In a world where people are increasingly spending more time online than on the Television, it is crucial that modern businesses adapt to this change. Businesses intending to benefit from this change are typically faced with a multitude of options when it comes to online advertising. However, there are only 2 major online video platforms capable of reaching a wide audience viz. Vimeo and YouTube. Even so, it is a difficult decision to choose between the two platforms. Although both of them are video sharing platforms, their differences significantly outweigh their similarities.
When faced with making a choice between Vimeo and YouTube, it is very important to understand the user`s business goals, user`s nature of business and the stark contrast between the two video sharing sites.
Some of the factors to be considered during the decision making process could be:
1. The size of the target audience to be reached.
2. Type of video – informative, creative, viral content and so on.
3. Monetization potential of the video.
4. Quality of the video.
5. Type of audience and their preferences, such as the importance they give to user experience, ad distractions, quality of content and so on.
6. The purpose of the video and business goals it is intended to achieve.
Vimeo and YouTube, both, have their sets of pros and cons. A thorough knowledge of each helps to understand which of the two is best suited for a particular business strategy.
Vimeo
Pros
1. Vimeo is a community of professionals, filmmakers and film enthusiasts, where the focus of the audience is to provide constructive feedback and help filmmakers network with other users.
2. The site offers a very clean and streamlined video experience, with neither ads nor recommendations, to put off the audience. Here the video is the sole focus of all attention.
3. Filters separate commercial videos, gaming videos and all non-user generated content. Unlike YouTube, Vimeo is not the destination for videos of cute-cats. There is no fluff to drown the creative and useful content.
4. The site offers superior built-in video editing tools, which ensure a far better quality of the videos. Also the video statistics are more advanced and presented in a clear layout.
5. It is possible to choose thumbnails and alter the video player`s appearance to improve the branding quotient of videos.
6. There is no time-limit on the length of the video that can be uploaded.
7. The password-protected videos can be shared only with people who possess the password. It comes especially handy during beta testing of the video. Unlike YouTube, there is no need to sign-in to watch the password-protected videos.
8. Vimeo allows the sale of video content and offers “Tip Jar”, wherein the audience can tip the creators of content they like.
Cons
1. Vimeo caters to a limited audience of 100 million per month.
2. Some essential features of Vimeo are only available in the premium version of the account.
3. No scope for in-site paid video promotions.
YouTube
Pros
1. With 1 billion unique visitors per month and 72 hours of video uploaded every minute, YouTube has 10 times more reach than Vimeo.
2. To cater to the massive audience size, YouTube offers highly refined targeting features and advertisement options. Businesses with big advertising budgets vastly favor this feature.
3. Users are offered very high customization options in the form of own channels with customizable backgrounds, playlists and so on.
4. The monetization feature allows the users to be paid for featuring ads on their videos.
Cons
1. Advertisements such as banners and 15-40 second clips, accompanying the videos on YouTube is a major irritant to viewers.
2. Competitive advertisement is a big threat to small businesses, especially to those who are limited on the budget front. Big competitors put their ads on the videos of small businesses and steal the attention of the audience.
3. The sheer clutter on the site makes it very difficult to break through it.
4. The comments section is a sordid place with all forms of racist, sexist and degrading statements which have nothing to do with the quality of content on the video. No constructive feedback can be obtained from such regions.
As can be seen, the decision to pick between Vimeo and YouTube is only an extension of a clear understanding of the business goals, the videos are intended to achieve. If the audience size and ad revenue are the only considerations, YouTube is a clear winner. On the other hand, if the videos are intended to for the purpose of reaching a niche sophisticated audience, disseminating serious content, availing constructive feedback and connecting with other quality content generators, Vimeo is the best bet.