A quick joke: How long do chickens work?
Would it matter to you if I don't tell you the punch line? Many people tout the number of views of YouTube videos as a metric - but there is currently no way to know how much of your video people watched. If they just watch for a second then stop - is it the same as hearing a joke with no punch line?
Videos are a new tool in PR. As just one example, my former colleague Josh Morgan, who started MorganDorado PR in Sacramento, has a number of videos for his clients on YouTube.
As PR people start to make more videos, we design videos with a punch line. Or if not a punch line, we have content that we want you to see.
But how are video viewers tracked?
As my colleague Craig Oda points out, YouTube Insights can be interesting - you can see viewer's gender and age. In Craig's case, the largest viewer group for his family videos are males 35-44 (my family videos tend to be more popular in the 35-44 female crowd).
My question is: when will we have access to information that provides insight into how long people watch each video?
We've done a handful of video programs for clients at Page One. Some are designed to be viral within specific audiences. These videos fit into a larger strategic campaign - so often our metrics for success are defined through a myriad of stats (sales; number of blogs and articles pointing to the video; number of actions, such as votes, for a campaign, etc). Still, we generally look at the total number of viewers.
But when does a viewer become a a viewer according to YouTube? Should somebody who watches 5 seconds of your video be counted the same as somebody who watches to entire video?
According to TubeMogul, YouTube counts a viewer when the video starts. So if you watch for 2 seconds, you are counted the same as someone who watches for 3 minutes.
Google and YouTube understand the power of metrics. But it will be good when YouTube, and it's underlying technology, can provide insights into how long videos are watched.
Oh, the answer to the joke: Around the cluck.
2 comments:
Nice blog! You might check out what video services different publications use. For example, I know that whichever TheServerSide uses can track how long a video is viewed - you can track your drop off. These videos are sponsored, of course, so vendors pay for that capability.
Thanks for including me compadre! Also, thank you for adding yet one more "dad joke," to my lexicon.
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