5 Places for Your Video (and What Goes Where)

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Whether producing video is your full time job, a hobby, or part of your social media marketing strategy, knowing where to post those videos will help in strategizing how you want to present your best video side.

There are many places to post video, but we are going to talk about five of them in this article.

YouTube

YouTube is easily one of the first sites to come to mind when you think “internet video.” It has made celebrities out of common people and it has been used by celebrities to feature themselves and provide additional video content for the fans. YouTube offers opportunities to make advertising money, training videos, interviews, gaming videos, reviews, and so much more. Put your full length video or your upcoming debut music video up on YouTube.

There are some limitations with a brand new account, but with little effort, you can set up your YouTube to allow videos longer than 15 minutes. You can also create videos through the Google Hangout on Air process. It is also easy to create recorded webinar videos using a service like clickwebinar.

Within reason, you can post anything you like on YouTube. You may want to consider posting the full version of your video on YouTube and re-purposing the content on other video sites. By doing this, you can create several different video products and content pieces from one video. What does “within reason” mean? It means you do need to watch the licensing. Please ensure that you have the license to post what you are posting.

Vimeo

Vimeo is the “art” side of video. While you could treat Vimeo in the same way as YouTube, Vimeo is where the budding artists and budding directors go. It is where you would post your National Geographic-like masterpiece. You can also post your art dossier, and your drama troupe’s newest mini-series. This is where movie production really has its chance to shine. This is where you go to post your production that is ready for that Independent Film Award, like Sundance Film Festival.

That doesn’t mean that you cannot post the same material as you would on YouTube, but think of Vimeo as the professional place for video. The easiest approach? Post your videos on both YouTube and Vimeo. Just be sure to follow the rules that are presented by each. Also, understanding the purpose and audience of each platform will help you to understand the results and analytics (analysis of traffic) for each platform. You may even discover what type of repurposing of video content will help you reach the pinnacle of success.

Want some more ideas on why Vimeo may be the place for you? Check out this Mashable article: 5 Reasons to Choose Vimeo Instead of YouTube.

Facebook

Facebook is the newest kid on the block. No longer do you need to link the YouTube video. Now you can upload the video directly to Facebook.

This is an excellent opportunity to create a shorter version of your YouTube or Vimeo video for the purpose of engagement. Upload your “video short” on Facebook and get that conversation going. Get that vid going viral! Now, to maximize the exposure, link to the full length video on YouTube or Vimeo. Also, be sure to encourage your audience to LIKE your page on Facebook, and also ask them to subscribe to your YouTube channel. After all, you need to give people an opportunity to find you again, so you can create that following for your next video productions.

While YouTube and Vimeo do offer opportunities for conversation and engagement (especially YouTube, with its Google integration), Facebook offers an established opportunity for engagement that should be maximized, if possible. Now, with the ability to publish video directly, you have access to that opportunity.

Vine

Vine videos really truly level the playing field for everyone. You can record the vids with a smart phone, pausing the video slightly between portions of the six second video. This pause allows you to get creative!

You can create a seamless vine, the full six seconds in a row, or you can create a sequence, using the pause function to position yourself for the next point in your Vine. Fortunately for you, everyone has the same limitation, so you have a chance, with that creative mind of yours, to hit the top of the Vine charts and end up on the “Popular Now” Vine list.

Instagram

Instagram is very similar to Vine, and yet, has one key distinction. No, it is not the length (approximately twice as long as Vine). That is a valuable difference, but not the one that I am referencing.

The key distinction is that Instagram has the option of post production. What does that mean? That means that you can create the 15 second video in your favorite video production tool. That is how the phenomenal Instagram videos, like the one above, are created. It is obvious that the GoPro video is not created all at once, but that video content has been merged together during a post-production video process. This is not something that you can do with a Vine video, so there are many opportunities to script your perfect Instagram video and really show off your video creation and video production skills!

My recommendation is to not worry as much about the production quality (odd for me to say that!), when it comes to Instagram. Instead, focus on the creativity of what you are putting together. If your composition is memorable, you will get the attention you deserve. Also, if you figure out exactly what you want to piece together, you can always come back and improve the production quality. How, or why? Because Instagram allows the post production!

Now It’s Your Turn!

Now, how about sharing some of YOUR video creations with us? Looking forward to your video celebrity and sharing it with you.

Written by
Deborah Anderson
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