Creating outstanding video content is just the first step; understanding its impact is crucial for optimising your strategy. At Skylark Media, we’ve honed our approach to measuring video performance using metrics, KPIs, and strategic objectives. In this blog, I’ll guide you through the essentials of measuring video impact to maximize your content’s effectiveness.
Which video metrics matter?
1. Views:
The number of times your video has been watched provides an initial indicator of reach.
2. Click-Through Rates (CTR):
CTR measures the percentage of viewers who click on your video after seeing the thumbnail, indicating its appeal.
3. Engagement:
Metrics like likes, comments, shares, and watch time reflect audience interaction and interest in your content.
4. Conversion Rates:
This KPI measures the percentage of viewers who take a desired action (e.g., signing up, purchasing) after watching your video.
Setting objectives for your video
So you know what to measure, you need to know the objective for your video. Sometimes it’s just about brand recognition. A great example would be our TV ad for Viva! which was used to raise awareness about veganism. It raised £40,000 in viral ad funding and won Silver in the TV/Cinema Campaign Award category of The Drum Roses Creative Awards:
Measuring your video’s success
Use analytics tools to track and analyse video performance:
1. Google Analytics:
Explore metrics like page views, average time on page, and bounce rate related to video content on your website. Google provides training to help navigate these insights for actionable data.
2. YouTube Analytics:
Access detailed performance insights through YouTube Studio, focusing on views, watch time, audience demographics, and engagement metrics like likes and shares.
3. Social Media Insights:
– LinkedIn: Analyse page views, visitor demographics, and engagement under the Analytics section of your LinkedIn Page.
– Instagram: Insights on impressions, reach, interactions, and audience engagement are available through the Insights section of your Instagram Business account.
Does my video need to go viral?
The short answer is “no”. You don’t need millions of views to make an impact. A single viewer can change the everything. For example, a video we made for Buglife was selected by Klarna’s Give One initiative to receive $400,000 in funding to support their project, after the animation was uploaded to the Milkywire app. So sometimes just that one person watching it can make all the difference.
Importance of thumbnails
Optimize thumbnails to attract clicks and improve video performance on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Mr. Beast’s experiment with facial expressions highlights the impact of thumbnails on viewer engagement. Ensure thumbnails are compelling and appropriately sized (9:16 and 1:1 for Instagram) to maximize visibility.
Below is an example of a video and thumbnail we made for Bath Fashion Muesum.
Video engagement metrics
Engagement metrics are important thing to track. Likes, comments, shares, and watch time reflect how your audience interacts with your content. Whenever you can, join in on the conversation and reply to comments, it’s a great way to do a bit of audience analysis. These metrics indicate whether your message resonates with viewers, and you can even tell which sections of your video they like the most.
Leveraging Data for Future Videos
Use gathered data not only for evaluation but also for continuous improvement:
– Identify successful elements and replicate them.
– Make necessary edits based on viewer feedback.
– Optimize thumbnails and content strategies for enhanced effectiveness.
Measuring the impact of your video content isn’t just about numbers—it’s about refining your strategy and enhancing audience engagement. At Skylark Media, we’re committed to helping businesses leverage video effectively. If you’re ready to elevate your video content strategy or explore new creative opportunities, contact us at [email protected].
Becky Lomas