In its latest report, Wyzowl asks what marketers are looking for when they invest in video, and the answer, according to data, is good engagement:  

• 62% of marketers say the success of video marketing is determined by the engagement that videos get – including shares, likes, and comments; 
• 41% say that customer engagement and retention are the main metrics for successful video marketing campaigns (source: Wyzowl); 
• Video gets 5 times more engagement on LinkedIn, compared to other content; 
• Tweets with video get 10 times more engagement than those without (source: popupsmart.com); 
• Revenues have increased, on average, by 70% for companies that have invested in digital customer engagement in the past two years; 
• They will increase investment in this area by 93.5% by 2025;
• 98% of companies say personalization increases customer engagement, and 83% of consumers agree (source: Twilio).    

In short, Twilio’s Report 2022 proves that engagement will become an increasingly vibrant and vital part of any business strategy. And what better content than video can contribute to this growth? 

What is video engagement? 

Molly Newton, founder of Pet Twice, strongly argues that videos significantly increase brand engagement by enticing more people to buy a product or service. This is no coincidence, as in her case eight out of ten people purchased an app or product after watching a video of it (source: upcity.com). 

According to the data, it seems clear that the answer to the question, “does video increase engagement?” is yes. But what exactly does video engagement consist of?

Video engagement is not simply uploading a video to your website or social media channels and waiting for people to watch it through a screen. Using video content to increase engagement means using your platforms (website, social media, blog, YouTube channel) to grab viewers’ attention, increase interest, and assess your strengths and weaknesses in order to improve over time.  

Currently, more than 87% of companies use video to communicate both internally and externally, up from 63% in 2017 (source: Wyzowl). Also, it’s well known that video content is much more engaging than blog content. 

In a nutshell, “engagement” is considered to be the main factor that determines how much viewers will retain from the videos they watch, how many of them will watch the video to the end, and how many will quit halfway through.  

What’s interesting is that engagement is a measurable value thanks to a number of metrics. Among the main ones are:   

1. Views: the simplest metric attached to your video content.  

2. Shares: have they shared it with anyone? If so, it’s a sure sign that the video provided something of value to the viewer. 

How does video quality impact engagement? 

How people interact with a video depends, of course, on the type of content and the type of platform. For now, let’s focus on the four main qualities that a video must necessarily possess.

1. Quality: you can never tell what viewers will be willing to ignore, but generally the rule of thumb is to publish videos of the highest possible quality. Be sure to work with the best equipment and favor a light, polished graphic style. Viewers are more likely to take you seriously. 

2. Duration/time: there are also more than a few indicators that tell us that videos longer than 5 minutes average about 60% engagement, while videos of 1-4 minutes average about 71-72% engagement. 

3. Audio: audio can prove to be a significant engagement factor in videos. Poor quality audio is one of the main reasons why people stop watching or listening to content, and also one of the main reasons for abandoning a video call, virtual event, or similar activity. Or, on the other hand, viewers may not always be able to watch a video along with the audio. Therefore, make sure that your video is able to provide value even while it’s “silent”. Also, it’s important to contextualize your audience in order to understand how the audio will affect them.

4. Relevance to the viewer: one reason why engagement lapses at the beginning of a video is that the viewer was looking for something else and quickly stops watching after the title screen. The first few seconds of your video are crucial, and within this short timeframe, the viewer should be able to understand the goal of the video and what it will be about. 

A platform based on your requirements 

All platforms are not the same. Each one has a certain type of content, a different format, most importantly a different target audience. So the moment you decide to be active on social media, you cannot employ one-size-fits-all thinking. The strategy must be consistent and adjusted depending on the platform that hosts it. Here is how some of the most popular platforms handle video. 

YouTube: YouTube counts views once the viewer reaches 30 seconds of viewing time, which is not surprising for a platform that has adapted to viewing longer content. YouTube’s video engagement metrics include viewing time, audience retention, and traffic sources (e.g., where videos are discovered) and they are available in the profile dashboard in the “Creator Studio”. 

Facebook: Facebook video counts views from 3 seconds and up, and its metrics include categories such as Coverage (number of views), Engagement (in this case, user interaction with the video) and Peak Live Viewers (for live video), and unique viewers. Facebook maintains its video metrics in the “Insights” tab. 

Instagram: like Facebook, Instagram records views from 3 seconds onward. Here, videos have much higher engagement rates than photos. Instagram metrics include video views, likes, comments, and subsequent visits to the creator’s profile. Metrics are displayed in “View Insights” at the bottom of videos. 

LinkedIn: LinkedIn is often overlooked, but it contains long-form B2B video content that can be a huge asset for engagement and brand awareness. Metrics include views, plays (whether the video is played regardless of counting as a “view”), completion/percent completion (one completion equals 97% complete view) and full-screen plays. Analytics are available to LinkedIn users under the “Posts and Activities” tab. 

TikTok: in a completely different direction, Gen Z’s favorite social video platform (at least for now) is still primarily focused on entertainment and short attention spans, but it can still be great for increasing engagement. To get analytics on TikTok, it is necessary to sign up for a Pro account. TikTok analytics provide metrics such as views, followers (who signed up after views), profile views, trending videos, and more. In a TikTok Pro account, metrics can be found in the “Account” menu under “Analytics”. 

4 tips to create videos to boost engagement 

To get effective audience engagement, you need to know your audience and follow some best practices. Does video increase engagement? The answer is yes, and here are four best practices to increase engagement.  

Video tutorials connect the viewer to the brand 

We have all gone to YouTube at one time or another to seek help in understanding a product/service or to learn how to do something. 

Video tutorials are popular with marketers and businesses because they work. We are constantly looking for simple solutions to solve problems. Video tutorials are considered the mainstays of video marketing because they are informative, therefore useful, and at the same time entertaining. 

With video tutorials, you can break down complex topics and activities into steps that are much easier to understand. In addition, video tutorials have the ability to effectively convey brand personality. When customers see the protagonist of the tutorial video explain a brand with a smile on his or her face and in a friendly manner, this can cause a feeling of trust and affection for the brand.

Having created a video tutorial, the next step would be to spread the content on social platforms. 

Watch out for thumbnails! 

One simple but not to be overlooked factor that could greatly increase a video’s chances of success is the thumbnail. The video thumbnail is the first thing you will see on the page. If the thumbnail is effective, you don’t have to search for the video; the thumbnail will attract attention. 

Also, when someone types in your main keyword and your video appears on the search engine results page, the thumbnail and title help attract visitors to your page. As much as we may want to deny it, first impressions count. In the online world, we expect instant gratification and tend to make quick judgments about everything. 

Use short videos 

Marketers are learning that short videos produce better results than long-form videos.   

According to a famous report, our attention span has shrunk to just 8 seconds. That said, people prefer short videos because they are easy to consume, like, share, and remember. Smaller videos have more “viral” potential. 

With short videos, you can get right to the point. By reducing the length of the visual content, you are also making video production cost effective. Although short videos require extensive planning, they consume fewer resources, lack pretension, and are easy to make.  

But remember that the focus here is quality, not quantity!

Where to place videos?  

The decision where to place your video should be based on the type of video used and the user experience. If a visitor is on the page primarily to watch the video, scrolling the page will only force the user to leave.  

Usually, the video content is the star of the page. It is placed at the beginning and prominently on the page. Preferably, anywhere eye-catching that encourages the visitor to play the video.  

Does video increase engagement? Video content is the best tool for engaging audiences. It is used to drive traffic, create awareness, explain a product/service, and provide customer support. When harnessed in the best way, video can be a very powerful tool.