Video: controls or no controls?

by 13 replies
15
Looking for comments on whether to include video controls or not to include controls when posting a video onto a squeeze or sales page.

If you have stats or simple advice...



Thanks!
#main internet marketing discussion forum #controls #sales conversion #sales page #squeeze #video
  • For the viewer, there are two easy fixes for videos with no controls:

    1 - The big X button in the top right hand corner of the browser window.

    2 - The back button.

    I say give your viewers an option, besides leaving your site.
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
  • Well, the good thing about having controls is that people can look back at the details and see if the missed anything.
  • I agree with ~Kev~ ... just the other night, while I started watching a video. There were no controls so I couldn't stop it, rewind it or even see how long it would be (and I found that weird). After what must have been 4 minutes, this guy just when on and on and on and he was deadly boring!) I just hit the "X" while he was in mid-sentence. I couldn't take any more.

    Controls give people options. They may just want to pause a video while dealing with a brief interruption (i.e., phone call) ... or adjust the volume for their needs. The video I watched had absolutely NO controls.

    Ina
  • No Controls = Goodbye. Since watching any video is a real pain with dial up, give me one that has no controls or time, and I'm gone in LESS than 60-seconds!

    Pete
    • [1] reply
  • Absolutely agree... It annoys me when there are not controls. I think it is sneaky. If you want to make things easy for your visitors as your website should be... then controls are part of making it easy.
    • [1] reply
    • With a sales letter, we have the choice of reading it completely, or look for the order button.

      With a video, give me the possibility of going back, show me the time left, allow me to slide it to the end of the video.

      And I hate when they say, "I will get to it in a minute", and you wait and wait and wait. And they repeat it. And you wait some more. And here it goes again. It's distracting. Even infuriating, at times.

      The worst part is discovering that the video lasts 30 minutes, with 20 minutes about a story that brings nothing additional.

      Maybe a good idea would be to put a 2nd video with some background info, so that the prospect will know where you come from. I'm not sure about that idea, though.
  • Ask yourself this.. who do you want to control the sales process?

    As a seller, I want to control it.

    I allow a pause button but nothing else. That's what works for me. It might or might not work for you.

    You should split-test it for yourself, that's the only way to get a true answer.

    Each market, industry and niche will respond in different ways, that's why you need to test things for yourself because the data I collect might differ from the data you collect.
    • [1] reply
    • Only giving the option of a pause button is ok if the video is less than 10 minutes. Otherwise, I might do something else while the video is playing.

      Knowing how much time is left is a good thing, too.

      Well, I guess I'm saying these things cause I'm looking at things from the customers' standpoint.

      And you're right, ultimately, testing is the answer.
  • I personally prefer controls. It really bothers me when I need to step away and can't pause a video.
    • [1] reply
    • Just last night I was watching a video when someone came knocking at my door and to my surprise, after I tried hitting the space bar, which often times 'pauses' a video, the video kept playing...so I "x" the page and said screw it...

      if I can't AT LEAST pause a video, as there are times when SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT happens in my daily routine then watching some 'sales video', I always hit that little "x" in the top right hand corner...

      Hope that helps? ;-)
  • CONTROL !
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