Marketers step in: which video platform

Do you like to chat?

Yes. I come from a long line of debaters, negotiators and general questioners - and now it turns out that sparking these discussions has become part of my job.

It shows. often during the life of our team. Slow discussions

around everything from lunchtime to the latest marketing news - - the latter of which often includes a healthy debate about which tools and channels we prefer to use, both as marketers and consumers of technology.

So, qWhen my colleague, editor of the marketing blog Sophia Bernazzani , recently covered a whole discussion around which is better - Snapchat or Instagram - I thought, “This is a great idea. What else can we debate?

This time the contenders were some of the major live video platforms out there: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat. I opened the discussion on Slack ...

… and, like Bernazzani debate, decided to open it to our members of the inbound.org community .

We asked the following marketers:

1. What is your platform favorite for live video?
2. use different platforms for different purposes?
3. Why do you prefer thisyour / these platform (s)?
4. Don't you particularly like non-preferred platforms, and if so, why?

And now, we're sharing some of the top reasons marketers prefer each platform - read on for some of the discussion highlights below.

Why use Facebook Live?

1) There is more engagement.

According to Facebook video manager Fiji Simo , around 20% of all videos on the channel are live, time spent watching them being multiplied by 4 during the past year.

Video is already a popular content format on Facebook, with approximately 100 million hours consumed on the channel each day . So when you consider that 20 million hours is made up of live video, the data speaks for itself - people are interested in this type of video.content. It's no wonder marketers agree:

2) There is a bigger scope.

Note that in his quote above, Eric Peters , senior manager Growth Marketing Academy, also spoke about the reach of Facebook Live.

To date, Facebook has 1.28 billion active users per day . On top of that, it continues to be Pew Research Center 's more popular social media channels. In other words, when content is shared on Facebook, this is done with a bit of a built-in audience.

With so many people already using Facebook, users often come across content from creators that they don't already have, because it is recommended by the platform's algorithm, or one of their friends has engaged with itor shared it, which shows up as activity on their feeds.

Therefore, when marketers share content on Facebook, the audience isn't necessarily limited to people who already like their pages - it also has the potential to grow. new audiences as we mentioned above. Social Media Marketer Nick Carney agrees:

3) It 's easy to use.

Carney also mentioned the makes that, when it comes to streaming live video with convenience, Facebook emerges as a leader again.

As it points out, Facebook Live not only integrates seamlessly to a number of other platforms, but it is also responsive acro ss more than one viewer support orrecording - like a desktop or mobile. And when you're a marketer trying to capture the flow of an event or provide a spontaneous look at what your brand is doing, this type of translatable use is important.

Perhaps this is why social media strategist Christine Gritmon answered the following questions:

4) The actual content survives the live broadcast.

Gritmon also mentioned nature some Not very persistent of Facebook Live video content. Unlike other ephemeral content platforms, she explains, viewers can continue to consume her live video content long after the broadcast ends.

Notice how she approached the idea of ​​reusing thee Facebook Live content elsewhere. While non-live Instagram posts, for example, can be shared and embedded elsewhere, live stories and video cannot. The use of Facebook, Gritmon explains, allows this specific video content to continue to exist elsewhere, in the long run, so that it can still reach those who did not attend the live broadcast.

Why use Instagram?

1) It 's good for short form content.

When it comes to streaming live video to mobile, Fresh Egg social media manager Mark Longhurst says Instagram Live is his platform of choice :

This is where discoverability comes in. Instagram, similar to Facebook, is a platform where users scroll through a stream of multiple pieces of consumable content. They don't search.Looking for nothing in particular and did not arrive at this destination following a som ething search. Rather, they're here just to see what's new and what might be interesting.

This is especially true of Instagram's "Videos You May Like " feature, which includes handpicked, live, and pre-recorded videos that you might like to a given user, depending on their viewing behavior on the platform - and which personally led to following more than one previously undiscovered profile.

That said, people don't not necessarily looking to consume a long chunk of content while scrolling, even if it is a live video format. About two-thirds of viewers prefer video under a minute , and in a crowded content stream, it's probable that it is even less. So, as Longhurst says - when it comes to this platform, be brief.

2) Sometimes the content looks a bit more natural.

Pre-produced and formal live videos are excellent - in some context. If you're hosting a webinar, for example, or a longer interview you've teased or promoted in advance, viewers have a better idea of ​​what they're for - in fact, they probably already have it. signed up or planned to watch it before the broadcast began.

But there is a time and place for it, says the Marketing Director of the Greater Kalamazoo Association of Realtors. Angela M. McMillan - and Instagram Live isn 't it?

When it comes to Instagram Live, focus on short, useful videos with aesthetic appeal - and content that doesn't 'need not stay after its initial live broadcast.

These criteria make Instagram a great platform for live videos that look like updates - a way to say 'hello' to viewers and show them what your brand and its employees do. For example, maybe there is a trendy industry event where you could have a presence - Instagram Live offers a great way to let your audience know that you are there and that you will give them insight. of all the cool action that is taking place. Afterwards, if you want to do a compiled review of the event that is a little less spontaneous in nature, find a different platform for it.

Why use YouTube?

1) It is valuable for those who already have an audience there.

When Gritmon weighed in on live video platforms, she noted that "YouTube Live is wonderful for those who ho have an audience out there",but that it's just "not where my audience is." For this reason, if you are new to YouTube, this might not be the best place for your live videos.

However, if you already have an established YouTube presence and typically use it for pre-recorded content, it can be a valuable platform for a 'special edition' of something, or an event your audience should “listen to” - which you can promote and tease with non-live video before the broadcast.

Here's an example of how Sony Pictures Entertainment did just that to tease their Hangout Live with Amazing Spider-Man 2 cast:

2) This is best for long-form content.

As we noted above, YouTube is a better platform for longer live videos, especially when you've promoted them in some of the ways we've done.iscuted above. true on mob ile, says Longhurst - in fact, check out the latest edition of the platform's listing in the iTunes store :

That wasn 't always the case - according to TechCrunch , the previously read list, "YouTube - Watch, download and share videos " - without mention of live content. But from a consumer perspective, we didn't notice anything noticeable different in the live viewing experience here than on the other channels we have discussed. Although it does allow users to minimize video in one corner for continuous playback while browsing elsewhere in the app, Facebook offers the same functionality.

So it looks like the platform may be trying to catch up with other platforms in the live mobile audience realm. from a point of viewMarketing, recording and streaming of live video via mobile is currently only available for verified accounts with at least 100 subscribers, making it less than ideal for short, spontaneous content.

Why use Snapchat?

The truth is now: we haven't heard from a ton of over-crazy marketers using SnapChat for live video.

For her part, Gritmon says she uses Snapchat for the sake of "staying in the game" as a social media strategist, and that she doesn't believe it's being used. by the demographic that she or her clients are trying to reach. She also noted that it appears to be widely used to share private content with a select group of friends - not to reach new audiences with live content.

In summary, it looks like the verdict is in:

• Facebook = Good for engagement and reach,especially with longer form live videos.
• Instagram = good for discoverability, with spontaneous live videos in shorter form.
• YouTube = good for marketers with a pre-established audience on this topic platform already, who can upload pre-recorded videos to their channels to tease live broadcasts.
• Snapchat = Great for sharing with friends - no new audiences.

Many thanks to the community marketers and inbound.org who participated in this discussion. Where do you fit into the debate over the best live video platform? Let us know in the comments.