You already know that video marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for agencies and small businesses. Video can be used to engage audiences and convey brand messages in a format that’s gaining popularity across many social channels, and with a variety of audiences.
While video content may take longer to produce, the results can mean more engaged and loyal audiences and more exposure to prospective customers. Knowing which platform to post on is the key to reaching your target audience and getting the best results with your videos.
Here are a few pros and cons of our top platforms to help you decide which one is right for you.
Hint: It might be more than one!
Become a Creator of YouTube Videos
Pros
- Vast Audience: YouTube boasts over two billion monthly active users, making it an ideal platform to reach a wide audience.
- SEO Benefits: YouTube is owned by Google, meaning videos posted on the platform are likely to appear in Google search results, enhancing visibility.
- Long-Form Content: YouTube allows for longer videos, enabling marketers to create in-depth and informative content. YouTube also recently announced “YouTube Shorts,” which gives creators a platform to post short, vertical style video content as well.
- Monetization Opportunities: Content creators can monetize their YouTube channels through ads and sponsorships, providing potential revenue streams. Here’s a guide to setting up your own YouTube channel from our friends at Hootsuite, if you want to see what’s involved.
Cons
- High Competition: Due to its popularity, YouTube is highly competitive, making it challenging for new channels to gain traction.
- High Production Value Expectations: Users expect professional-quality videos on YouTube, which may require higher production budgets and resources than your audience might expect on other channels.
- Ad-Based Revenue Model: While monetization is possible, it relies heavily on ads, and generating substantial revenue requires a significant audience size.
Become a Video Marketing Pro on TikTok
Pros
- Explosive Reach: TikTok’s popularity has skyrocketed, especially among younger demographics. Using TikTok for business marketing, you could reach a massive prospect audience with your video marketing campaigns.
- Viral Potential: TikTok’s algorithm favors content discoverability, allowing videos to go viral and reach a wide audience in a short period of time.
- Creative Freedom: TikTok’s emphasis on short-form, user-generated content encourages creativity and experimentation. It’s a platform where unique and engaging video content can thrive. Many small businesses have also taken to the platform to showcase their products and services.
- Influencer Collaboration: TikTok’s influencer culture offers opportunities for collaborations with popular content creators, enhancing brand exposure and engagement.
SocialPilot recently broke down a comparison of TikTok, Insta reels, and YouTube Shorts. If short-form content is your jam, you might want to check it out.
Cons
- Younger Audience: While appealing to younger demographics, TikTok may not be suitable for brands targeting older or more professional audiences. Then again, we know plenty of professionals who have TikTok obsessions. It just depends on your target market and what you’re selling.
- Limited Ad Options: TikTok’s advertising options are still evolving, with limited self-serve advertising capabilities available in some regions. This limits your ability to run targeted ad campaigns.
- Evolving Platform: As a relatively new platform, TikTok’s advertising policies and algorithms are subject to frequent changes. Marketers really have to stay updated and adaptable to maximize their video marketing efforts.
The Standard Facebook Video
Pros
- Massive User Base: With billions of active users, Facebook offers an extensive audience for video marketing content distribution. This audience demographic trends older than other social media platforms, which is helpful if that is your target audience.
- Enhanced Reach: Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes video content, ensuring higher visibility compared to other types of posts.
- Targeted Advertising: Facebook’s robust targeting options allow marketers to reach specific audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Here’s a guide to setting up a video engagement custom audience from Meta’s own help center.
Cons
- Organic Reach Decline: Facebook’s algorithm changes have led to decreased organic reach, making it harder for videos to reach a wide audience without paid promotion.
- Autoplay Feature: While autoplay can capture attention, it may result in lower engagement as users may scroll past videos without watching them fully.
- Shorter Video Lengths: Facebook’s emphasis on shorter video content may limit the ability to create longer-form, in-depth videos. Your only option for that is to host a Facebook Live, which is actually a great option for posting long-form video content that lives on your page forever. It just takes more planning.
Instagram Videos Serve a Selective Audience
Pros
- Visual Appeal: Instagram is perfect for showcasing visually stunning video content. It is one of the top competitors with Tik Tok, and is always working to take over the video marketing space.
- Strong Engagement: Instagram’s emphasis on likes, comments, and shares encourages high user engagement.
- Instagram Stories: The Stories feature allows for the creation of ephemeral, behind-the-scenes, and candid video content.
Cons
- Video Duration Limitations: Instagram prioritizes shorter videos, which can restrict businesses whose prospects prefer longer-form content.
- Limited Link Placement: You can’t post links with your video on Instagram. As of April 2023, IG increased from one link allowed in the bio section to five. But, how many people are going to visit your bio? It’s a clunky setup that limits direct traffic to external websites.
- Highly Curated Aesthetic: IG users love to collect beautiful Instagram images and videos, which may require more polished and aesthetically pleasing video marketing content. You want your brand “look and feel” to be consistent across all your images and videos on Insta, since they all live together on your bio page.
Intrigued? Here are 14 tips from Buffer on how to improve your Instagram reach and make Reels that grab views.
Whatever Platform You Choose, Create Authentic Videos to Get Traction
Consider your target audience, brand messaging, and campaign goals when deciding which social media platforms to use for video content. Each platform offers unique advantages and challenges, and by strategically selecting the most appropriate platforms (and adding your videos to your website whenever you can!), you can use video marketing to engage and delight your target audiences.
Need help creating, uploading, or managing your video content for social media? Cowtown Creative is here to help! Our team of digital dynamos specializes in all areas of marketing your business, including social media management and video content creation. Let’s get started today.
