For well over a decade, marketers have been focusing on video content to increase rankings with the search engines but also to offer something interesting to visitors. The longer you can keep your audience interested and on your site, the easier it will be to make a sale. Videos have given the stimulus needed to significantly reduce bounce rate and increase clicks through to landing pages, but now there is a new kid on the block that is forecast to literally set the world of e-commerce on fire! Get ready for the new generation of videos on YouTube; 360 videos that are the closest thing to reality that you are likely to get in video presentations.
What Is a 360 Degree Video?
At this point you are probably asking what 360 degree video technology is and why they are touted as being video in virtual reality. In previous generations of videos, you needed to look where the camera was aimed at and filming. How they do it is still one for techies to answer, but the point is, now the viewer can literally refocus the video to pan in on whatever angle they would like to see better. Can you imagine what this will mean to sales? Viewers can get a better look at any feature they want to know more about. What a great way to demonstrate products!
Industries that Could Benefit from 360 Degree Videos
Imagine watching a poker tournament and finally being able to refocus on any given player sitting around the table. You may even be able to predict what their next play will be based on body language and other nonverbal signs they are communicating. In past generations of online video presentations, viewers were limited to a view that the camera was pointed at which told you nothing of how the other players were reacting to each other’s moves.
With 360 degree panoramic filming, you can quickly determine if you have placed your wager on the right player and move your bet as you get ‘signals’ that the game is about to change. You very well could be the winner more often than you ever have in the past. Remember, those poker players are not the only ones laying money on the odds – you are too! This just might be the technology that helps you win bigger stakes much more often.
Shedding a New Light on Virtual Reality
In effect, 360 degree videos let you view in virtual reality mode. Having the ability to refocus all around the room (or area) is like being right there in the room. Consumers feel more of a connection from brands they are buying from, gamers are better able to predict future moves and viewers will actually feel as though they are right there in the room. It will seem as though you are the dealer laying cards on the table, a player pushing his or her chips towards the centre of the table and in fact, you may be able to enter online virtual tournaments that are captured with 360 degree panoramic technology.
From gamers to retailers and educators, there isn’t an industry that won’t benefit from 360 video. The only question many critics have at this point in time is in how 360 videos will be viewed on mobile devices. Since those screens are so much smaller, there is some concern that quality will suffer. However, critics also note that if YouTube has a video that viewers really, really want to see they will simply bookmark it for later viewing at home or at the office. Even with little bugs like this yet to be ironed out, 360 degree video is going to transform video as we know it. This is something to follow, so stay tuned for more from your favourite video channel – YouTube.
