04 May Periscope vs. YouTube: Which Video Platform is Best for Your Brand?
If you don’t know what Youtube is by now, you’ve most likely been living under a rock the last ten years. The video sharing site grew tremendously quickly and was bought by internet giant Google for $1.65 billion less than 2 years after it went live. Since then, the site has continued to expand.
Earlier this year, a new video sharing service called Periscope was officially launched by Twitter. The app was spotted by Twitter in the early development stage and the company quickly swooped in, reportedly purchasing the app for just shy of $100 million. Periscope has been called a game-changer, much like Youtube was a decade.
Businesses are paying attention and many are wondering which of the two platforms will be more effective at promoting their brand. The answer, of course, depends on your individual businesses needs. Here’s a guide to how Youtube and Periscope stack up against each other.
Youtube
Youtube has been around for a decade and is very well-established. Users create, watch, and share videos. Businesses have some great advantages when using Youtube to promote their brand.
Wide Audience
Youtube videos garner more than 4 billion views every day and it’s the third most visited website in the world. The website is particularly strong with users ages 18-34, outranking even cable television networks.
Easily Re-purpose Content
Business can re-use content they’ve already created, such as blog posts or podcasts, and re-purpose them into videos to post on Youtube. Essentially, you are getting more bang for your buck.
Periscope
Periscope is the new kid on the block, so it doesn’t have nearly as many users and a lot of people still have not even heard of it. It’s based on mobile live streaming, meaning people can broadcast the video they record live, allowing them to easily share with viewers around the world. Users can follow each other and receive notifications when your stream goes live. Old videos are archived so people still have the chance to view previously recorded videos.
Gain Followers Quickly
While Youtube does offer video streaming, users must use an invite link to watch. Periscope on the other hand offers instant following and viewers can tune in to whatever they want, making it easy to gain followers quickly.
Open Market Spaces
Since Periscope is new, there are no heavy weights really and there’s room for shifting. Users can ‘like’ your content up to 500 times, meaning that good content can bring you up quickly and you have a chance to become a top Periscoper.
Works Well For
Periscope’s unique platform makes it a great place to share cutting-edge events, interactive games, situations that need instant feedback, how to’s, recipes, natural phenomena, and interviews.
Which Platform Is Best for Your Brand
Both platforms can be useful and it depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Brands that are already well established and have the resources to pursue both should. For smaller companies, Periscope presents a great opportunity to gain followers quickly and become an established authority from the ground up. Once you are more established you can use the Periscope following to break into Youtube.