Testing and Iterating on Performance Marketing Videos

The Magic Media team is no stranger to creating successful performance video content. Through our years of experience working with different clients on projects in different industries, we can attest to the power of compelling performance video content. Unlike brand and product videos, performance videos aim to attract passive users and gain their interest in your product or service.

Not all performance videos are created equal, however, and they can have varying results depending on their content and the target audience. For this reason, it’s critical to test and iterate on performance videos and not settle for the first one that yields some results. Using tried and tested methods, we’ve been successful in crafting thriving performance video campaigns that have helped lead our clients to success.

Setting Clear Goals

The first step to take is to clearly define the goals of your campaign, even before beginning work on the video content. Setting these goals at the beginning of a project can help define the video content itself and the parameters for success. These goals must be specific and measurable, such as a certain percentage increase in website traffic, an uptick in conversions, or a certain percentage of viewers interacting with the video’s call to action.

While setting these clear and achievable goals, it’s critical to engage with the client about the messaging of the video content. Though it’s ideal to have a fleshed-out video brief from the client, this isn’t always provided, so it’s doubly important to connect with the client and understand if they have specific needs for the performance video content representing their business, product, or service.

Multiple Video Versions and A/B Testing

For performance video content, it’s wise to create a selection of video versions rather than relying on one. A single video is unlikely to be informative enough about the audience’s viewing habits or where potential issues lie, especially with no other video to compare data with. Creating several videos at once helps save time later and prevents scrambling to make more video content for testing purposes. There are also creative advantages to making several videos, as the team can try different things and focus on different areas to yield more usable and actionable data.

The Magic Media team commonly creates three or four videos for a performance marketing project. This is to ensure there are plenty of options for our clients to choose from and enough content to conduct A/B testing. This style of testing splits the audience, so different subsets of viewers see different videos when they have been published. Using this method, you can use viewing data to understand how well each video performed, if there was a viewing drop-off at any point during the video, and more usable information.

Data Analysis and Iteration

Using the results from the testing phase, you can use the data to understand how each video has performed with its audience subgroup. It’s critical to take the time to analyze the viewing data to understand key data points. It’s valuable to spend time looking at viewership statistics to understand if viewers watched the entirety of a video and if not, where the drop-off occurred. With this information, you can formulate a plan to address the video content where it has underperformed during the testing phase.

In the Magic Media team’s experience, we’ve seen that improvements commonly need to be made in several key areas. Often, the audience’s attention needs to be captured more quickly. As the target audience for performance videos is passive, we’ve found it necessary to grab their attention with stunning visuals and information no later than three seconds into the video’s duration. The main goal is to address viewership drops wherever they occur and change the video content accordingly to hold attention for the video’s duration.

Testing and iteration should be viewed as an ongoing, evolving process and not as a singular phase of crafting performance marketing videos. Over time, it’s possible to find that viewership data will change and that what worked before isn’t as effective anymore. It’s important to adapt to viewer habits, likes, and dislikes, to consistently optimize your performance video content for continued success.

Looking for an experienced video partner to help craft successful performance marketing campaigns? Look no further than our experts at Igloo Creative House! Take a look at our reels today and discover how we can help your video content fulfill its potential.

The Magic Media team is proud to offer a wide range of services for all your tech, entertainment, and gaming needs. From cybersecurity to full-cycle game development and real-time VFX, Magic Media is the complete service partner you need to bring your projects to life. Get in touch today, and let’s create magic!