If you’ve been asking yourself: Should I create content for YouTube or IGTV? Well, you’ve been asking the right question. And the good news is that you’re right on the right track.
In today’s day and age of social media marketing, video is one of the most consumed formats online, and when compared to the ocean of blogs and articles sailing the interweb, there’s still room for more growth.But before we get into what makes IGTV and YouTube so appealing, let’s first look at the data that makes videos ever so convincing:
54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support
Internet users spent 6 hours and 48 minutes per week watching online videos in 2019
87% of marketing professionals use video as a marketing tool
88% of video marketers are happy with the ROI of their video marketing on social
Youtube is the most popular video sharing platform for marketers, with 88% of them planning on using it in 2020
By the time we’re on the cusp of 2022, 82% of the global internet traffic will come from video streaming and downloads.
(Source: https://www.oberlo.co.uk/blog/video-marketing-statistics)
Now since numbers and data are the closest thing to the handwriting of god, its safe to say that video marketing is definitely the future
So without further ado, let’s get into which platform is better, and why:
- Choose YouTube for in-depth content and committed viewers
YouTube is always the better choice if you want to publish quality content to audiences that are conditioned to long viewing experiences
Clear and eye catching titles, transparent voting and user comments steer viewers toward high-quality content on the tube.
Plus, the need to hit ‘play’ before a video begins ensures that viewers retain the power to control the content they want to see. This could translate into a wider audience that can actively watch videos during work hours.
- IGTV offers stunning visuals set in a fast-paced, non vocal format
When done right, IGTV videos can offer stunning visual experiences, and the vertical format shines the brightest in high-quality, fast paced, and close up styled videos.
The best examples of this range from GoPro’s first person high paced videos to The Food Network’s recipe tutorials.
Another successful format on IGTV are tutorial-styled videos that include no speaking. This goes to show that videos that follow the rule of ‘show, don’t tell’ are popular across the platform
- For marketers who love analytics, YouTube aces the game
If detailed and comprehensive statistics on how your video content is performing is important to you, then Youtube is definitely your go-to platform.
While IGTV does offer analytics, they aren’t as detailed as YouTube’s robust platform.
Depending on how much you need to know, IGTV may give you just enough to form a picture for you to improve upon. Often high-level engagement stats will give you what you need to spot trends. But that’s about it.
On the flip side, Youtube will reveal the entire picture by giving you details on how your audiences are engaging with your videos. And with the help of tools like VidIQ, you’re able to see how well your videos perform on Youtube search.
Image Credit: Google Developers
- Know where your audience lives
If your audience has made Instagram their new home, then why lead them to any other platform when create and share content
All you have to do is provide more value to your audience in a space that’s convenient for them by uploading your video to IGTV.
In addition, IGTV videos appear on your fed, so it’s easier for you to get more views from your community and you can continue to build on your IG presence through social media marketing and video content
The verdict?
In the IGTV vs YouTube competition, there is no clear winner. You need to leverage the top features and benefits of each platform and weigh it against your business goals and strategy. Almost all of Instagram’s features have proven successful. IGTV is undoubtedly young, but no one can deny its fast growing popularity. However, to say that Instagram can cause a major threat to google’s video search engine, will be more of an overstatement.
To conclude, in our opinion, businesses and social media agencies alike, must incorporate the best of both YouTube and IGTV. Each comes with its own benefits and can be used to serve different goals.
A healthy mix of both platforms, with different types of video content that caters to different types of viewers, can bring about a combined ROI that fulfills different KPIs on different fronts.
A word to the wise: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
