by Valeria Beussink
3 ways to use videos for engaging your audiences and 3 pros and cons of most popular video platforms (YouTube and Vimeo)
When startup Do.com was launching their social productivity app, they did not just send out a press release and launched a social media campaign. They showcased capabilities of their app in a humorous video with a personal touch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7myUgmtFPkc
In the age of short attention spans and declining reading habits, getting your message across by visualizing the information can engage your target audiences in a more compelling way than other formats.
Arguably, videos might not be the best fit for your audience or campaign, but if your idea or message could not be presented without a video with the same relevance, you might need to think about investing resources and time into shooting a video.
3 ways to use videos for engaging your audiences
Showcasing capabilities of a product or service
You developed a product you are proud to sell, but no matter how ingenious or authentic your brochures or presentations are, they just do not do it justice. Sometimes creative video presentation will go a long way in capturing your audience`s attention.
A good example could be this video created by IdeasByNet of its Gravity-Defying iPhone holder. It is a great case when focusing on presenting examples of how to use a product, rather than just having someone talk about it generates more interest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITNBUWk5yi0
How-to videos and tutorials
Creating tutorials on using your own products and services is a great way to interact with your existing customers. But producing “how-to” content on a subject matter important for your audiences, but not necessarily describing your products, can generate awareness of your brand as a subject matter expert among new potential customers. Check out how UK keyword research tool WordTracker has created a video tutorial on SEO optimization of a web page.
http://vimeo.com/57127228
How to SEO optimize a web page for Google from Wordtracker on Vimeo.
How to SEO optimize a web page for Google from Wordtracker on Vimeo.
Storytelling from Real People
Nothing attracts attention more as human stories shared by real people. American Cancer Society puts a personal spin on a cause together with a simple call to action in this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Diz-cuKRhug
Eager for more ideas? Check out 42 ways to use video to grow your business from Jimm Fox.
3 pros and cons of YouTube and Vimeo
Pros
|
Cons
| |
| YouTube | Estimated 450 million unique, monthly visitors worldwide. | Your videos may get lost in hundreds upon thousands of other videos because of the huge viewing potential. |
| Advertising opportunities which include display ads, in-video ads, and promoted videos. | Due to advertisements appearing in almost every video on YouTube, customers may be distracted by other businesses when they’re viewing your videos. | |
| Unlimited uploads. Depending on the views, subscribers, number of videos and other statistics of your account, YouTube will also slowly start allowing you to upload longer videos. | Profane comments. As your videos grow more popular and attract more viewers, they have a higher chance of receiving more inappropriate comments, profanity and spam. | |
Vimeo
Ability to embed your own logo or image into the video player allows you to have better branding opportunities.
As Vimeo is significantly smaller in comparison to YouTube, views of your videos may be extremely limited.User interface is far less cluttered than the one of YouTube and puts user-generated content in the center stage.Commercial restrictions. If you plan on promoting a product or service through a video on Vimeo, you are required to pay for a Pro account.Between YouTube and a paid Vimeo Pro account, the analytics platform on Vimeo is believed to be far superior.Vimeo Pro account limits you to upload a maximum of 50 GB per year, with each video limited to a maximum of 5 GB.
When deciding which platform will suit your campaign better – YouTube that has become a symbol of online video or Vimeo with its more advanced features or engaged audience – consider the goals of your campaign and whether high exposure or more diverse branding options are more important to you.
http://sproutsocial.com/insights/2011/08/youtube-vs-vimeo-business/
http://webtrends.about.com/od/profiles/a/Vimeo-Vs-Youtube-Video-Sharing-Sites.htm