360-degree video is here and here to stay! 360° videos and VR have been on a steady rise since YouTube started supporting the publishing of immersive content.
In June 2016, Google’s Aaron Luber said this of immersive video:
“On YouTube, we made a big, early bet on 360° video. This means viewers can see the video from every angle just by swiping or moving the phone or tablet around — no headset required. Uploads of 360° videos continue to grow and have doubled over the past three months.”
360° videos are now something people are increasingly literate in, especially on social media platforms – namely YouTube and Facebook. Brands are turning to 360° video as an essential component of their digital marketing strategy and it’s easy to see why.
According to a report by Business Insider, Hong Kong Airline’s 360° advert they launched in 2016 was 35x more effective than the traditional, 2d version of the ad.
Similarly, Magnifyre found that 360° videos were viewed by 29% more users than the same videos in 2d!
The power of 360° content is clear. However, according to one of the UK’s leading digital agency Terrier, there are a few key things to know before you start putting hard-fought marketing budget into 360 content:
- 360° video ads are a fantastic way of highlighting how your brand is innovative and forward-facing. It is important to make sure that the video content you are creating aids this. Pick a focus or subject that is befitting of 360° video’s dynamism and ‘sci-fi’ quality. Think: movement, tactility, energy.
- Increased levels of engagement tend to lead to lower costs per view than traditional video. This makes the most out of your budget!
- It is vital that you research your platforms before investing time/money. For example, the only way you can promote 360° video on Facebook is through post boosting. This means that any audience you wish to target needs creating before you push out the content!
- Contrastingly, YouTube offers promotion in several forms. TrueView Instream ads are the best method due to their low costs per view. Looking into the targeting options when promoting on YouTube is key, as ads are only shown to certain, compatible browsers and devices.
- Format is key, so make sure you know the gritty details. The majority of 360° videos being uploaded to Facebook and YouTube are in .mp4 format (with MPEG4/H.264 encoding). Alternatives include WEBM, MOV and F4V.
With promises of higher engagement and longer viewing times, it is clear to see why 360° video has the digital marketing sector excited. Like most things however, the devil is in the detail. Interested in seeing more examples of 360° in marketing, check out our article ’10 Best Uses Of Virtual Reality VR Marketing (2018)’.