Choosing the right video platform for your content
Video Platforms
Unless you have the magic viral touch, gone are the days when you could just upload a video to the web, sit back and let the views role in.
Too much of video content marketing is a game of throw the sticky man at the window and see if sticks or falls. Chances are you’ve created some amazing content but’s it’s languishing in a buried youtube channel at the bottom of your website. It doesn't have to be this way.
This post is to help you choose the right video platform to share your content BEFORE you create it. Thereby optimizing your production choices and making it more likely to be viewed and shared by your target audience.
Facebook vs. YouTube vs. the rest of them
Top video platforms YouTube and Facebook each have their own benefits and drawbacks. Navigating the pros and cons of each service will help provide a clear idea of where you want to host your content.
YouTube is the big kid on the video sharing block; with years of building their brand and functionality, it has become the go-to for for online distribution. However, Facebook has been making strides to create its own network of channels and, depending on your goals, could be a more appropriate place for your video to be hosted. And then there are the myriad of mobile social apps that use video as either a primary or secondary channel.
When choosing the right platform consider the following questions:
Who do want to reach and which video platforms are your target audience already using?
What technical limitations exist for your content e.g. type of content, video duration, quality, size etc.
How do you want your audience to interact with your content?
Pros & Cons of different video platforms
Youtube - PROS
No technical limitations on videos
Powerful SEO - Is owned by Google and is #2 online search engine
Powerful Analytics
Fully optimized for mobile, live video and next-gen VR or “360” videos
Annotations & Cards add interactivity
No upload or storage limits after verification
Massive audience - YouTube reaches more US adults aged 18-34 than any cable network
Ability to create channels for your brand
Live streaming recently added (2016)
Completely free
Youtube - CONS
Typically less shares and comments than a native facebook video
Competitors content or even ads can be displayed near yours
Online ads turn people away from your content
Comments are poorly moderated and can detract from your message
YouTube is designed to keep people on YouTube, so people are less likely to visit your website
Many businesses block YouTube videos internally
No guaranteed technical support
Facebook - PROS
Biggest social network in the world - FB claims 1.35 billion monthly active users
More socialized - videos appear in people's feed - people more likely to comment and share
Native hosting more prominent than linked content
Fully optimized for mobile, live video and next-gen VR or “360” videos
Better moderation of content - there are between 800-1000 FB moderators worldwide!
No ads in videos
Completely free
Facebook - CONS
Some technical limitations - Max 1280px resolution, 30 fps or less, 1.75GB or less
Video duration max 45 minutes
Shorter lifespan, videos quickly sink to the bottom of peoples feed
Harder to search for older native video content
Weaker analytics - Facebook counts just 3secs as a view
Majority of Facebook’s videos auto-play without sound
Vimeo - PROS
No technical limitations on videos
More aesthetic - used more by creatives & filmmakers
Vimeo favors higher quality content (ie. displays what is great, not popular)
Customization of video player - logo, colors, features, thumbnails etc
Can use own domain
Detailed Analytics
Large supportive community, very few trolls
No Ads!
Vimeo - CONS
Smaller audience, so less visibility
No Free accounts for business usage - £159 per year (2016)
Google favours YouTube over Vimeo in search results
Some limitations on video upload/storage for each pricing plan
Wistia - PROS
Complete control of how your video is hosted and a fully customizable player
Great for website landing page videos that keep people on your site for longer
Wistia ensures your videos rank for pages on your website, not YouTube
Best platform Analytics & Heatmaps
Works on every device
Collect emails/lead data in videos with a simple ‘turnstile’ tool
No Ads!
Wistia - CONS
Free for personal use but pricing starts at $25 a month for a non-branded player
Lacks the audience base, SEO or social power of YouTube/Facebook
Wistia videos are not searchable like YouTube videos
Instagram - PROS
All done on a mobile phone, editing tools make it a great option for businesses with low budget or resources
Creative App features & filters make content more creative such as hyperlapse, timelapse etc.
Great for B2C - 40% of most shared instagram videos are by leading brands
The go-to social network for teens - Approximately 30% of US teens say Instagram is the most important social network.
Owned by Facebook - built in social network, great for shares and comments
Instagram - CONS
Videos must be 3 to 60secs long
Instagram is primarily a photo sharing platform so this is what people expect - videos comprise only 6% of total posts
Not possible to attach text with a video
Limited desktop functionality
Vine - PROS
6 second looping video clip
Also allows for external upload of videos for higher production quality
Requires very little budget and resource - just 6 seconds of raw video
Makes use of looping functionality, since people will watch again and again
Owned by Twitter so more shares!
Vine - CONS
If teenagers aren’t your target audience you might want to skip the app altogether
Humour and originality are key to Vine success
Some people don't like looping videos!
Limited desktop functionality
Snapchat - PROS
Disappearing text, photo and video messaging app
Fun customizable video messaging capabilities - text, emojis, drawings, filters and frames
71% of Snapchat users are under 25
45% of US youth between the ages of 13 and 17 use the app
Recently (2016) launched a ‘discover’ video feature which enables companies to distribute videos to Snapchat users
Live streaming
Snapchat - CONS
Videos limited to 10 secs and self destruct after 24hrs
No two-way user engagement
If teenagers aren’t your target audience you might want to skip the app altogether
Media perception that it’s used as a video “sexting” app
Typically entertainment and celebrity use
Limited desktop functionality
The video landscape is evolving all the time, there are always new platforms/apps to discover, mobile video is increasing and 360 (VR) video is disrupting the market but hopefully you've now got a better idea where to start. . What doesn't change is the need for interesting, original, thought provoking ideas and stories that make great video content.
The key takeaway is to be strategic with your choices and supercharge your content by integrating platform choice into your video marketing plan. Instead of just throwing it at the wall and seeing where it sticks. Choose wisely...the right platform will enable you to reach your audience faster, better and make your content more likely to be shared.