How to Make Sense of your Video Performance Data

As a Product, Digital Marketing, or MarCom Manager, you frequently partner with third-party advertisers or major congresses to produce and promote video content. However, once a campaign wraps, interpreting the performance data you receive isn’t always as straightforward as it seems. In this article, we’ll analyze a sample dataset and walk through how to turn those metrics into clear insights.

Below is a sample of a video performance data you’d typically receive from a third-party publisher. When you look at these numbers, what is the initial conclusion you want to make?

Example: Sample Video Performance Data from a Third-Party Publisher

At first glance, you might see industry benchmarks that appear much higher than your own, leading you to believe your video underperformed. But is that actually the case?

When reviewing video performance, it’s crucial to look at the full picture rather than isolated metrics.

First of all, why is industry benchmark data included? This data compares how your video performed in relation to a similar video from the industry, i.e. serves as a reference point.  Simply put, to access if you video did “good” or “bad.”  (Third-party advertisers compile this benchmark data as an average for the year or several years based on all the similar video content.)

Let’s review what each metric in this report means:

1. Video page views (or sometimes landing page views) refers to how many times users seen the webpage that hosts the video.  In this example, users saw your video page only 126 times or 50% less than that of the industry benchmark.

2. Video impressions (sometimes video starts) refer to the number of times the video was clicked to play or auto-played. In this example, you video received slightly less views than the benchmark.

3. Total Minutes Watched refers to the total minutes the video was watched by all users, not necessarily from start to finish. In this example, users spent more minutes (or 49% more time) watching your video than a similar industry video.

4. Completion rate refers to % of users who watched a video from start to finish. In this example, only 20% of users watched your full video compared to 30% of industry.

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Now that you understand what these metrics mean, how do you determine which ones matter for performance?

Always return to your primary objective: audience engagement. Since the goal is to get viewers to watch—and stay watching—the metrics that matter most are Total Minutes Watched and Completion Rate.

What about other metrics?

1. Video Page Views
   This metric directly reflects the success of your promotional efforts, including both organic and paid channels. Essentially, the less you promote the link to the page where the video is hosted, the lower the visibility, i.e. fewer visitors, which ultimately results in lower view counts.  

2. Conversion Rate: Page Views to Video Plays
   This metric is the best way to measure traffic quality, even though it is not listed directly in the provided report. To find it, you’ll need to calculate the percentage of page visitors who actually clicked "play."

   In this case, your video conversion rate is 47.6%. When you compare that to the benchmark of 27.7%, it’s clear your video is a winner. Don’t let high industry view counts distract you—your content is actually much better at capturing your audience’s interest.

So how did the video perform?
Your video significantly outperformed the benchmark where it counts: engagement. You achieved 49% more total watch time and a your page view-to-video start conversion rate was 47.6% higher than the industry average. Even if total completions were higher for the benchmark, your content captured significantly more total engagement time. While industry benchmarks provide a useful baseline, they don’t tell the whole story.

Additional Considerations:

• Internal Comparison: To understand how this video performed against your other videos, compare the two videos directly.

• If you're considering a new third-party publisher or hosting platform, request their specific performance data to see how it compares to your current results.

The Final Takeaway: When reviewing video performance, it’s crucial to look at the full picture rather than isolated metrics to understand the story behind the data.

Do you need help analyzing your marketing data? Contact us.