Video Marketing Goes Beyond YouTube. Have You Explored These 3 Options? Enlist Vimeo, Vine and Wistia to reach different customers and stage other types of viewing experiences.
By Sujan Patel Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I love YouTube. When it comes down to it, YouTube is still the most heavily trafficked video site online today. And with an estimated 72 hours of content being added every minute, it should certainly remain the cornerstone of any good video-based content marketing campaign.
But what if you want to take things further? Sayyou've already maximized your brand's presence on YouTube and are looking for new opportunities to reach different consumers or experiment with alternative types of video content. Depending on your specific use case, any of the following three YouTube alternatives could give you the campaign growth you're looking for:
1. Reach higher-quality audiences with Vimeo. Although Vimeo's basic structure is similar to Youtube's, it differs in a number of key ways. Not only was Vimeo the first to support consumers' uploading high-definition pieces, the video-sharing site prevents post-viewing "related videos" from displaying your competitors' clips. And it's is totally ad-free. For these reasons, Vimeo tends to attract a smaller but what many advertisers consider a much higher-quality audience (meaning a viewership including lots of employed professionals).
Get started by creating some epic video content: Vimeo filters out most commercial, gaming and nonuser-generated content, so you'll want to invest in creating quality videos before branching out onto this site.
Consider a paid account. As a paying producer (plans start at $59.95 a year), you'll be able to customize your video player, add your logo to the top of your videos and take advantage of other premium features.
Focus on community building: Vimeo users are seriously loyal about their platform. So don't look at the site as just another dumping ground for your video content. Instead, get to know the site's users by interacting with them before sharing your work.
Related: Why Short Videos Are Wildly Popular Over Social Media
2. Use Vine when you want to experiment with more viral-style short-form video content. Vine isn't a video-sharing site; it's a mobile and desktop app associated with Twitter that allows users to share looping videos of 6 seconds or less in length. The videos' limited duration means that Vine isn't right for every brand, but it's definitely worth considering; Ogilvy vice president Heather Taylor estimates that "brand vines are shared four times more than other online videos."
Think personality. Six seconds doesn't give you enough time to do a full product demonstration or sales pitch, but it does give you an opportunity to showcase your brand's personality. Have fun with your clips and leave people wanting more.
Post regularly.The number of Vines being created and shared means that regular posting to this network is a must. Don't stop after releasing a single Vine video. Keep your channel full and your followers engaged with regular releases.
Learn from the big boys.The learning curve for Vine can be steep. Help your brand's Vine profile pick up traction (scoring followers and interaction) by checking out how big companies like GE and Lowes use the service.
3. Tap Wistia when you need more analytics data and features than YouTube provides. Unlike YouTube, Wistia is a paid video platform (the price for a plan starts at $25 a month) that delivers clips to websites and mobile devices. Where Wistia really shines is with its conversion and analytics features, which help users capture leads and learn more about how viewers are interacting with each video.
Amp up your production quality; if you're going to invest in a video platform, you'll want to use it to deliver quality content. Wistia's video-production page offers tips on improving clip quality on a budget.
Think about your core audience; Wistia isn't about driving view counts; it's about the chance to engage with your brand's ambassadors. Use analytics to be sure your videos are striking the right chord.
Pay attention: Having access to advanced analytics is only helpful if you use this data. Tap the information you generate to drive campaign changes across all your brand's marketing channels.
These three Youtube alternatives should help you expand your video-marketing campaigns, but if you have another recommendation to share, leave a note in the comments section below.
