If you’re reading this blog, then you probably already know that video marketing is essential. Studies found video content is shared 1,200% more than text and links combined. 

Indeed, videos are one of the most effective types of content to post. You get to take advantage of both audio and visual cues to engage your audience. In addition, you can offer a manifold of information through videos. There are:

• Product videos 

• Demo videos

• How-to/educational videos

• Livestreams

• Vlogs

• And many more!

Before you start storyboarding and filming, it’s crucial to find out where you plan to share your videos. To the mainstream public, YouTube is the go-to platform for uploading and watching videos. However, it might not be the best choice for your business initiatives. 

Not to fret, this blog will outline the key differences between Vimeo vs YouTube for business — two of the most popular video platforms out there.

YouTube for business

YouTube ranks second as the most popular social network worldwide (right behind Facebook). It has a known reputation because it has been around for over a decade. The platform also caters to an expansive audience demographic thanks to the plethora of videos shared. User-generated videos such as lifestyle videos, corporate videos, and instructional videos have grown exponentially over the years. Users even find themselves having a fair chance at success on the platform — you do not need a budget to become popular. 

Vimeo for business

Vimeo is a video hosting platform founded by filmmakers who wanted to share their creative works. Vimeo leads as the world’s largest ad-free video hosting platform that generally houses higher quality videos than those found on YouTube. While the intended market is the arts industry, businesses are taking advantage of the platform as well. 

Vimeo is known for its robust support system, including features for password-protect videos and editing videos that have already been uploaded. 

Vimeo vs YouTube for business

Here’s a breakdown of the two video hosting platforms. They are compared based on the number of users, search optimization, mobile optimization, cost, user support, storage space, running ads campaigns, community, customization tools, and analytics. 

1. Number of Users

There's not much of a competition here. YouTube has over 2 billion monthly logged-in users. And every day, people watch over a billion hours of video and generate billions of views. Vimeo only has an average of 715 million monthly viewers and 90 million registered users. 

It is a clear win. If your goal is to achieve maximum reach, YouTube will work best.

2. Search optimization

Again, YouTube takes the lead here. As the second-largest search engine on the internet, right after parent company Google, it is no surprise that users can make use of its massive search optimization. 

If you're planning to create videos for a target audience or a specific search query, your videos will thrive better on YouTube. Not only will YouTube display your videos on their search engine results page, but Google will also feature your videos according to relevant search queries.  

3. Mobile optimization

More than 70% of all YouTube views come from mobile devices. In addition, over 1 billion hours of YouTube videos are viewed each day — that’s more than Netflix and Facebook videos combined! The YouTube mobile app is definitely the hottest mobile streaming space. 

While both Vimeo and YouTube are optimized for mobile use, YouTube still offers a better overall user experience. Its mobile version allows easier discovery and a wider reach.

4. Cost

YouTube does not charge its users for uploading videos. In fact, if you manage to gain a substantial viewership, you can monetize your videos. This is because YouTube makes money through advertising. 

On the other hand, Vimeo offers four membership options based on monthly or yearly subscriptions: Plus, PRO, Business, and Premium. Each tier has different levels of storage and support. The business plan starts at $50/month. 

That said, YouTube offers a premium subscription service to viewers called YouTube Red. It is priced at $9.99/month. This subscription allows users to view videos without ads and download videos to watch them offline later.

5. User support

As part of their paid membership, Vimeo offers a well-rounded support team to help users. Be it technical support or just a quick ask, Vimeo is known for its excellent service. This could easily be a game-changer for businesses without much video expertise or if you simply seek higher-touch, on-demand personalized support. 

Although YouTube does have a support team, they are much harder to access since the YouTube community is pretty saturated. As such, most users rely on the free but general help instructions provided by YouTube.

6. Storage space

Vimeo charges for storage depending on the plan that you’ve purchased. The basic, free Vimeo account option only grants you 500MB of storage per week. With their Premium package of $75/month package, you can store 5TB total with no weekly limits.

YouTube offers unlimited, free storage for all accounts.

7. Running ad campaigns

Are you planning to run video ads? YouTube is the perfect platform to host your ads. It offers an advanced, user-friendly platform to manage your ads. In addition, you get personalized support from a "YouTube Advertising Expert" when you spend a minimum of $10 a day on ads. This is great from a marketer’s perspective. However, from the viewer’s side, it can be seen as a drawback as viewers that don’t pay for YouTube Red are forced to sit through one or two ads before their chosen content plays. Though an annoyance, this has become a standard convention of watching YouTube (or most online video platforms).

Contrarily, Vimeo does not allow paid ads at all. As such, there’s no chance for viewers ever to see a pre-roll ad and lose interest before your video starts playing. 

8. Community

Even though YouTube boasts a large community, it does not necessarily mean that the environment is suitable for your needs. Naturally, with so many active users, it is easy to be swamped by the heavy competition on YouTube. 

A smaller platform like Vimeo might prove to be more community-driven and easier to tap into a specific niche. You even get the opportunity to be handpicked as staff’s favourites and be featured on their page. 

9. Customization tools

In this aspect, using Vimeo is more advantageous. This is because Vimeo offers specific privacy customizations that tailor to your personal needs. You get to add password protection to your videos. Vimeo also offers customizable player options that YouTube cannot compare. From hex colour customization to the ability to include a custom player logo, you have a lot more options. When you realize you made a mistake after uploading a video, you can still edit it — a feature that YouTube has yet to provide despite popular demand. 

On YoutTube, if you want to edit something in your video, you would have to delete it completely and re-upload a new version. This means losing all of the views and stats that you’ve collected. 

10. Analytics

Every digital marketing expert knows that analytics is the secret recipe to success. You need to consistently keep track of your progress to know what’s working and what’s not! 

YouTube offers an advanced analytics tool that simplifies your process a whole lot more. The best part about it is they are entirely free to access. Vimeo does offer powerful analytics tools too. However, only the basic statistics are free. You'll have to pay to monitor the more detailed and in-depth metrics. 

So which platform would you choose?

YouTube and Vimeo are both strong contenders that will serve businesses well. Both platforms allow you to upload videos, measure views, and create playlists. But each platform also does a few important things that the other cannot.

It may seem like YouTube is the clear winner for most businesses, but it is vital to note that sometimes it is difficult to determine the right answer simply based on internet research. To find out which is most suitable for your business, you might have to take the time to explore and test both platforms, depending on your goals and needs. 

FAQS

How do I produce high-quality video content?

There’s no shortcut to producing high-quality videos — it is a skill that requires time and experience to cultivate! 

One key to content creation is ensuring it resonates with your audience. So ask yourself, which demographic in particular are you targeting? Does your video emphasize the message that you want to get across clearly? You can always use call-to-action phrases to initiate viewers to do a particular action that you desire. For example, “please subscribe to my channel” or “click on this link!”

How often should I upload new videos?

Like any other social platform, you want to regularly upload new content so that your fans continue to be in touch with your brand. The recommended upload frequency is around two times per week. If two videos a week seems too much, you can always start with a smaller frequency, however often you can manage to produce high-quality content.

YouTube’s algorithm favours fresh and new content. So the more often you upload videos, the better it will rank on YouTube’s search page. Just posting one or two videos risk your channel becoming outdated. So make sure you stick to your plan — consistency is key!

Should I consider hiring a professional to produce and market my videos?

Maintaining a successful YouTube channel is a lot of work. You have to do keyword research, video production, editing, channel optimizations, monitor performance, and more. If you want to create videos for your business, it will be helpful to hire a professional instead. This prevents you from wasting time and money on a project that might not even meet your expectations. Uploading low-quality videos also speak a lot about your brand. To some customers, it might be a red flag. 

Not only will a professional have the skills to produce and market your videos to their highest potential, but they also possess advanced videography equipment and editing software that will get you the production values you need. Everyday cameras or cellphones cannot compete with these professional tools. 

Would you like us to help you find the best video marketing platform or handle your video production?

Click here to schedule your free 20-minute consultation.