In (December 03, 2015)’s post, we highlighted some incredible, recent video marketing statistics. Given some of those figures (i.e. 96% of B2B organizations are engaged in video content marketing) it’s no surprise that more and more content marketers are turning to video. So today, we wanted to talk a little bit about what happens after you’ve made the video, and you find yourself asking: which video sharing service is right for me?
Although there are a variety of video sharing services out there, we’re going to focus on the two biggest: YouTube and Vimeo. Like most things in life (especially in business) there’s no “right” answer. But not only does each service possess a unique set of characteristics, they’re both continually evolving. Meaning that what might have made YouTube the better choice for you last year could be completely different now. So let’s a closer look at YouTube today, and then tomorrow we’ll examine the pros and cons of Vimeo.
YouTube:
Youtube was founded in 2005 by three former PayPal employees and, over the past ten years, has grown to become the world’s largest video-sharing service. Notably, in November 2006, YouTube was acquired by Google. We mention here as it helps explains the fourth item on our list below. But before we get into that, let’s start with what is undoubtedly YouTube’s biggest differentiator:
1) It’s Free: Anybody can open (and use) their own YouTube account without any cost to themselves. Not only that, but you can upload an unlimited number of videos as well. So using YouTube is free, but…
2) There are Advertisements: Similar to the network television model, the “free” content is effectively paid for by advertising dollars. On YouTube, these ads will appear as either full-screen spots before a video starts or as partial-screen ads that pop up during playback. For some users, this can be annoying. But for others, particularly content creators whose views number in the millions, they might have this reaction…
3) There are Advertisements! Those who create very popular videos can leverage their content as a revenue-stream (receiving a portion of advertising fees). Others who aren’t in this position still might see value in YouTube’s advertising options by taking advantage by paying to become one of YouTube’s Promoted Video (meaning that your video would be the spot that plays before another video begins). So whether you see these types of ads as a challenge or an opportunity, just make sure to factor them into your decision because they are one of YouTube’s largest differentiators. As is the fact that Youtube is…
4) G-Friendly: As we mentioned above, YouTube is owned by Google and therefore naturally interfaces seamlessly with Google’s user accounts and other offerings. That integration with Google’s ecosystem is part of the reason that the service boasts…
5) 1 Billion Unique Visitors per Month: Simply put, YouTube is the place where the most videos are watched. Which is an impressive claim, no doubt about it, but don’t let that staggering figure prevent you from asking the all-important question: who is my target audience here? Is that audience likely to find my video through a search? Will I be sending it to them directly? Will it be embedded somewhere as part of a larger marketing strategy?
6) And what about Quality? In the past, this is where YouTube has significantly lagged behind. But since introducing HD videos, YouTube’s video quality has significantly improved. As a general rule, their videos are most often played in low 360p (for quicker initial rendering), but you can optimize your settings to fit you specific objectives. If you’re a novice, this might be a bit more difficult to set up, but it’s important to know that YouTube’s upload options have significantly increased over the past year.
For a full list of specifications and optimization settings, click here.
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