Video Marketing Analytics: What to Track
Creating video content is a significant investment of time and resources. To ensure that your investment is paying off, you need to track the performance of your videos and understand how your audience is interacting with them.
Video marketing analytics is the process of measuring, analyzing, and reporting on the performance of your video content. By tracking the right metrics, you can understand what's working, what's not, and how to make your future videos even more effective.
The specific metrics you track will depend on the platform you are using (e.g., YouTube vs. a self-hosted video player) and the goals of your video.
Key Video Engagement Metrics
These metrics help you to understand how engaging your video content is.
1. Watch Time
- What it is: The total, cumulative amount of time that viewers have spent watching your video.
- Why it's important: On platforms like YouTube, watch time is one of the most important ranking factors. A high watch time signals to the algorithm that your video is valuable and is keeping viewers engaged.
- What to look for: Your goal is to maximize your total watch time.
2. Audience Retention
- What it is: This is a graph that shows you, second by second, what percentage of your audience is still watching your video.
- Why it's important: This is arguably the most valuable diagnostic metric you have. It allows you to see exactly where people are dropping off. Is there a big dip in the first 10 seconds? Your intro might be too slow. Is there a point in the middle where everyone leaves? That section might be boring or confusing.
- What to look for: A high, flat line is the goal. Analyze the dips to understand what parts of your video are not holding the viewer's attention.
3. Average View Duration
- What it is: The average amount of time that a single viewer spends watching your video.
- Why it's important: It gives you a quick, at-a-glance measure of your video's overall engagement.
Key Reach and Discovery Metrics
These metrics help you to understand how many people are seeing your video and how they are finding it.
1. Views (or Plays)
- What it is: The number of times your video has been watched.
- Why it's important: It's the most basic measure of your video's reach.
2. Impressions and Click-Through Rate (CTR)
- What it is: An impression is when your video's thumbnail is shown to a user (e.g., in their YouTube feed or in a search result). The CTR is the percentage of those impressions that resulted in a click.
- Why it's important: This tells you how effective your video's title and thumbnail are at grabbing attention and convincing people to watch. A low CTR might mean your thumbnail is not compelling enough.
3. Traffic Sources
- What it is: This report shows you where your viewers are coming from.
- Why it's important: It helps you to understand how people are discovering your videos. Are they finding you through YouTube search? Are they coming from an embedded video on your website? Are they being referred from social media? This data can help you to focus your promotion efforts.
Key Business and Conversion Metrics
These metrics help you to connect your video performance to your business goals.
1. Call-to-Action Clicks
- What it is: If your video includes a clickable call-to-action (like a card or an end screen on YouTube, or a CTA in a Wistia player), you can track how many people are clicking on it.
- Why it's important: This directly measures how effective your video is at driving a specific action.
2. Conversions
- What it is: If you are embedding a video on a landing page on your own website, you can use Google Analytics to track how many people who watched the video went on to complete a conversion (like filling out a form).
- Why it's important: This is the ultimate measure of your video's ROI.
Where to Find Your Analytics
- YouTube Studio: If you are publishing on YouTube, your YouTube Studio dashboard has a comprehensive analytics section with all of these metrics.
- Your Video Hosting Platform: If you are using a professional video host like Wistia or Vimeo, they will have their own detailed analytics dashboards.
- Google Analytics: For videos embedded on your own website.
Conclusion
Don't just publish your videos and hope for the best. By regularly diving into your video analytics, you can gain a deep understanding of your audience and your content's performance. Use these insights to figure out what your audience loves, to improve your future videos, and to build a video marketing strategy that is driven by data, not just by guesswork.
Disclaimer
The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and may contain inaccuracies or outdated data. While we strive to provide quality content, readers should independently verify any information before relying on it. We are not liable for any loss or damage resulting from the use of this content.
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