Why a Wistia Channel Is like Netflix for Your Branded Video Content

When it comes to long-form videos, serial video content, and documentaries, there’s nothing more important than creating a high-quality viewing experience (well, aside from making the awesome content itself).

Take Netflix, for example — their impeccable viewing experience is a huge part of why they’re so successful. From its highly effective discovery algorithm and its human-curated micro-genres to its elegant hover-over previews to its smooth “Up Next” transitions from episode to episode, Netflix’s thoughtful and user-friendly design keeps viewers watching for hours on end.

Now, imagine a world where you could create a similar viewing experience for your business' branded shows that lives right on your website. Sounds pretty sweet, right? Well, luckily, there’s a tool for that! Wistia Channels help businesses maximize their video engagement and eliminate distractions all while building a beautiful home for your content (without writing a single line of code).

Designed for deep engagement

The rise of social media platforms has made driving deep engagement a challenge for marketers. Plus, focusing solely on traditional success metrics like conversions and impressions doesn’t accurately capture the most meaningful interactions you have with your audience.

We think measuring “time watched” is the best way to understand the true value video is bringing to your business, and just as Netflix encourages binge-watching, Wistia Channels are optimized around maximizing the time people spend with your content.

Why time watched is so important

Focusing on the number of seconds, minutes, and hours people spend with your content reveals a strong connection between you and your audience that goes beyond product utility or clever stunts. People who are watching full-length episodes of a video series are engaging with your brand in a more meaningful way than those who are watching a couple of seconds of a social media clip.

“People who are watching full-length episodes of a video series are engaging with your brand in a more meaningful way than those who are watching a couple of seconds of a social media clip.”

The time watched metric proves that your content is compelling, relevant, and entertaining to the viewer. People are voluntarily sticking around to hear what you have to say for an extended period of time, and that means they’re likely to come back for more.

How Wistia Channels increases watch time

Grab some popcorn, sit back, and relax, because Wistia Channels are designed for long viewing sessions. In fact, these features work so well you won’t even notice they’re there! Here’s what’s going on behind the scenes to encourage deep engagement with your video content:

• The full-screen player: Clicking the “Watch” button on a Wistia Channel opens up a high-resolution, full-screen player that loads quickly, attracting and sustaining attention.
• Next buttons: While videos are playing, a subtle white “next” arrow appears on the right-hand side. It lets the viewer know that there’s more to come and the story’s not over. At the end of a video, an “Up Next” thumbnail appears in the lower right corner of the player, giving a preview of upcoming content.
• Sections and categories: With section headers, you can break out your content into chapters, categories, or topics. You can pique curiosity with section titles or just keep things organized so that viewers can navigate to exactly what they want to see.

Creates a distraction-free viewing experience

Netflix is a form of escapism for many people; you can watch whatever you want from wherever you want, whether that’s in the comfort of your own home, on a bus, or even on the toilet (no judgment here). And while other corners of the social web feel like noisy intersections, your Wistia Channel is a zen-like space focused solely on your content. Why not give your content the spotlight?

Why it’s important to eliminate distractions

Social media is great for shorter interactions, but when you’re releasing long-form video content, it’s best to create a distraction-free environment where your audience can engage more deeply. Think about the last time you watched a video from a business you follow on Twitter. Were you easily distracted by the surrounding content? Did that puppy who was learning how to walk downstairs catch your eye? Yeah, us too.

It’s impossible for viewers to focus on and fully absorb what they’re watching when they’re distracted. If you’re sharing a story that’s near and dear to the heart of your business and speaks to your values and what you do, you want people to remember what they watched, and you want to open up the possibility of starting a conversation.

Increase signal-to-noise ratio

Wistia Channels are designed to shine a spotlight on your videos so you don’t have to worry about viewers getting distracted by other shiny objects (or adorable dogs). Here’s how we keep the focus on your content:

• No ads or links to other sites: Your Wistia Channel is part of your own website and doesn’t link out to promotional content or other sites … unless you want it to, of course. Either way, you’re in the driver’s seat.
• Control over the display of content: When it comes to the presentation of videos within your Channel, the choice is yours. Even if viewers are tempted to click on a different video, they’re still only being exposed to the content that lives in your Channel, not your competitor’s.
• Minimalist design: You won’t notice tons of animations, blinking lights, flashy ads, or other distracting elements on a Wistia Channel. The text, buttons, and other UX on the page inform viewers about the content they’re meant to watch, keeping the focus on your video content.

Establishes a unique home for your video content

Netflix celebrates its original content by ensuring each show has a stand-out, distinct visual brand to go with it. The eye-catching visuals are unique to each series and help viewers remember which shows looked appealing to them so they can come back later and tune in. Luckily, with Wistia Channels, marketers can also customize the look and feel of their content’s home base so that it matches their brand.

Why it’s important to brand your series

With Wistia Channels, you can do things like add a video or image header, select a font and color scheme, add text details, and more. But why put all this effort into creating a consistent, cohesive experience for your viewer, you ask?

Well, when you brand the content that lives on your Channel, you’re building on the familiarity principle: The more people see certain visual information, the more they’ll come to develop a preference for it. These little repetitive branding details add up to you and your audience getting to know each other better. It’s ground zero for relationship building.

“When you brand the content that lives on your Channel, you’re building on the familiarity principle: The more people see certain visual information, the more they’ll come to develop a preference for it.”

Netflix has a carefully calibrated brand for each series that’s designed to evoke an emotional reaction with the viewer. Thumbnails are A/B tested, short preview copy is written, and previews start to autoplay when you hover over a thumbnail. From our own Wistia video data, we’ve found that a factor as simple as video-player color can affect the play rate, so don’t sleep on giving the content you create some extra attention from a brand perspective.

Customize your Wistia Channel

Custom branding on your Wistia Channel creates a visual identity for your series that, in turn, creates a positive association with your brand. Here’s how you can get started:

• Autoplaying hero video: Adding a silent, auto-playing hero video to your Wistia Channel really kicks your branding up a notch. Turn on this setting and you’ll be capturing your viewer’s attention in no time.
• Thumbnails: As with other Wistia videos, you have full control over the thumbnails displayed on each video in your Channel. We recommend featuring people’s faces in your thumbnails because faces convey more emotion, but at the very least, keep the colors and fonts consistent to build that brand of yours.
• Color themes: This one’s plain and simple — choose a consistent color scheme for your series that lets viewers know it’s coming from you.
• Custom font and logo: Add your brand logo and choose your font so that people really know it’s you. No doppelgangers allowed.
• Titles and descriptions: Add text to your Channel to entice people to click on individual episodes and learn more about what the entire series is all about (and to give your series an extra SEO boost, too!).

Give your audience a Netflix-like experience

We love thinking big about video content and the impact that long-form videos, serial video content, documentaries, and more can have on a business' brand. After all, serious storytelling deserves all the support you can give it, and investing in a better user experience for your audience gives your content the chance to go the distance. So, what are you waiting for? Give your content the beautiful home it deserves.