Businesses involved with the online promotion of products and services opt for video or social media marketing. Vimeo and YouTube are two video-sharing platforms offering content creators a diverse viewership. Both have their pros and are selected by businesses based on which of the video-sharing websites closely align with their business objective. But, confusion arises when making the final marketing decision between Vimeo and YouTube. Let us learn more about both the video sharing platforms to know which is better for your business.
What is a video-sharing platform?
Recently, technology has revolutionised the entertainment industry and offers various video-sharing platforms to cater to viewers’ interests. A video-sharing platform can be defined as an online service or website that allows users to upload video-based content and share, view, and interact with videos uploaded by others. Such platforms are designed to facilitate video content distribution to a diverse audience looking for entertainment, education, marketing, or related purposes. Video-sharing apps typically allow users to upload their creative videos, comment on them, like videos, and share and subscribe to other channels or content creators who upload videos.
In recent years, when the world has digitally matured, video-sharing platforms have evolved to become an essential part of online communication. They are being used for entertainment, digital marketing, and education purposes. The variety of video content aims to cater to the different needs of viewers across the globe in every language or with subtitles. It is a potential opportunity for individuals and businesses to reach and engage with audiences that like and follow them. Since such platforms have millions of viewers, they often incorporate features like monetisation to allow content creators to generate revenue from their content.
Use of video-sharing platforms like Vimeo and YouTube in digital marketing
Video-sharing platforms are a crucial part of digital marketing or online marketing. It is primarily a part of influencer marketing and informative marketing. It offers a variety of opportunities to companies and brands by enabling them to reach and engage with a diverse audience. Businesses and digital marketers can use various video-sharing platforms effectively for their digital marketing strategies. Vimeo and YouTube are two popular video marketing platforms in the trend that digital marketers are widely using. But before that, let us learn more about how video marketing can be categorised based on its usage-
- Content marketing- Businesses often create channels to upload informative and engaging videos to showcase their products or services. These videos can include tutorials or provide insights and expertise about a particular business industry or niche.
- Social media marketing- The videos uploaded regarding your business can be uploaded in collaboration with social media influencers with a diverse viewership that can benefit your business in lead generation and conversion rates. Product or service reviews from authentic influencers help in building brand credibility.
- Storytelling and rebranding- It is essential for businesses to represent their brand in a personalised and credible way by emphasising its mission, values, and aim to the viewers. Even a slight change in brand policies and values must be conveyed to the customers. Customer testimonials and success stories in video format help build trust and credibility.
- Live streaming- A smart way of increasing interaction with viewers and customers is to do live sessions in real time through live streaming on platforms. They can include Q&A sessions, product launches, or behind-the-scenes videos to develop a sense of familiarity.
- Informative content- Creating educational or instructive videos about the industry or niche helps establish authority and provide value to the audience. Businesses can host webinars and online workshops to instruct interested audiences on specific topics related to their industry.
What is Vimeo used for?
Vimeo is an interactive video-sharing and ad-free platform launched in 2004 by various filmmakers who collaborated to form a platform that enabled high-definition video sharing across multiple devices. Vimeo is a host to sharing and showcasing high-quality videos using resizable video players that run ad-free. It allows creators to represent their content in the best possible way. It caters to the viewer and creator needs, including individuals, businesses, artists, filmmakers, and other business professionals who aim to showcase creative, customised and professional work.
Since most of the content creators on Vimeo belong to the community of filmmakers, artists, and other creative professionals, viewers get to watch well-balanced and innovative videos. Vimeo is becoming a popular choice for individual creators and businesses trying to enter the world of video marketing. Companies and brands commonly use Vimeo to share corporate videos related to their industry, product demos, and customer testimonials to build credibility and authenticity.
The various features of Vimeo are-
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- Hosting and sharing videos
- Creating and editing videos
- Live streaming
- Monetisation
- Data Analytics
What is the importance of YouTube?
YouTube is a free-of-cost video-sharing app popularly hailed as a social media platform used by various individuals and businesses to upload, view and share video-based content. It was launched in 2005 and was taken over as a Google-partnered app in 2006. YouTube ranks among one of the most commonly used video-sharing services where users across the globe can create profiles and upload, like, share, and subscribe to other creators. It can be accessed from multiple devices and democratises content creation and distribution across various digital channels.
Users of YouTube include students, teachers, businesses, and influencers who are either creating content or looking for valuable and informative content related to their field of interest. YouTube caters to content such as music videos, TV shows, official movie trailers, vlogs, DIYs, comedy sketches, etc. YouTube displays multiple ads for viewers but has a premium version if viewers need an upgrade.
Viewers across the globe use YouTube for-
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- Entertainment purposes
- Learning new things
- Live updates
- Viewing sports matches
- Marketing and advertisements
Vimeo or YouTube: Which one is better?
Both Vimeo and YouTube are video marketing platforms but have their benefits. Let us delve into how Vimeo and YouTube can cater to different marketing objectives for your business.
- Viewership- While YouTube extends its services to a vast and diverse global audience, Vimeo primarily caters to a more artistic and professional audience. Businesses wanting to go for a target audience directly can invest in Vimeo. Those wishing to improve their outreach globally can switch to YouTube as a primary video marketing platform.
- Usage- YouTube is used by audiences across the globe for entertainment, education, and marketing. YouTube videos can range from short to long-form content. In contrast, Vimeo is commonly used for hosting high-quality and creative content, such as films, documentaries, and portfolios. Based on the marketing objective of your business, its products, and services, you can choose between Vimeo, a somewhat formal platform, and YouTube.
- Quality of content- Since YouTube is accessible to regular audiences and includes user-generated content, most content consists of amateur videos. At the same time, Vimeo emphasises hosting high-quality video content. If you want to build business authenticity, YouTube must be your choice, as user-generated content goes a long way in developing credibility.
- Revenue generation- YouTube offers monetisation options through ad revenue sharing, channel memberships and super chats during live stream sessions. Monetisation in Vimeo is called ‘Vimeo on demand’, where creators can sell or rent the videos and generate a higher revenue than YouTube.
- Introducing ads- While YouTube adds a series of multiple advertisements as a mode of revenue generation, Vimeo users can stream ad-free videos and content, making it useful for users and creators who want an undisrupted experience.
These differences explain how businesses can choose between Vimeo and YouTube based on their features that align with business objectives.
Banyanbrain is a digital marketing agency in India that offers high-quality and result-oriented digital marketing services to meet client needs.
