YouTube vs Vimeo: What Platform is Best For Your Business?

The world is on the web- surfing, searching, and socializing. And YOU want to increase your business potential by posting videos online. But do you even know where to start… considering anyone and everyone posts videos online daily? For every informative business video that gets posted (the kind that can actually GARNER customers), one hundred million cat videos go up and go viral (ok, ok… maybe not that many, but it’s still a lot). How do you maneuver your way through this confusing ball of yarn, otherwise known as online video marketing, and come out untangled on the other end, with something potential customers will actually view? We recommend starting at square one. Increase your business presence with online video by figuring out which video platform, YouTube or Vimeo, best suits your business strategies, goals, and needs.

VIEWS

With over 1 billion users, YouTube boasts 4 billion views per day. Along with a higher number of site visitors comes a higher chance of your video being seen. If a greater volume of video visitors is your business goal, you might want to consider YouTube. The downside to a higher number of users is more clutter to sift through (like the aforementioned cat videos). Anyone (and I mean anyone) can create a YouTube account and begin creating and uploading videos, making your video the proverbial needle in a haystack, a diamond in the rough… you get the picture.

While Vimeo’s pool of 14 million viewer is substantially less than YouTube’s billions, it holds its own in the world of online video. Vimeo attracts a higher caliber of content creators (think artsy, filmmaker-type), providing its viewers with higher quality videos and a stronger “community” feel.

COST & TOOLS

Both YouTube and Vimeo are entirely free to use. Simply create an account, and you can instantly begin uploading your videos. YouTube provides unlimited downloads and video views; Vimeo does not. With a basic account, Vimeo users are capped at 500MB per week, as well as slower upload speeds. For $9.95 per month (or $59.95/year), users can upgrade to Vimeo plus, enabling 5GB of storage space, 250,000 plays, and unlimited HD uploading. Click here to compare a basic Vimeo account to a Vimeo Plus account.

Both platforms make it pretty simple to upload content. YouTube allows creators to upload files from their computer, webcam, or phone. From there, they are able to customize the channel’s appearance by setting up public or private access, searchable keywords, and a title and description. Vimeo provides the same options, but allows users to create a custom URL to their video, as well as chose the best thumbnail image to represent their clip.

ADVERTISING

Advertising is a big topic of discussion when considering YouTube or Vimeo. In a nutshell, YouTube allows more advertising than Vimeo. On YouTube, ads appear throughout as banners or short commercials at the beginning of more popular videos. Vimeo puts your videos first, meaning they don’t put ads “before, after, or over your videos.” There can be an advantage to having ads within the site like on YouTube; if you want your video to be seen, you can pay to have it seen.

AND FINALLY…

There are just a few more points I wish to discuss that didn’t fall into the aforementioned categories.

First (and VERY important), YouTube makes viewing recommendations based off of what you just watched. Be warned: customers who search and view your business’s video will likely be suggested clips from the competitor. This can be especially problematic if the customer is on the fence about who to do business with.

Second, Vimeo takes the cake when it comes to site aesthetics. Its cleaner, streamlined pages aren’t cluttered with advertisements or future viewing suggestions. Users uploading videos can build a strong online portfolio.

Finally, Vimeo has more options for privacy settings, including who can see your video, who can embed your video, and who can comment on your video. YouTube’s privacy settings fall under the umbrella of whether or not your channel is public or private, disabling your ability to custom-design your privacy.

So there you have it! Both platforms provide easy, free ways to upload videos for your business. It’s up to you and your business to decide which outlet works best for you! While your video may not be as cute as a pile of kittens, we know it will be a lot more informative and better for your business… purrrrrr-fect.

Need more video marketing tips? Check out our free ebook, “How to Use Online Video to Crush the Competition”.