With so many virtual events and video communications these days, producers are overwhelmed. At the same time, breaking through the cluttered virtual landscape requires producing videos that are deeply dynamic to keep engagement time up. That’s why we’re so excited to share our newest platform features: audio and video overlays. These overlays make it easier to produce highly engaging broadcasts, ultimately saving producers valuable time and resources while enhancing the experience for viewers.
The video boom
According to data from managed security provider Kastle Systems, the national average office occupancy level is now hovering just below 40% after a sharp dip during the Omicron surge. While occupancy rates have more than doubled since the onset of the pandemic, lower rates are likely the new standard, partly due to employee demand. Talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half found that half (50%) of employees would look for a new job that offers remote options if their company required employees to return to the office full time, up 16 points from one year ago.
Given the rise of remote and hybrid work, it’s no surprise that virtual events — which were already popular in the business world before the pandemic — are expected to grow at a CAGR of 24% between now and 2028. Organizations are leveraging virtual events both internally and externally. Internally, executive communications and HR teams host a variety of employee-facing virtual events including all-hands meetings, town halls, recruiting and new hire orientation sessions, fireside chats, and earnings calls. Externally, various departments conduct virtual events like webinars, customer roundtables, recruitment events, and conferences.
Beyond events, video use cases are growing across all departments. In our 2021 State of Enterprise Video report, we found that 88% of enterprise professionals anticipate their company’s video content output to increase in the next year. Respondents reported video has allowed their organizations to reach wider audiences, improve customer engagement, support learning and development, recruit and retain employees, and sell more products and services.
Maintaining engagement
The problem? Attendees are twice as likely to rate online events as “not fun at all” in comparison with in-person events. And 87% of the enterprise professionals we surveyed said their organizations plan to make changes to decrease the impact of virtual meeting fatigue in the next 12 months, indicating declining engagement rates.
Given that so many teams across the organization are increasing their video output, viewers are quickly becoming fatigued by experiences that offer little more than a talking head. As the video space becomes increasingly crowded, producers need to create captivating digital experiences that rise above the rest and pique the interest of customers, prospects, and employees.
From static to dynamic
To help our users produce even more engaging videos, we developed audio and video overlays — our first of many more production updates that will continue to uplevel video content. With the ability to make more dynamic video on the fly, it becomes that much easier to create beautiful video assets that can be repurposed into new content.
Socialive’s audio overlays include background music and sound effects. These overlays enable producers to set the tone of their broadcasts. For example, adding background music while your audience completes a poll can provide more depth and keep attendees focused on the event. Audio overlays can also be used to convey important information, like a sound effect during a product demo that highlights a specific feature.
Video overlays include animated logos, video clips, countdowns, video borders, and effects. Motion graphics naturally draw the eye, improving engagement with your video content. Using a video background during a panel discussion, for instance, immediately captures the attention of your viewers. Similarly, animated logos shine a light on important customers being interviewed in a case study while confetti can signal an exciting new product update. And countdown clocks, like one leading up to a giveaway or special announcement, generate urgency and excitement during your broadcasts.
We’re thrilled to bring you these new capabilities and can’t wait to see all the innovative video content you come up with. To learn more about audio and video overlays, visit our support center.
