Is clickable video possible?
We’ve been asked by more than one client if we can make a link clickable in a video. The short version: Not possible. The long version: It’s actually sort of possible. Kind of. Sometimes.
Video can’t be made to be clickable. It’s just video. But, depending on your platform, you can add clickable overlays, side banner ads, and additional links in the video description. Depending on the video format, you can even call attention to these so the viewer will know what to do next after watching your video.
There are any number of platforms you should be looking at for video distribution, almost all of which allow for some way the viewer can click through to a landing page on your website.
YouTube
YouTube, the veritible grandfather of video on the interwebs, has a few tools you can use to create clickable content. The first is called annotations, and is generally what people think of when they think of clickable video. Annotations allow you to draw boxes around content and link that box. You can add annotations to URLs or calls-to-action at the end of your video, or add an additional outro to your video that can direct users to other videos you have online. Here’s the caveat: Annotations only work on desktop, and close to half of all video views are on mobile. If you’re adding annotations, make sure you also add cards so that mobile viewers have the same options as those on a desktop.
Banners
Some advertisers let you have accompanying banner ads, including Hulu, Pandora, and Spotify. If you have the option to use banners, use them! If users are interested in your content offer, banners where a user can simply click through versus typing in a URL will increase your conversion rate for that video.
Descriptions
If you’re posting a video to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or any other platform that lets you accompany the video with text, make sure you include links there too! Many viewers will look back to the text after watching a video, either to look for more information or to engage directly with your brand by liking the video or commenting on it.
Point it Out
Think it’s not obvious where to click? Point it out! If you’re uploading a social video that has someone talking to the viewer, end the video with the person actually pointing to an annotation, banner ad, or the description, and saying, “Click the banner to learn more!”
Track Everything
If you’re not using some form of campaign tracking, you’re missing out on a big opportunity to measure your ROI. Those links that end in ?utm_campaign=awesomesauce? Make sure you use trackable links everywhere you can. There are a plethora of tools that will create these for you, so do your research and find what works best for your company.
CONCLUSION:
So is clickable video possible? Not really… but sort of! Depending on the platforms you’re using to push your content, there are a number of options available to you. And we can help you with all of them!
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. If you’re looking at which platforms are best for your company to push your video content on, download our free eBook for tips.
