Gone are the days when newspaper ads and billboard ads were the only marketing medium a business could rely on. Now, thanks to the evolution of the fast-paced internet, business owners have a plethora of options to go for. Digital marketers around the globe have well-received content marketing of the lot. Around 68% of marketers say that running videos generates more ROI for them than running Google Ads.
Video marketing is, therefore, one of the break-out marketing trends in the past decade. To share a video, YouTube is undoubtedly the first choice of many businesses. About 51% of the marketers choose free video platforms like YouTube, and 17% go for the paid ones.
The reason being, it’s free of cost. And it has a highly overwhelming viewer base of around 1 Billion(for YouTube-free version). However, like all that glitters is not gold, these lucrative advantages may not bring in the desired ROI for the businesses.
This article discusses the loopholes present in free web hosting platforms like Youtube. Also, understand how you lag behind your competitors in creating better leads and click rates for your business.
1. Anyone can download and use your video content
The free platforms make your videos accessible to everyone. While you may like the idea of your video getting viral and consequently gaining more exposure. But, it is a silent threat to your business’s credibility. The videos you upload on free hosting platforms can be easily downloaded either directly or via some indirect means. This opens doors for trollers or hackers to misuse your video content for their good. Sometimes the video circulates through different sources so that people tend to forget the original brand it belongs to.
On the other hand, paid hosting sites have limited access, and you have the copyright over your videos. This safeguards the authenticity of your content and creates a strong brand image among your potential customers.
2. You will have to make peace with ads and suggestions that distract your audience
Advertisements between an engaging video can be annoying. Most free video platform run ads amidst your videos. It is one of the ways they generate revenue for their platform. It can distract viewers, and you may eventually lose out on the valuable views that could turn into a lead. Some free video hosting platforms also provide suggestions or an auto-play feature that directly redirects the viewers to other videos. This also adds to your audience’s distraction, and they may fail to see your intentions. And will affect the marketing value you want to convey through the video.
As far as paid hosting sites are concerned, they already have a revenue stream through your subscriptions. Therefore, they need not run ads between the videos and ruin the viewing experience for its users. More the value you provide your viewers, the more credibility you add to your kitty, the more sales conversions.
3.You cannot target a specific audience
Free video hosting is an open door for all audiences. Age and likes are no barrier. Yes, it sounds good on paper. But when you want to convey your thought process to a specific audience, free video hosting is not that effective. Since you have a mixed group of viewers, you are bound to get mixed feedback. This may not necessarily mean your services or products are not up to the mark. Instead, simply reflect that a certain group of people does not approve of it. The diversity also means you can not create a personalized CTA message in your videos.
With paid video hosting, your video will be shared among a community of like-minded people. Therefore, you can vouch for better constructive feedback from a matured community. This will add value to your business’s growth and bring in good ROI.
4. Uploading a video could be a cumbersome task
When it comes to seamless uploading and accessing real-time video stats, free video hosting services are not a good choice. For example, let’s say you upload your video and feel an urge to replace it with a better one. Then, you will likely lose out on all the statistics and have to upload the revised video from the start. It leaves little room for improvement, and you have no other option other than re-uploading content. That too at the cost of views and other vital stats, even if there is a minor change.
Paid video hosting lets you retain all the statistics and view counts while re-uploading the edited video without any hassles. It takes less time and effort to upload a video with paid video hosting. You get a clear idea of who is watching content and can use it to create more customized video content. It increases your customer base and makes your cash register keep ringing.
5. You cannot do much to create a branding appeal to the videos
Most of the open-source, free video platforms have restricted features. It means you only have limited access to certain features. This could add a unique and stellar value to your brand image online through customized videos. It means you may lose out on creating a compelling video that transcends your business’s true essence.
When you leverage the paid video services, you unlock the various features like adding a brand logo. It will make the video a true reflection of your business ethics and organizational goals.
6. Negligible customer support
Customer support plays a crucial role, especially in times of discomfort with a video hosting platform. They help you get through the glitches and create a seamless video experience for your audience. While you can get good customer support from a paid hosting site, can’t expect the same from free hosting services.
Video marketing with premium video hosting service providers
Video marketing is indeed one of the best ways to communicate your brand ideals with your prospects without the geographical barrier. A free hosting platform may look lucrative on the outside but surely can be a bad decision for your online growth in the long run due to the reasons we discussed in the article.
At VdoCipher, we have incorporated the Widevine DRM architecture as part of our streaming infrastructure. It includes transcoding and encryption, adaptive streaming, and communication with the DRM license server for secure decryption.
Therefore, investing in a feature-rich video hosting platform is always the wiser idea. It gives your business an exquisite online brand image and unleashes the best of digital features to your video marketing game.
Interesting Related Article: “Five ways to make effective corporate videos on a budget“