The internet is a content galore; in times of boredom, ignorance or loneliness, we turn to it for satiation. We eagerly devour digital content via a hefty spread of channels, but amongst all possible avenues, one medium has stood out far above the rest: Video.
Videos inject a refreshing sense of vibrancy into our online perusal, proving to be superior in terms of memorability and interactivity. They also make for excellent content creation. Beyond putting together a digital masterpiece, businesses and personalities are all familiar with how very important marketing one’s video is—something as simple as choosing a site to post on can either be advantageous or detrimental to your views.
Torn over which website to use as your main driver? Read through our list of the hottest video-sharing platforms, and you can rest assured that you pick one best suited for your purpose and needs!
YouTube
The name “YouTube” has become virtually synonymous with the word “video”. There’s no doubt that YouTube is the first site that comes to mind when the topic of video uploading and sharing is breached. Remaining unchallenged as the number one video platform across the world, navigating the site is second nature to anyone on the internet. But before you put all your eggs into this particular red-and-white-clad basket, you need to ask yourself: What exactly is the goal of my video? To boost sales? To drive traffic? With YouTube, understand that your content will be geared more towards enhancing your brand’s image and sparking brand awareness. Upping traffic to your official site or ushering viewers down the consumer funnel, however? Not so much.
YouTube’s design encourages people to use on a more exploratory level; suggested videos entice users to click on them along the sidebar or the end of every video, instantly whisking the viewer away on different tangents altogether, not urging them to dive deeper into the content in your video. Nevertheless, this is an excellent platform should you wish to hype up your name in general. To increase watchtime, many companies go along the entertainment route, mimicking popular YouTube trends. Check out SKII’s video which draws influence from the unscripted YouTuber vlogging style, featuring shaky camera work and candid banter.
Vimeo
YouTube may be all the rage, but here’s one feature Vimeo offers that triumphs the king of video sites: No outside ads. People with the basic YouTube accounts are constantly subjected to the inconvenience of having to sit through or click “skip” on an unwelcome ad that springs up before or in the middle of riveting content. Vimeo has no such issue. The site enables viewers to be solely focused on your video without any of the additional distractions that might arise from suggesting other channels. Better yet, the sidebar pushes out more of your other videos to encourage further traffic to your profile. Many creators like THE QUEEN make full use the site as a means of compiling and showcasing their robust portfolio. One downside is that Vimeo’s free version only allows for a maximum of 500MB of uploads per week, but that can be easily rectified by upgrading to the paid 5GB limit. Plus, video lengths aren’t capped at all!
Besides being a great bank to compile and store all your videos from across other platforms, Vimeo also allows you to link your website and contacts in a sidebar on your profile, making for an ideal display for more professional endeavours. Note that unlike YouTube, most people have targeted searches on Vimeo, already knowing which creator or video they want to view. This makes your titling and meta descriptions crucial. Find a good balance between making a title clickable and eye-catching, yet also polished with SEO-favoured keywords for the best results!
Tiktok
If you’re looking to target a more contemporary crowd, Tiktok is the way to go. Revered for its humorous meme-worthy shorts and catchy dances, the app is a surefire way to flaunt how your brand has its finger on the pulse of current trends. This platform would be especially apt if you’re looking to create short, snappy content. Requiring you to deliver clips that marry attention-grabbing sights and sounds, Tiktok tests the boundaries of your creativity, painting your brand as adaptable and artistic.
Take a look at Puma’s ad. Backed by pulsing electronic beats and adorned with sketchy hand drawn animation, the video is presented through rapid panning and quick jump cuts. Such features are the backbone of the Tiktok style, allowing the ad to effectively blend in with the other consumable entertainment content on the site so that it won’t be easily flicked past. Apart from its entertainment value, the video also includes a shoppable link to the product—a convenient and casual way to urge viewers into discovering more about the item and eventually making a purchase.
Instagram is primarily a photo-sharing platform, but marketers are gradually beginning to see the value in posting videos. Moving images stand out amongst a sea of stagnant ones, inviting users to pause in their mindless scrolling to find out what happens next. Remember that most people view Instagram on their phones, so it is more suited for vertically-oriented content. Similar to the YouTube and Tiktok trend, marketing material on Instagram is designed to be camouflaged amongst the rest of the entertainment content in a bid to dial down the aggressive-selling tactics that people tend to resent in ads. Whether it be a fleeting story, an Instagram Live or a classic video post, your video can adopt certain features to make it a pleasant watch, consequently keeping your brand’s name in the good books of consumers.
Instagram is all about aesthetics; half the battle can be won with pretty imagery. Take a closer look at this post from skincare brand Love From Yours. The video keeps it short and sweet, with elements commonly found on beauty guru profiles such as pastel-hued product shots and well-groomed mirror selfies—all backed by a soothing audio that ties the skin care items to a sense of beauty, tranquility and purity.
Dailymotion
Dailymotion may be considered somewhat of a forgotten underdog when set alongside the other bigwigs of video sharing, but its obscurity certainly doesn’t reflect its usefulness! Dailymotion’s Player Technology is one of the industry’s forerunners, making it ideal for high quality and high frame rate uploads. It even supports 360 degree videos! This grants you flexibility in the type of video you wish to share, especially for official brand videos that require the best quality streaming.
One cool feature that differentiates this particular site is its highly customisable interface. The settings here allow you to tweak your player’s colour scheme, logo and behavioral features to fit your brand aesthetic. Another artistic aspect to consider is your video thumbnail. Like it or not, people are visual creatures. We judge books by their cover, and videos by their thumbnails. A single glance at the thumbnail is enough to decide whether or not someone even clicks on your video to watch it. Depending on your brand image, you might choose to opt for either a picture that intrigues and raises curiosity, or one that is visually pleasing and attracts the eye like Mashable’s Starbucks campaign.
Conclusion
With so many video sharing sites available on the internet, choosing the best website for your needs may be difficult. If you do decide to use a video marketing strategy, why not engage a video production company? At En3, we’re a cheap video production company that offers a suite of services to meet your marketing needs:
- Interview videos
- Product Demo
- Tutorial vidoes
- Event highlights
- Announcement videos
- Behind the scenes videos
If you’re interested, drop us an email or message to find out how En3 can help you!
