Understanding the Vidyard Analytics Dashboard

Vidyard’s analytics dashboard is your central hub for understanding video performance. It provides a wealth of data, allowing you to move beyond vanity metrics and gain actionable insights. Navigating the dashboard effectively is the first step towards data-driven video marketing.

Key Metrics at a Glance

The dashboard typically presents a high-level overview of your video performance. Look for these key metrics:

• Views: The total number of times your video has been watched. While a basic metric, it’s a foundational data point.
• Plays: Similar to views, but can represent a single play within a looped video. Be sure to understand how Vidyard defines “play” in your account settings.
• Completion Rate: The percentage of viewers who watched the video to the end. This is a crucial indicator of engagement.
• Engagement Score: A calculated metric that often considers multiple factors like completion rate, re-watches, and social shares to provide a single, overarching engagement metric.
• Average Watch Time: The average amount of time viewers spent watching your video. This reveals if viewers are dropping off early.

Delving Deeper: Tracking Key Video Metrics

Beyond the overview, Vidyard offers granular data that allows you to analyze specific aspects of your video’s performance. Let’s explore some of the most important metrics and how to track them.

Engagement Insights: Beyond Completion Rate

While completion rate is important, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Vidyard allows you to see where viewers are dropping off. Look for:

• Heatmaps: Visual representations of viewer engagement throughout the video. Identify the moments where viewers are most engaged and where they tend to lose interest.
• Drop-off Points: Pinpoint the exact moments in the video where viewers are abandoning the playback.
• Re-watched Segments: Identify sections that viewers are replaying, indicating points of high interest or confusion.

Understanding Viewer Behavior

Knowing *who* is watching your videos is just as important as knowing *how* they’re watching. Vidyard provides insights into viewer demographics and behavior:

• Geographic Data: Understand where your viewers are located. This can inform targeting strategies and content localization efforts.
• Device Type: Identify the devices (desktop, mobile, tablet) viewers are using to watch your videos. This helps optimize the video experience for different screen sizes.
• Referral Sources: Determine where your viewers are coming from (e.g., social media, email, website). This helps assess the effectiveness of your distribution channels.

Measuring Conversions and ROI

The ultimate goal of video marketing is often to drive conversions and generate ROI. Vidyard allows you to track these outcomes by integrating with your CRM and marketing automation platforms.

• Call-to-Action (CTA) Tracking: Monitor the performance of CTAs within your videos. Track clicks, conversions, and lead generation.
• Lead Generation Forms: Integrate lead capture forms into your videos and track submissions.
• CRM Integration: Connect Vidyard with your CRM to associate video views with individual leads and contacts. This provides a holistic view of customer engagement.

Optimizing Your Video Content Based on Analytics

The data you gather from Vidyard analytics is only valuable if you use it to improve your video content. Here are some actionable strategies for optimizing your videos based on data-driven insights:

Improving Engagement

• Shorten Your Videos: If you notice high drop-off rates, consider shortening your videos or breaking them into smaller, more digestible segments.
• Optimize the Opening: Capture viewers’ attention within the first few seconds. Use a compelling hook, intriguing visuals, or a clear statement of value.
• Re-edit Low-Performing Sections: Identify segments with high drop-off rates and re-edit them to improve clarity, pacing, or visual appeal.
• Add Interactive Elements: Incorporate interactive elements like quizzes, polls, or clickable hotspots to keep viewers engaged.

Targeting Your Audience More Effectively

• Segment Your Audience: Use viewer data to segment your audience based on demographics, behavior, and engagement levels.
• Personalize Your Videos: Tailor your video content to specific audience segments. Use dynamic content to personalize the viewing experience.
• Optimize Distribution Channels: Focus your distribution efforts on the channels that are driving the most views and engagement.

Demonstrating Video Marketing ROI

By tracking conversions, lead generation, and pipeline influence, you can demonstrate the tangible value of your video marketing efforts.

• Report on Key Metrics: Regularly report on key metrics like views, engagement rate, conversion rate, and ROI.
• Connect Video Views to Revenue: Use CRM integration to track how video views influence sales opportunities and revenue generation.
• A/B Test Video Elements: Use A/B testing to experiment with different video elements (e.g., thumbnails, CTAs, messaging) and measure their impact on performance.

Conclusion

Vidyard analytics empowers you to move beyond guesswork and make data-driven decisions about your video marketing strategy. By understanding key metrics, tracking viewer behavior, and optimizing your content based on insights, you can maximize engagement, drive conversions, and demonstrate a clear ROI for your video marketing investments. Embrace the power of Vidyard analytics and unlock the full potential of video to achieve your marketing goals.