The Top 7 Video Sharing Channels in 2015
Producing and sharing video content about your company should be an integral part of your digital marketing activity if it isn’t already. The opportunity to reach and engage new customers is vast – and growing.
Once you’ve produced your perfect video, there are a multitude of places you can get it noticed. This list explains the best 7 video sharing sites in our opinion to get your video content noticed in 2015.
1. YouTube
No surprises here I guess. Did you know 100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute? If your business is not using this as a social media platform already, then it really should be.
Having a presence on YouTube will enable your company to easily reach your audience with 800 million unique users each month. The comments section also allows for audience engagement and could be used as a place to receive invaluable feedback. It also adds to your brand image using the platform to create a personality for your company.
To use YouTube effectively, you will need to ensure content is being uploaded regularly to keep viewers coming back for updates and relevant content.
There is opportunity for your video to show up in Google search results too, doubling your exposure. We’ll be following this blog up with a “how to optimise your YouTube video” for best SEO performance later in the year.
2. Facebook
Throughout last year, sharing videos on Facebook became extremely popular following trends such as the ‘Ice Bucket Challenge’, in which the videos were shared using nominations creating a ‘daisy-chain’ effect.
With the ease of tagging others, sharing, commenting and access to people who are ever more connected via device, the options are pretty much unlimited.
Facebook users are logged on across all their devices making it the perfect platform to help with the challenge of cross device marketing too. Users often browse on mobile, view again on tablet and ultimately buy on desktop – all from your original connection with them through their mobile.
A Boosted video post helps your company reach a more targeted audience should you want to pay a little for increased exposure.
Facebook now uses an auto-play feature meaning that users can view video content straight away when scrolling through their news-feed. This is a great way of being able to capture their attention when there is so much written content on the timeline.
3. Instagram
This is a video sharing website ideal for businesses targeting younger customers – predominantly teenagers and twentysomethings. It is a platform used primarily for sharing photos but video has become increasingly popular on the platform.
Instagram allows for 15 second videos; an ideal length to share information in a creative way without losing the interest of the audience. An ideal platform for your company to reach a growing number of users with snappy videos.
We’re seeing follower numbers increase rapidly on Instagram at the moment, far outperforming the organic growth of new followers on Facebook – probably at a rate of 5:1 currently.
Here’s a great example of how best to use videos on Instagram: http://instagram.com/redbull/
4. Vimeo
For sharing high quality videos, Vimeo is one of the best platforms to use. To upload videos that are promoting a brand or a product, you will need to use Vimeo PRO.
One of the major advantages of Vimeo as an alternative to YouTube is that there are no advertisements currently delaying your video for the viewer. Embedded Vimeo videos in your website can also look more professional as a result. Vimeo allows for much customization to get your videos to sit perfectly within any website design.
Choosing whether Vimeo would be beneficial to your marketing strategy depends on the type of audience you are trying to target. Vimeo’s is a smaller, more niche audience of people seeking high quality videos. This then creates more of an intimate community wanting to engage rather than leave irrelevant comments which you may find on YouTube.
Here’s an example of a great Vimeo profile: http://vimeo.com/hootsuite
5. Daily Motion
This video sharing platform is about creating an online community and a simple user experience. It attracts over 120 million unique visitors each month and doesn’t focus too much on the quality of the videos shared. The site offers a mixture of content shared by users, independent creators and premium partners.
We liked this DailyMotion account: http://www.dailymotion.com/bmw-automobiles
6. Vine
Creating a 6-second clip using Vine enables you to share a message by gaining the audience’s attention quickly and having to keep it for a short period of time, potentially making it more effective than longer video content.
Vine can be used to embed videos into other social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter and the use of hashtags will add to the social reach of the video content.
Vine is a platform which can easily be used by your customers via device and apps on smartphone and tablet. This makes it ideal for raising awareness of your brand and to start engaging with potential new customers.
Here’s a great example of how to use Vine: https://vine.co/dove
7. Snapchat
Although not one of the most obvious video platforms, the popularity of Snapchat and the younger audience that you will be targeting could make it extremely effective for your business’ marketing. Using Snapchat to create content as well as share it can be tricky with the time constraints involved (10 second maximum for a single video or 120 seconds for a Snapchat Story). However, for businesses wanting to target an audience around the age range of 13-25, this may be a creative method to experiment with.
Ideas for this micro-video app could be based around:
- Previews of new products
- Exclusive discount codes
- Company ‘behind the scenes’ style preview – this makes it more personalised
- Engagement with audience – ask questions such as thoughts on the business’ products/services and general questions of the day
One company which has used Snapchat effectively is: ASOS. They started using the app back in 2013 and is still continuing to target their young customer base through this. Their past activity has included sending unique discount codes and outfit ideas to their followers.
A final note
With experts predicting an increase in the need for more engaging content, your business should consider whether the creation and sharing of videos could really work for you as an effective way to grab your consumers’ attention in the coming year.
Talk to us if you want help with a cohesive social media strategy to support your video and brand story online.
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