50 percent of your time.
That’s a lot, right? Now think of a two-year period where something grows by 91 percent.
That is quite a jump.
You might be thinking that those two numbers reflect something standard. Maybe they have to do with the amount of time people spend with family throughout their lives. Or that two-year growth period is from a tech startup.
You would be incorrect. Internet users spend almost 50 percent of their time watching online videos. And between 2015 and 2017, online video viewing increased by 91 percent.
It would be wise, then, to turn to video marketing content for your business. At the same time, it would be wiser yet to make sure your target audience actually watches your video content.
And this is where video pop-ups come into play.
What Are Video Popups?
What Are Video Popups?Sounds pretty magical, doesn’t it?
Well, miraculous as video pop-ups may sound, it really comes down to strategy and forward-thinking. While some technical savvy here is key, we have all the information you need. We will ensure that you have all the know-how to craft video pop-ups for the brand recognition you are working so hard for.
Video pop-ups are website plugins that let you make a video that literally “pops up” on your internal website. When your site visitors prompt the video to play, it plays in-site. Think of them as pop-out videos that “pop” in your market’s mind and snag their attention.
At a minimum, people’s brains process visuals three times faster than reading text. So your blog posts or general pages get a big boost when you use pop-ups as add ons.
Plus, your site visitors stay on your page as long as the video pop-ups last. This minimizes your bounce rate.
Some business owners and the content creators they hire to create videos have seriously capitalized on video pop-ups. They take advantage of this technique to launch new products or services. It is an engaging and interactive way to hold your market’s attention with a new campaign. Also, consider the power of video pop-ups in email marketing.
But you need them to be effective, which is why we are here to help.
Top 8 Tips to Create Engaging Video Popups
The entire purpose of video pop-ups is to engage your audience so you can move them through the sales funnel. But nobody wants to engage with a video if it does not catch their eye.
Some have a video blocker extension that interferes with them seeing your video at all in the first place. A ton of browsers and extensions offer these pop-up blockers, Mozilla and Google Chrome included. And sometimes, a viewer will see a boring pop-up and exit out of your page or email without even bothering to continue.
Luckily, we have eight tips and ideas to ensure you end up with effective video pop-ups. Follow these and even your most perfect buyer will not want to block video content from your end.
1. Optimize for Mobile Devices
According to Poptin, 48 percent of international Internet activity takes place on mobile devices. So naturally, you need to optimize your video pop-ups for mobile devices.
Display rules are a bit different here than with a desktop view in Google Chrome, for instance. Mobile displays are not compatible with automatic plays. To work around this, include a CTA that your audience can click on to watch your video pop-ups. Also, link your pop-ups to your images.
Your pop-up cannot auto-respond to screen size. If it does, Google will penalize it for violating display rules and hiding the page’s content. Chrome settings automatically prefer site-multitasking. Your audience can explore the rest of the page while your video pop-ups play on.
For your site’s mobile version, use a dedicated pop-up with around a 30-percent ratio. Do not pin it in one specific spot. If you have to pin it, make sure you do so at the bottom of the screen.
2. Choose Your Platform Wisely
When you first think of a pop-up video, YouTube most likely comes to mind. But YouTube’s site settings might not necessarily be your best bet, and you have other options to pick from.
You want customization options that work for your brand and content, specific to your campaign.
For the platform you choose, can you get rid of ads? What about end-of-video suggestions? Can you customize the player and include CTAs at the end of your video pop-ups?
With those questions in mind, there are three main platforms: YouTube, Vimeo, and Wistia.
YouTube is the most popular choice, but it might not be right for you. It is free, but the platform is a business itself, after all. Their primary goal is to show ads and direct viewers back to their website.
Vimeo offers a platform where you can create and display clean video pop-ups. They are not free, but they do have cost-effective solutions. They do not offer suggestions or ads at the end of your pop-ups, either.
Wistia lets you customize your video pop-ups, add CTAs and analyze viewer statistics. It has a membership fee. But you do not have to worry about off-brand ads from YouTube showing up in the middle of your video content.
3. Strategize Pop-Up Timing
You’ve heard it before: “Timing is everything.” And that holds true for video pop-ups, too.
Many have overplayed the whole idea of pop-ups as the first thing your viewers see when they navigate to your site. This strategy often frustrates and distracts your audience.
Instead, think of some other times to display your pop-ups. A specific page can prompt them to play. You could time them with upcoming holidays or events or to appear before they exit out of your site. But bottom line: the time it to align with the needs of your market and how they prefer to engage.
4. Deactivate Recommendations for YouTube Videos
We mentioned this one before, but it warrants its own section.
YouTube recommends videos from other sources throughout the viewing experience. This tactic drives traffic away from your content and offerings and right into another content creator’s (or business’s!) lap.
And they are usually relevant suggestions, so your viewers might fall into a rabbit-hole of content and forget about yours entirely.
If you still prefer YouTube as a streaming platform for your video pop-ups, deactivate those recommendations.
5. Try Not to Use the Auto-Embed Function
A lot of webpage builders are light on coding requirements. You can just copy and paste video links or audio tracks for playing sound.
On your page with this feature, your audience can play/pause/stop the video or audio.
But what if they want to adjust the volume when they are playing sound from it? Or maximize the pop-up? They have to go to the platform’s site to do so, which directs them away from your site and minimizes engagement.
Thus the dilemma with the auto-embed function. You want your viewers to be able to adjust settings from your page, not the other guy’s.
The good news is there are plenty of free or affordable plugins that let you override auto-embedding.
6. Always Consider the Screen Ratio
Screen ratios differ depending on what each of your customers prefers.
Worldwide, though, 20 percent of Internet users use Full High Definition resolution. So you should plan to use a 1980 x 1080 ratio for your typical video resolution. Those whose screens use a lower resolution will auto-adjust to fit the maximum capacity.
So your video pop-ups should cover close to 50 percent of the screen.
7. Consider Using Lightbox Effect
7. Consider Using Lightbox EffectFor a better video focus, take into account the lightbox effect. While your pop-up plays, it will darken the background. Otherwise, your pop-up player starts to float.
And the simple fact is that most of your viewers will be multitasking. The lightbox effect considers this and appeals to their needs. At the same time, it zeros in on your pop-up as a priority for them so that they can draw their attention to your message.
If you do not like the standard, darker look, you can filter the background with a color of your choice. Either way, you draw the eye to your pop-up.
8. Control Frequency of Popups
It annoys your audience when they see your pop-ups on every page of your site. Even having it appear each time they head to your site is a no-no.
Have your video appear one time per visitor instead. If this is not in your game plan, just disperse it over a period of time.
Conclusion
As you can see from our blog, there are a lot of things you have to consider when running a business.
But with Selling Revolution, you don’t have to stress. We build selling systems for your unique business needs. Our team of experts revolutionized the way you can sell. We open the doors to increased leads, quality sales training, and top talent recruitment.
With an industry that evolves daily, you don’t have much spare time. Likewise, there’s no time to wait to level up your business. Book a call with us today and watch success start to come your way.