Autoplay Is Not Going Away – Here’s How to Use It

autoplay

Just this morning I was reading an interesting blog article at a popular news website, when a completely unrelated video started playing somewhere else on the blog. I scrolled around frantically until I could find it and decipher a way to shut it off quickly. Surely, you’ve had a similar experience. Autoplay can be downright annoying. But believe it or not, when used efficiently, people will not find it bothersome. By using it the right way, autoplay can become a vital and effective part of your video marketing strategy.

In the sea of endless online content, people want to make a choice. They know when they want to watch a video. In the middle of reading a blog post is not one of those times. But there are many cues that your audience can give to show they are ready for more information. Yes, there are times when they WANT more information about your product or service.  This is when you want to give them the info in the most popular form available – video.

Read below to discover the best ways to use autoplay and the no-no’s that will turn your customers away.

Best Reasons to Use Autoplay

On Your Video Landing Page

When someone arrives on your landing page, they already signified their readiness to learn more. Since marketers know that videos represent a higher ROI for their ad dollars, putting a video here makes perfect sense. The audience is ready, they clicked through. Your landing page video should be short, value packed and to the point, offering a strong call to action.

Selective Autoplay Video

It’s possible to set up your autoplay video just for visitors who arrive at your site from a specific place. This is a form of targeted advertising and affects only a percentage of your customers. It only takes a snippet of code to employ this video marketing method.

When Driving Traffic to Your YouTube Channel

Nobody is going to be surprised or shocked when you embed an introductory or explainer video onto your YouTube channel. In fact, here is one place where autoplay is expected and generally welcomed. If you feel this is too intrusive for your brand, you could even do a video without sound, so just engaging graphics are displayed for those landing on your channel.

Many YouTubers employ autoplay with their latest video always playing first and automatically, like the Dude Perfect crew does here:

At Any Time a Thumbnail Is Clicked

If someone is clicking on a thumbnail of your video, be it on LinkedIn, an email or an opt in page, they are certainly expecting to watch a video. Using autoplay here is effective and if not used, just gives more work to your viewers.

When You Know You Have a Hit

Sometimes you just know it – people are going to LOVE your video. Maybe it’s relevant or hysterical or a hot trendy topic. If you’re that sure, then now is another example where autoplay would be well received. Who wouldn’t love to watch a video like this one?

Making Sure the Player Controls Are Obvious

Don’t be that guy who hides the controls to make it hard to shut the video off. In the case that someone does not want to watch the video, maybe it’s just not a convenient time – don’t anger them by making it difficult. This won’t do any good. Prominently display your controls so someone can quickly shut off a video if necessary.

Native Facebook Videos

When your marketing video is directly uploaded to Facebook, it is likely to have tremendous reach. When that is combined with the autoplay function, you have the potential for a massive increase in Facebook video views. The platform right now is seeing over three billion video views per day!  By utliziing Facebook’s method of no-audio-unless-clicked, you are opening your business up to a larger audience. Facebook has certainly found the right autoplay technique. Check out one of 2016’s top viewed Facebook videos with 1.7 million shares!

When NOT to Use Autoplay

On Your Website’s Home Page

If you want to develop and grow your brand, you probably want people to hang out at your website for a while. Your home page should be welcoming and should serve as a guide for your customer. Blasting them with an autoplay video about you, your product or service might appeal to them, but it probably won’t.

Allowing Autoplay Ads

Again, even worse than having your own explainer video pop open on your blog, is to allow autoplay video ads on your site. It’s not only distracting and annoying to many, but it also increases the chances of your audience clicking away.

Personal or Sensitive Information

How many of you have visited a blog or website and been forced to hear and see, even for just a few seconds, a video you most definitely did NOT want to see. We’ve all been there. If you have information that could make anyone queasy or feel uncomfortable or is controversial in any way, autoplay is not the place for your content.

autoplay youtube

The Premature Sales Pitch

You’ve seen this right? I mean, aren’t we all experts at what works in video marketing videos, and what we ourselves respond well to? You’re only at the information gathering stage and someone hits you with an autoplay video that makes a big, aggressive pitch. Save it for the end of your funnel, when your customer is ready and you know it, and they know it.

For years, there have been people who have complained about autoplay, waiting for it to die out like many other hot trends. But autoplay is here to stay. Make the most of this effective video marketing tool. Create the perfect autoplay video today with the help of Valoso’s pool of international video experts.