10 Popular Social Video Platforms
There are many different video platforms out there, but here are 10 that show promise for what they have to offer – YouTube, Tik Tok, Facebook Watch, Instagram, Vimeo, Snapchat, Periscope, Vine, Twitch, and more!
There is no doubt that these platforms can be utilized in order to reach an audience. The question is: which one should you use? That answer will depend on your personal preferences and the type of content you want to share. Nevertheless, we’ve outlined some criteria below so you can find the best platform for whatever it is that you need.
10 Popular Social Video Platforms
YouTube
If you want to reach the maximum number of people possible, then there is no doubt that you will need to use YouTube. It has become a household name and is used by millions all over the world.
YouTube offers many advantages, including the fact that it’s an incredibly powerful platform for influencing your audience’s purchasing decisions, as well as being effective for managing brand awareness among sub-segments in your products or services.
TikTok
Short video-sharing mobile application available on both iOS and Android devices. This social network particularly focuses on short-form videos which are 15 seconds long (although some videos can be up to 60 seconds).
However, rather than focusing on music or creativity, TikTok’s main goal is to entertain its audience. You can watch people lip-sync to popular songs, watch impressive video editing skills, and much more.
Tik Tok is slowly but surely becoming a major social network that caters specifically to the younger generation of users.
Facebook Watch
Facebook has recently unveiled its new service known as Facebook Watch, which is basically just another way for users to view original videos made by either themselves or other companies on the platform.
This new feature has been available since August 2017 (watch time on this platform has increased exponentially ever since), with their most recent update in November 2018 seeing it become available globally (rather than only in the United States).
Given the fact that there are billions of active Facebook users, it makes sense that they would want to offer a dedicated video service.
Twitch
Streaming games are growing in popularity, which is why Twitch was initially created back in 2011. It’s mainly used by gamers who want to share their gaming content with the world. If you are a gamer or if you know gamers then this can be a great platform for marketing your business!
Similar to Periscope, Twitch offers live chat moderation which can be useful for moderators who want to encourage communication between themselves and other users on the platform. Some of the most popular games that are being streamed include Fortnite, GTA 5, PUBG, Overwatch, Minecraft, League of Legends & more!
In 2016, the photo-sharing platform Instagram launched its own TV show called Tapping Into Fashion. The show focuses on fashion influencers and notable names from both the fashion industry as well as those who are known for having a large following online. In December 2018, Instagram announced that there were now more than one million active accounts on the platform which belonged to content creators.
The reason why this is great news for marketers is that this could mean that brands will be able to connect with these content creators in an effort to expand their reach and market their products or services through them (for example, by a certain campaign or collaborating with them on a new product or service).
Vimeo
Vimeo is one of the leading video-sharing websites which has been around for many years. Vimeo was actually founded in 2004 while YouTube, on the other hand, did not even launch until 2005! Over the past decade or so, it’s safe to say that YouTube has become much more popular than Vimeo, but this doesn’t mean that they aren’t both incredibly valuable platforms when it comes to distributing your videos.
One thing that makes Vimeo stand out is how it allows you to upload HD-quality videos (as well as 5.1 surround sound audio), something which is sadly absent from YouTube. It also features additional monetization options such as video on demand or “pay-to-view” VOD, as well as being able to sell merchandise via their service.
Snapchat
Launched in 2011, this social network has become very popular with the younger generation of users (mainly teenagers and young adults). Snapchat is effectively a platform where users can send photos/videos that are only viewable for a short period of time (around 10 seconds or less).
Yet another unique feature that makes Snapchat different from various other social networks is that it allows you to communicate with people all over the world; these interactions can be either private (i.e., between two people) or public (i.e., allowing thousands of people to view what you post) and is all managed via your “friends” list.
Snapchat has actually been suffering from a bit of a decline in terms of its user growth and engagement over the last few years, but if you can create content that stands out and really resonates with its audience then you shouldn’t have any problems using this platform to reach your target market.
Periscope
Twitter-owned Periscope focuses on live streaming and was originally created by Kayvon Beykpour and Joe Bernstein back in 2014. It was acquired by Twitter just one year later, although it wasn’t until 2015 that the social network enabled users to be able to go live on Periscope directly from within Twitter (prior to this, you had to use a third-party app).
Periscope is quite similar to Facebook Live, but it offers live comment moderation which can be very useful for those who are looking to boost engagement on their videos. Similar to other social networks, Periscope also offers various analytics tools that allow you to understand how popular your content is among your followers.
Vine
Vine is a video-sharing app that is very popular with users of all ages. The great thing about Vine compared to YouTube, for example, is that most videos are very short in length (i.e., 6 seconds). It was released back in 2013 and came under the control of Twitter just a year later, but it was shut down just two years later after struggling to generate enough revenue to continue its operations.
The one advantage it does have over other social networks when it comes to sharing videos is how new videos will automatically play while scrolling through someone’s timeline (which means you don’t need to press “play” like on YouTube or anything like this), something which can be very useful for those looking to gain more exposure.
Flipgrid
Flipgrid, formerly known as Vidku, is a powerful video-learning app for teachers, students, and corporate trainers.
Flipgrid is an interactive video platform that allows users to create short online educational material for learning new skills or creating any type of content.
The majority of Flipgrid creators are educators who use this online platform to share their videos with schools that they teach in or the students they teach. Many schools have also used Flipgrid in class to enhance their lessons by making them more engaging.
Teachers can even collect the videos created by their students and post them on the school website or blog for others to view. This online tool can also be used at home if you are homeschooling your child/children!