Let’s start with a short history of “viewing” metrics:
The Internet. When we just started to build our websites the key metric was ‘hits’ (the number of calls to the server for any calls on site). For example, if you had 50 independent images on a page, your website got 50 “hits.”
It was rather useless metrics, but it was just beginning.
“Page views” came next. It was more useful, but it could not tell even a word about individual behavior.
Next we began to track users with cookies, which helped to measure both visits and visitors to a page. Now metrics has evolved so that we can track user engagement and business conversions.
Broadcast Television. Broadcast television metrics struck in the 1950’s with low-level metrics like “views.” Even now, Nielsen Ratings is the gold standard in broadcast television audience measurement. Nielsen use special diaries, in which a target audience self-records its viewing or listening habits.
Network Television still use own schedules and you watch shows when they want, not you. They still sell airtime to brands…
Business Video. The measurement of business video also struck in the 1950′s and, like tools of broadcast television, was measured in “views.”
Views are useless metrics for business videos, but even now some brands still find value in the Nielsen system and still want to spend money to pay premium rates (CPM’s).
The web is a different animal.
If you want to create videos for your business, go to this page on our site and leave your name and email, and we will write you.
Today you can find many methods to scam or misrepresent views online: paid clicks, auto-loading video players, views bot, etc. Views are no more than an indicator of activity, but this has no value for us. (“How many products will we sell today?” ”I don’t know, but we have a lot of activity.”)
What is the point if you cannot say what that activity means or somehow interpret it?
If someone can see that his video got “X” number of views, just ask him these questions:
- Is that number good or bad for your marketing?
- Can you verify if those viewers live in your geographic target area?
- Do you know how long they watched your video?
- Do you know anything about them?
- Do you know how any of them felt about your video?
Remember. video views are an indicator of activity, but nothing else. Maybe you can try to Interpret somehow, but raw numbers without context provide little value. Which is better: having three qualified potential customers watch your video or 10,000 unknown internet views of your video?
Now that you understand the metrics of views has little value, what does? Here are a number of business video metrics that you should consider:
- Watch time. This metric shows when people leave your video to start watching another. It will help you to get some confidence that your message is being heard.
- Conversion or click-thru rate. Do you put a Call-To-Action at the end of the video? (Put your email in box below and click to subscribe, click here to buy this product, phone to us to get more info , etc.)
- Social Engagement. Are people sharing your video, tweeting about it, liking it on Facebook, commenting on it in forums or on YouTube? All these are good signs that your video is generating interest.
- View Through Rate. This shows how many people saw your video and chose to watch it. It’s an indicator of how well you promote your video (i.e. write title, thumbnail video, supporting content, etc.).
If you start a broad campaign to a relatively undifferentiated consumer audience (viral video promotion), then views are important. Only now, this the number of human views would be sign of success.
So you should use write metrics if you want to measure the success of your video marketing.
All of these things can boost your profit in geometric progression, but remember that you should act different than another to have a better result.
If you want to make a corporate video or cartoon that will sell your product while you sleep, then write to us on this page.
