Each video hosting platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, and which one is best depends on your marketing goals, types of content, and how you want to use your videos. Below are four platforms we have experience with and would recommend.

Vimeo

Vimeo is our top recommendation—it’s our primary hosting platform here at Veritas. Vimeo does offer free accounts, but upgrading to their most affordable membership tier gets you many business-friendly features— interactive CTAs, custom-branded players, password protection for individual videos, and more.

At the Pro tier, you can monetize your videos and sell to audiences worldwide—great for education content like webinars & training videos. And at their Business tier, you can even set up an email gate on your video to collect lead information. Learn more at vimeo.com/upgrade

In the video embedded above, we were able to change the colors to match our brand, decide what controls you the user can access, and add a clickable button at 5-seconds.

YouTube

YouTube is arguably the most accessible and well-known hosting platform. Because they’re owned by Google, it’s great for brand exposure—especially if you plan on regularly adding new content.

If you’re interested in running video ads (either through YouTube, or other Google video partners), YouTube is the place to be. Learn more about Google Video Campaigns here.

YouTube also offers interactive options to boost engagement— tools like Cards & End screens. But note adding exterior links (a CTA to your website, for example) is only available to members of the YouTube Partner Program.

When using YouTube for hosting your videos, make sure you’re setting up a channel with a Brand Account (not a personal one). Learn more about that here.

In the above embedded video from YouTube, users have all the same controls they’d expect and see on YouTube’s website. There are also ample opportunities for viewers to subscribe to your channel, and be prompted to watch more of your content.

Wistia

Wistia is a video marketing platform that, from the beginning, was designed with business in mind. You can customize your video player to match your brand, and increase engagement with tools like interactive CTAs, email gates, annotation links and more. Wistia also offers integrations with popular CRMs like HubSpot, Mailchip, Marketo, etc.

Although it’s a pricey option (paid accounts start at $99/month), it may be worth it if you’re ready to commit to a robust video marketing strategy. Not quite sure yet? They also have a free plan where you can host up to 3 videos. Learn more at wistia.com/pricing.

Facebook

Yep, even Facebook lets you embed videos from your account! As you can see from the embedded vidoe below, Facebook doesn’t offer a ton of playback options—but, there are links back to your Facebook page. This may be a great option for you if you’re working on boosting your social media presence.

 

Still unsure which platform is right for you, or need support getting started? Let us know! We can help you develop and execute a strategy that fits your needs.