Latest / Video Marketing with Fexingo: Short Form, Long Form, and Video-First Strategy / Why Video Marketers Should Test 360-Degree Content
Transcript
- Lucas: Most video marketers are still fighting the same two battles — short form versus long form, vertical versus horizontal. And those are important. But there's a format that almost nobody in B2B is testing, and it's been quietly available for years. Luna: Let me guess — 360-degree video? Lucas: Exactly. And I know what you're thinking: 'Didn't that peak in 2016 with Facebook's 360-photo rollout?' But the data tells a different story now. YouTube reports that 360-degree videos on their platform get, on average, a 40 percent higher click-through rate than standard flat videos. Luna: That's a big number. But is that just novelty? Or is there something structural about how people watch these? Lucas: It's structural. A 360-degree video forces the viewer to engage — they have to drag the screen or physically move their phone to see the full scene. That active participation increases dwell time by a significant margin. One study I saw found average watch time on 360 content is about 2.5 times longer than flat video of comparable length. Luna: But there's a catch — production complexity. You need a multi-camera rig or a specialized camera like the Insta360. That's a barrier. Lucas: It's a barrier, but it's lower than most people think. You can rent a decent 360 camera for about 50 dollars a day. And the editing workflow — stitching the multiple camera feeds together into one seamless sphere — is actually straightforward now. Most cameras come with stitching software built in. Luna: So who's doing this well today? Give me a concrete example. Lucas: There's a small adventure travel company called 'Off the Map Travel' — they run small-group trips to places like Iceland and Norway. Instead of a standard sizzle reel, they shot a 360-degree video of a glacier hike. The viewer can look around at the ice formations, the sky, the guide — it's fully immersive. They uploaded it to YouTube and embedded it on their booking page. Their conversion rate from that page went up 22 percent. Luna: That's impressive for a small brand. But what about platforms? Not every platform supports 360 playback well. Lucas: Right. YouTube and Facebook both support it natively. LinkedIn does not — which limits B2B use. But what's interesting is that you don't need a dedicated platform. You can host the 360 video on a simple landing page using a JavaScript viewer like 'Three.js' or 'Panellum'. That way you control the experience entirely. Luna: So the question becomes: what's the best use case for a marketer? Product demos? Virtual tours? Lucas: Both. But I think the strongest use case is something that's hard to show in flat video — scale and spatial relationships. For example, a construction company could show a 360-degree walkthrough of a building before it's built. The client gets a real sense of space that a floor plan can't convey. I've seen architecture firms use this to win bids. Luna: That makes sense. And you can repurpose the footage — extract still frames for social media, or create a standard 2D cut from a specific angle. Lucas: Exactly. The repurposing workflow is actually simpler because you have all the angles captured in one take. You can export a 'flat' version by just choosing a viewpoint. That's a huge time saver compared to shooting multiple takes. Luna: What about viewer behavior? Do people actually interact with the video, or do they just watch the default starting view? Lucas: Good question. YouTube's analytics show that about 30 to 40 percent of viewers actively rotate the view. The rest watch the default. That's why the 'first frame' — the initial view — is critical. You need to place the most interesting visual right in front of them, or use a cue like a moving object to draw their eye and encourage exploration. Luna: So the hook is still the hook, just in a spherical sense. Lucas: Exactly. And there's a simple trick: include a visual prompt in the first few seconds — like an arrow or a person pointing — that says 'look around'. That can double the interaction rate. Luna: It's fascinating that this format has been around for almost a decade but still feels fresh. Maybe because the hardware — VR headsets — never quite went mainstream. But phones are ubiquitous, and every phone has a gyroscope. Lucas: Right. The magic is that you don't need a headset. On mobile, viewers just tilt their phone to look around. That's a natural, intuitive interaction — much easier than tapping. And on desktop, you click and drag. It works on every device. Luna: We should probably mention that the file sizes are bigger. That can be a concern for load times. Lucas: Yes, a 4K 360 video is roughly four times the data of a standard 4K video because you're capturing the whole sphere. But adaptive streaming handles that well. And most viewers are on decent connections now. It's less of a problem than it was in 2016. Luna: So if someone wants to test this tomorrow, what's the minimal viable experiment? Lucas: Rent a 360 camera for a day. Pick one location that's visually rich — a factory floor, a retail space, a natural landscape. Shoot a 60-second walkthrough. Upload it to YouTube as unlisted. Share the link with a small segment of your email list or on social media. Measure click-through and watch time against your average flat video. That's a low-risk test that gives you real data. Luna: I'd add that you should also A/B test the call to action. In a 360 video, you can embed a clickable hotspot — YouTube supports that — that leads to a landing page. That could directly drive conversions. Lucas: 100 percent. In fact, the travel company I mentioned used a hotspot that said 'Book This Trip' placed on the glacier itself. It felt natural, not intrusive. Luna: That's smart design. You're not interrupting the experience, you're enhancing it. Lucas: And that's really the philosophy shift. Most video marketing is about capturing attention and holding it. 360 video is about inviting the viewer to explore. It's a different relationship. Luna: Speaking of relationships — if these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used, like that A/B test idea or the repurposing workflow, it helps a lot when listeners support the show. Lucas: Yeah, truly. A couple of dollars a month is genuinely what keeps these going — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, if you've gotten something out of them. It makes a real difference for us to keep this ad-free. Luna: Absolutely. Every bit helps us keep digging into formats like this that most people overlook. Lucas: Alright, back to the format question — what about the storytelling structure? In a 360 video, you can't control what the viewer sees. So how do you guide them? Luna: You use audio. Binaural audio — recorded with a dummy head microphone — creates a 3D soundscape. If you hear footsteps behind you, you'll naturally turn around. That's a powerful storytelling tool. Lucas: Yes! And visual cues — like a person walking across the scene, or a light source moving — can draw the eye. You basically become a film director in a sphere, not a rectangle. Luna: It's also worth noting that 360 video works amazingly for live events. I've seen brands like Red Bull use it for concerts and extreme sports. The viewer feels like they're there. Lucas: For B2B, I think virtual trade show booths are a slam dunk. Imagine a prospect walking through your booth from their desk, looking at product displays and talking to a sales rep via a live 360 stream. That's a hybrid event in one video. Luna: And the analytics — you can see which parts of the scene viewers look at most. That tells you exactly what's drawing attention. Lucas: Right. So you could optimize the physical layout of a booth based on heat maps from 360 video tests. That's a direct ROI feedback loop. Luna: We're talking as if this is easy. But there is a learning curve — mostly in editing and stitching. What would you say to a marketer who's intimidated? Lucas: Start with a static 360 photo. That's even simpler — you just take a photo with a 360 camera or even a phone app like Google Street View. No stitching needed. Then embed it on a landing page. See how people interact. Then graduate to video. Luna: Good advice. And the cost is minimal for a test. Lucas: Exactly. Look, the reason I'm bullish on this is that the market is wide open. Search '360 video marketing' and you'll mostly find old articles from 2017. The big brands stopped pushing it early. That means early adopters now can own the space before it gets crowded again. Luna: It's like being early on YouTube in 2008. The format has matured, but the audience hasn't been oversaturated. Lucas: Right. And with VR headsets getting cheaper — the Meta Quest 3 is under 500 dollars now — the demand for immersive content is only going to grow. Getting comfortable with 360 video now positions you for that future. Luna: Plus, you can use the same footage for VR later. It's future-proof. Lucas: Exactly. So to wrap up, here's what I'd say: 360 video isn't a gimmick. It's a genuinely different medium that invites higher engagement and deeper connection — if you use it for the right story. And the barrier to entry is lower than most marketers assume. Luna: I think the real takeaway is: test one 60-second 360 video this quarter. You might be surprised. Lucas: Agreed. And if you do, let us know how it goes. We'd love to hear the results.