In our last blog, we talked about the importance of taking your business presence online and making sure that you use video in social media to your advantage. We placed focus on Youtube, Facebook and Twitter, giving a general idea of what each platform has to offer, how to use that to your advantage, and how to get started. Of all we covered, we had barely scratched the surface of what platforms are out there for your videos. There are a few more potential suitors that you may want to consider as a new home for your videos.
According to CISCO, by 2021 Globally, IP video traffic will be 82 percent of all consumer Internet traffic, up from 73 percent in 2016. This indeed reflects why it is more important for brands to use video platforms to their advantage. One of the biggest social media platforms for sharing visual content is Instagram. Instagram drives more engaged traffic than any other social channel. Research from Yotpo’s global user database of over 100,000 online businesses shows that when comparing time on site from various social channels, Instagram beats out other sites like Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, Reddit, and more. A good example of a company that uses instagram to their advantage is Starbucks. They encourage customers to hashtag photos and videos with their brand name. Not only does this mean that they get free content, they also make their customers feel like a part of the brand, encouraging future engagement from them as well as others who see the photos and want to be included themselves. Instagram makes it very easy to share these videos and images with others and personalize them with many options for captions, filters and other editing tools. Furthermore, Instagram includes a “stories” feature that allows users to post pictures and videos that will all play sequentially, and stay in your story for up to 24 hours. This will allow you to keep your audience up to date and engaged regularly, as stories are very easily accessible at the top of your followers’ Instagram pages.
If you’re looking for a platform that is more business-driven to begin with, there is LinkedIn. Although many people assume that LinkedIn is only used as a site for job hunters and for growing your professional network, LinkedIn is also just as effective for generating new business leads and nurturing referral relationships. Previously, the only existing way to upload videos on the site was to post a link to a YouTube or Vimeo, but they very recently have introduced native videos, which allow for a much higher level of engagement, as well as provide a much more professional look. LinkedIn App allows people to record and upload any video. The app also provides audience insights such as the top companies, titles and locations of the viewers, number of views, likes, and comments that your videos are receiving. This video feature is relatively new, so updates to optimize the video features are almost inevitable at this point.
In modern society, as the uprising of digital video on social media continues, no matter what sites you choose, it’s important to stay informed on what the capabilities of each platform are and make sure that you use all the tools you are given to your advantage. Remember to know your audience, choose multiple platforms that will best benefit your business. Best of luck!