YouTube remains the most popular free video marketing platform for most marketers and bloggers. As videomaking is gaining momentum with the increasing number of audiences, so are the videomakers increasing, too. Hence, alternative video platforms and sites like YouTube are emerging to provide platforms that bring video makers and viewers together.
This piece shares insights at 12 alternative video sites like YouTube that will take your video marketing efforts to more fruitful territories.
YouTube Overview: Pros and Cons
Pros
1. Get better exposure
There are over 1 billion registered YouTube users. If 0.5% of all YouTube registered users view your videos, that's already a massive exposure for your business. As the most popular video hosting platform, YouTube is big enough to give businesses all the exposure they need.
2. Get more shares
YouTube users can easily share videos with other users on the YouTube platform. YouTube also allows users to share videos via email, Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, and many other platforms. The share feature helps to increase your videos to better-targeted audiences.
3. Categorize your videos
With YouTube, you can categorize your videos in specific orders that make sense to you. For example, you can organize your videos by playlists so that viewers will not have to sift through a pile of videos before getting what they need. Videos can also be ordered by keywords such that videos with similar tags are arranged together and played concurrently.
4. Track your performance
It is easy to keep track of how people engage with your content on YouTube. YouTube Analytics will reveal the demography of visitors and much other information that can be used to restrategize for the next video content.
5. Save bandwidth
Hosting videos on your website takes its toll on your bandwidth. As your bandwidth increases, you may need to pay more for an upgrade. Hence, YouTube saves you money that would have been spent by upgrading your website's bandwidth.
Cons
1. Lost Traffic
As you send people to YouTube to view your marketing videos, they leave your website. The visitors may eventually be engaged to other interesting content on YouTube that suits their preferences, hence, find it hard to return to your website later.
2. Negative reviews
Sometimes negative reviews from YouTube users can affect other viewers' opinions on your videos. Since you cannot erase negative reviews, you may have to replace the video with an edited version.
3. Autoplay feature
YouTube automatically plays all related videos after the video you select. This feature can cause users to lose focus on specific videos they want to see.
12 Best Sites Like YouTube for Video Marketing
There are other sites like YouTube that give marketers more freedom over their content. Below is a review of 12 sites like YouTube without restrictions you can opt for.
1. Daily Motion
Daily Motion is one of the most popular YouTube alternatives that many people admire. Its interface is similar to that of YouTube and the website boasts about 112 million visits from users in the US, Canada, Germany, and Brazil. Users can create up to 60 minutes of 1080P videos for upload. The maximum single upload is 4GB.
Pros
· Very simple interface which is similar to YouTube
· High-quality videos
· Less stringent rules compared to YouTube
Cons
· Lax rules guiding content upload
2. Vimeo
Vimeo is more than just a video hosting website. It offers up to 7TB video space for users on the Premium plans. Unlike other sites like YouTube that hardly give enough feedback, Vimeo promotes creativity by allowing editorial teams to vet videos and give creators useful feedback. Vimeo draws about 100 million visitors monthly from across the US, India, Canada, Africa, and Europe.
Pros
· Get great feedback on the content
· A free basic plan with paid upgrade options
· More freedom to post creative content
Cons
· The free basic plan has many limitations
· Videos may delay before getting feedback from the editorial team
3. TikTok
TikTok is a hot contender with YouTube for popularity in the video hosting space. The adoption of TikTok by many social media influencers is one of the reasons for its growing popularity.
TikTok is available on Android and iOS devices, and up to 110 million users use it monthly. Users come from the US, India, China, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and Europe.
Pros
· Create easy and smart videos from your devices
· Use 3rd party apps like Adobe Premiere to edit videos
Cons
· The Video size limit for Android is 72MB and 287MB for iOS.
· Content is less regulated
4. MetaCafe
Established in 2003, it aims to host 90 seconds videos of fun or advert content. About 40 million users are registered on MetaCafe. Users are from all countries around the world.
Pros
· Create fast videos with instant upload
· Easy and quick product review or funny videos
· Free to use
Cons
· Limited video playtime
5. DTube
DTube uses blockchain technology to save and share videos among users. It is free to use and users are paid Steel coins for taking actions on the site. DTube draws users from all around the world, with an average monthly visit of about 1.5 million.
Pros
· Watch ad-free contents
· Earn cryptocurrency for being an active member
· Upload videos with more freedom
Cons
· Popularity is average
6. IGTV
Instagram TV is one of the latest video hosts that is set to outdo YouTube. Instagram celebrities have already started using IGTV to create Instagram marketing campaigns and fun videos. IGTV can be used in all countries where Instagram is supported.
Pros
· Create and watch videos directly on your smartphone
· Upload up to 60 minutes of video per session
Cons
· It is relatively less popular than older dominant platforms
7. Facebook Search
Facebook is not only a social media platform, it also hosts videos uploaded on it. Users can search for videos on the search engine. Search results may not be well-defined, but you can sort them by date and keyword. All 2 billion-plus FB users can access this feature.
Pros
· Fast video search and upload
· Free video upload
· Display quick relevant results
Cons
· Video content is strictly regulated
8. Veoh
Veoh aims to remove video limit barriers so that content creators can upload and download videos with extended length. It is a repository for movies and series. Veoh users include US, Canadian, and other international members.
Pros
· Free upload and download
· Unlimited video upload and download
· Fast servers for download
Cons
· The Mobile version of the site needs upgrading
9. The Open Video Project
This is an open-source repository for documentaries and historical content, and it hosts mainly United States documentaries. Its average monthly visits are below 100K, with most of its users from the US.
Pros
· Multiple format video download
· Find educational and historical documentaries
Cons
· Already becoming obsolete
· Less engaging interface
10. PeerTube
Host videos with your friends, like on BitTorrent sites. Upload and watch ad-free content. The site supports mobile uploads also. PeerTube members are from Indonesia, Pakistan, the US, India, and other parts of the world, and its monthly average visits are about 100K.
Pros
· Peertube supports multiple devices
· It is absolutely free to use
· Get better feedback from your audience
Cons
· Content is less regulated
· Monetizing videos on Peertube is not easy
11. The Internet Archive
This is another YouTube alternative that has built a strong reputation over time. It serves as a repository for old content. The website contains music, videos, and books from decades back. Videos can be uploaded in MP4 and 3gp formats. The Internet Archive draws about 40 million visits monthly from the UK, France, Germany, and the US.
Pros
· Find old videos that you need
· Upload videos in multiple formats
· The free basic plan offers lots of upload space
Cons
· No subscription tools to improve engagement
· Most contents are old and mainly used for references
12. 9Gag TV
Think of a host of funny videos, memes, and gifs. Get all the funny content on 9Gag TV. Many Facebook and Twitter users often use content from the site as emojis and emoticons. The site has an average of 100K daily visits.
Pros
· Download unlimited entertainment videos
· Supports mobile devices video upload
· Free to use
Cons
· Less regulated content
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Conclusion
YouTube remains the top marketing video hosting tool for online businesses. To do away with some restrictions, try using the best video streaming sites like YouTube listed above. Get more freedom for better creativity on your marketing videos.
