Marketers usually prefer YouTube (87%) instead of (68%) Facebook to market their products, mostly because of the better video player. However, when it comes to being able to target a specific range of people, Facebook takes the cake here. In the battle of YouTube Vs. Facebook video marketing, there is no clear winner, but there is no loser either.
Here is a quick comparison between the two social media platforms where you can post your marketing videos.
YouTube vs. Facebook Video Marketing
Live Capabilities
Facebook has vigorously promoted Live Video when it partnered with several major publishers all over the world, trying to improve its streaming capabilities. Despite all that effort, majority of marketers prefer to go with YouTube for their live events.
Of those who used Facebook’s Live Video, only 81% found it to be effective, while YouTube’s live streamers are almost always satisfied. Only 31% of all marketers chose to go for Facebook Live over YouTube in 2018.
Brand Videos vs Product Explainers
Facebook became home to most brand videos at the start, while YouTube was more of how-to and product explainer videos, i.e., reviews, unboxing and more. While Facebook has adopted a new approach towards this and is now focusing on product showcase videos, unfortunately it has failed to catch on with YouTube in this regard.
However, these product showcase videos haven’t found much traction on YouTube, so depending on what type of video you’re making, your choice of preferred platform should change as well. In fact, 95% people watched an explainer video instead of a brand’s “trailer” of a product before making a purchase
ROI – A Close Call
Cost of production on Facebook is lower compared to YouTube, mostly because of the video player. Lower quality videos are easy to spot on YouTube compared to on Facebook. However, YouTube has so many amateurs on the platform that these mistakes are often taken as ‘mistakes of authenticity’ if the product is well worth it.
Facebook is preferred in this regard, since production cost is lower. Having said that, YouTube yields a better return on the higher quality video, so the overall difference in cost ends up being only 5% (Facebook’s cost is 5% lower than YouTube’ cost).
Facebook and YouTube are both on the winning side when it comes to ROI on video marketing – something that Snapchat is still having trouble with.
Conclusion
It isn’t surprising to see that both platforms are so close to one another; so similar yet so different at the same time. Since more and more people are turning towards watching a video rather than reading the platforms, marketers are constantly looking to upgrade their video capabilities.
If you’re looking to post high quality videos and are looking for high quality results as well (albeit relatively slow and slightly more costly), you can’t go wrong with YouTube. However, if you are looking to target a specific audience at a lower cost, Facebook is the way to go.
To learn more about Facebook vs. YouTube video marketing and to get a free consultation about which platform would be best for you, call or write to us and we’ll let you know! We’re eager to hear from you, and would love to help!
FAQ
Video is no longer a piece of an overall marketing strategy. It is now the central concentration of online marketing efforts. Especially online social strategies. Four of the top six channels consumers utilize for video are social channels. Among a host of other benefits video increases traffic, increases understanding of products and services, increases sales and reduces support calls. If you aren’t using video effectively, you are falling behind.
In a word, “Yes!” The stats around video marketing have been increasing every year and they just keep getting better and better. Check out the most recent stats here, and you will see why.
As with so many questions like this the answer is, “It depends.” There are many many variables to consider. I am working on an article to help you navigate the process of pricing your video marketing efforts, but in the meantime feel free to contact us and we will help you through the process. Whether you are a potential client of ours or not, I am happy to provide this service to anybody willing to reach out to us.
