There are two parts to being a modern marketer: you need to be an artist and an analyst. Sure, you’ve got an explainer video or two circulating around the web, but do you have the right tools to track their performance?
Without the right video metrics, you’re often in the dark as to how your video marketing content is performing. And while most companies are using some kind of video metrics, are you sure you’re using the right ones? When it comes to video, you need to make sure you’re paying attention to the metrics that matter. Here are a few key video metrics you need to keep on your radar:
1. Watch Time
It’s absolutely vital that you are able to track the length of time that each viewer spend watching your videos. Back in 2012, YouTube recognized the importance of this metric and switched things around on their platform to better accommodate this. Being a marketer, every second of your video is vital and you want your audience to watch it to the end. If you’re just paying attention to how many people clicked and not how long they’re watching your videos, you’re missing out on key metrics. You could be getting thousands of clicks, but very few complete watches. This can tell you a few things, like your video content isn’t very engaging in the first few seconds or worse your hosting platform doesn’t optimize your video for mobile platforms. If your video is getting a lot of complete viewership but you aren’t getting leads, maybe you’re still missing something like a strong CTA at the end.
2. Engagement
Depending on where your videos are hosted, this metric may be acquired differently. If the video is on YouTube or shared on social media, measuring likes, comments and shares can guide you. If the video is posted on a landing page, tracking clicks on the web page itself is the key indicator. Combined with watch time and post-viewing activities, this can help you determine if you’re getting through to the right people. Who is watching your video through to the end? Are they the same people who are registering for newsletters and white papers? Are they scheduling a sales call? It’s important to make sure your video is engaging with the right audience.
3. Retention
Slightly different than watch time, audience retention is an overall measure of a video’s ability to retain its audience, according to Vidyard. There are two different types: absolute and relative. Absolute retention measures the number of viewers over time related to the total number of views on the video, letting you know how many repeat viewers you have. Relative retention compares the performance of your video to others of the same length. While watch time doesn’t necessarily take the length of your video into account, this metric can help you determine the relationship of video length and watch time according to your audience. By knowing these metrics and tracking them, it’ll help you have an idea of how to optimize your video based on your audience’s preference of video length.
These three key video metrics work together to give you a better picture of your video’s performance beyond just the number of clicks. With the help of this data, you can develop better a strong video marketing strategy. Check out our blog post as we walk you through creating the right type of video for each part of the sales funnel.
