YouTube or Vimeo? Why You Need Both For Business

As is the case with so many comparable things in this world, there is a range of opinion out there as to which video platform is better for your business, YouTube or Vimeo.

People often ask which one will leverage more for their social media strategy.

Both of them have advantages and disadvantages, and both boast loyal fans and hardened enemies.

Here's a quick comparison of some of the pros and cons of both.

YouTube                                                                 Vimeo

Over a Billion Users  Worldwide √                      828 Million user accounts X

Worldwide spread √                                             Predominantly US  X

Google parent means major SEO √                    Google is not a fan (natch) X

Free  √                                                                    Free and paid upgrades √

Paid advertising available √                                No revenue from ads X

Ads on your videos X                                            No ads on your videos √

Patchy stats X                                                        Advanced analytics √

No control over 'Up Next' feature X                     Pay to control 'Up Next' √

Proliferation of UGC X                                           Professional content √

This is just a small selection of the features to compare, and the prospect of endless contrasting and matching is enough to make anyone run for the hills.

Really, for business you need both. 

You need a YouTube channel. Full stop. It's the second-largest search engine on earth, and you must be find-able there. End of conversation.

But if you're not as familiar with Vimeo, it's really worth signing up for an account for your business, and here are a few reasons why.

1. It has a really nice calm interface, where customers can watch your videos without the distraction of random, potentially unsuitable 'Up Next' videos in the sidebar.

2. The Vimeo community does not troll. It's a place for positive feedback within a creative space. So there will be no legacy of daft commentary under your hard-won video content.

3. It waves a flag that you know what you're doing. It's widely regarded as a professional video platform for makers who are in the know.

4. It generates tidy URL's for you to embed on your other platforms, and shared Vimeo video looks real nice on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

5. It has very good analytics so that you can really get under the hood with your audience stats.

6. You can replace a video file without affecting your previous stats or your upload allowance.

7. An upgrade to Vimeo Pro allows you to embed their player on your site and control what the viewer sees next. So they will never see a random and possibly totally inappropriate video coming next on your homepage, as might happen with a YouTube embed.

There are many more good reasons to get into Vimeo, just as a YouTube channel is essential for your social media strategy.

The trick is to roll with both. 

Niamh Guckian is the Director of Go Motion Academy

Providing Training in Video for Social Media & Digital Marketing