Whether it’s video on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or Youtube, the single most important element in your marketing strategy today is video. No matter what your company does or sells, you need video in your marketing mix.
The plethora of platforms that can distribute online video has shifted dramatically over the past year. Videos on Facebook are being watched more than on YouTube, Twitter is winning the social listening game while Snapchat’s daily views are in the billions.
What does this mean for you? As a brand marketer, including video in your marketing plan, is not enough, it must be a social video strategy. This requires an understanding of the nuances of each platform. Yes, it’s a lot to keep up with, but don’t worry, keep reading and you’ll have what you need to understand the landscape of all the biggest social platforms that matter right now.
YouTube is an old giant
The Good
At ten years old, YouTube is the grandfather of online video. It is second only to Google as the most used search engine. YouTube is huge, with a library of video content from over 300 hours worth of video content uploaded every minute. This volume is both positive and negative of the platform. It’s sheer volume and scope of content allow brands to grow their following and reach new audiences.
The Bad
However, when you have a platform with over a billion users who all want to be the next viral video, the chances of getting attention can be near impossible. Not to mention the most viewed videos on YouTube are music videos, so unless you’re the next Taylor Swift, you’re going to have a tough time getting millions of views. In fact, the average amount of views on a YouTube video ranges from 2,000 to 9,000 depending on vertical. The other noticeable problem with YouTube is its downward trend compared to Facebook’s growing 4 billion daily video views. Which leads us to our next social video platform.
Facebook knows everything
The Good
With their new video ad products and the fact that they have data on data on data, Facebook is a great place to put your marketing dollars. If you’re taking the time and energy to create video content for YouTube you can also share your videos on Facebook, to establish even more reach and relevancy. The amount of targetable consumer data allows you to specify who will be targeted for your video allowing your video to be seen by the people who will be interested in your brand/product/offering.
The Bad
Be warned! This doesn’t mean posting a YouTube link on your Facebook page as a status update, it means uploading the video natively to Facebook. Facebook and Google are not friends. In fact, Facebook’s newsfeed algorithm has been proven to heavily favors native videos over YouTube videos. Placing your video natively on Facebook gives you a higher chance of your video being seen by a greater amount of people. The challenge comes when trying to measure a video’s success. It can be very difficult to present congruent metrics when hosting the same video on both platforms as YouTube and Facebook have very different definitions of a view.
Twitter is everyone’s friend
The Good
Twitter released its new video marketing product in January and has become one of the most widely used social platforms to consume video, especially on mobile. Twitter is growing rapidly especially with its acquisition of Vine and Periscope this year adding to its arsenal of video tools. With Twitter’s video feature, you can not only stand out, but it allows for a totally different level of engagement. We say it all the time, and more than a plethora of data suggests that people respond more to video than to text. The elements of sight, sound, and motion present a much more meaningful experience for the viewer.
The Bad
Remember, this is a fast paced platform, no one is on here to watch long form content. Andy Pringle of Marketing Magazine warns marketers, “Brands looking to use this form of video must be really imaginative. Pushing our existing TV ads or content won’t work.” With the immense amount of information flowing through your stream at any moment, it can be hard to grab someone’s attention so make sure to tailor your content appropriately.
Snapchat is sneaking up on all of them
The Good
Snapchat is huge right now especially among millennials. According to Snapchat’s 2014 Age Distribution Chart, 31% of the users were between 18 to 24 years old, and 19% were over 25. Teens and young adults are using Snapchat all day and night. In fact, it’s one of their main forms of communication, drawing in over 4 billion video views per day. Considering this is one large demographic, with enormous buying power, you should probably figure out how to get in on the conversation. With Snap Stories, it’s Discover section, and takeovers, there are many ways to take advantage of this young overachieving platform.
The Bad
Snapchat is a unique platform. The fact that snaps only live for 24 hours presents a unique sense of urgency when engaging with the content. Keep in mind that content on Snapchat is vertical only, this means that although you can host your YouTube video on Facebook, that same video won’t work on Snapchat. Brands must tailor their content specific to this platform, which may pose a problem with less viewing area.
So there it is, the biggest platforms of social video right now, broken down and demystified. Some people may think they have missed the train on their social media presence. Don’t worry, there is always another train, and there is no better time than the present to start experimenting with your social video strategy. Don’t miss out on the opportunities that these platforms provide for you. Maybe they aren’t all relevant to your brand but I guarantee your consumers are on at least one if not all of these.
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