Best Video Host for Your Business
Choosing the right video host can amplify your video marketing efforts. Video hosting services enable users to upload and share their content on the internet in a reliable way. Going straight to internet giant YouTube might seem like the obvious answer, but there are good reasons to use other services.
YouTube As a Video Host for Business
Unless you’ve ignored the internet for over a decade, you know what YouTube is. The ever-growing video platform trails only parent company Google as the second largest search engine. They welcome more than two billion users a month.
Mainly an entertainment and social platform, Youtube is a great tool for content creators who want to grow their subscriber base on the platform. It can build your audience and increase brand recognition.
Since YouTube is essentially a video search engine, your videos are easy to find on the platform. Youtube videos also rank well on Google (obviously).
Discoverability is a definite pro, but there’s one problem: Youtube gets all the credit. If you embed a video on your site, that link will send viewers to YouTube. The SEO credit goes to Youtube and traffic is directed back to their site not yours.
Using Vimeo to Host Business Video
Vimeo also provides two services to users: Vimeo Pro and Vimeo Business. Both come with a range of features at different price points with Vimeo Business having the larger set of features for a higher price. These services are designed to help individual professionals and businesses get the most out of their video marketing content.
Wistia, Another Video Host for Business
Wistia calls itself “the video hosting platform made for B2B marketers.”Unlike YouTube and Vimeo, Wistia does not drive traffic back to its own site. Instead, Wistia is for companies that want to use on-site video to drive traffic. This increased traffic to your site will help boost your SEO. You can also restrict the domains (Vimeo also provides this) to stop people from embedding your video anywhere you don’t want it.
Brightcove, Maybe Not For Everyone
Founded in 2004, Brightcove has always been on the cutting edge. Their platform uses a video cloud that runs an HTML5 video player (as opposed to a Flash player) which provides high-quality video streaming across all devices – especially with mobile.
If all of that sounds like a bit much to take in, you wouldn’t be alone. While Brightcove is pretty comparable to Wistia, it isn’t nearly as user-friendly. Brightcove suffers from having a clumsy interface and is hard to use player customizer.
Choosing The Best Video Host for Your Business
The right video host comes down to your budget and goals. Keep in mind that you don’t have to stick to just one. To maximize exposure, you might post some videos on YouTube or Vimeo. These platforms are great at building awareness and helping new audiences discover your content. For audiences further down the funnel, you might host videos on Wistia or Brightcove. These platforms have the infrastructure to help you achieve conversions.
Ultimately, the best video host is the one (or ones) that works for your business. So, experiment and see what works for you
