Vidyard vs. YouTube: Which One Is Right for Your Business? [Video]

Are you getting serious about video in your marketing and sales processes, and thinking about a video host? 

If so, there's a good chance you're asking yourself:

"Should I go with YouTube for my business' video hosting needs? It's only the second largest search engine -- and it's free. Or should I spend part of my marketing budget on a subscription to Vidyard, when I don't know if it's worth it?"

When you invest in video, it's likely you're going to face this decision of knowing when -- or if -- it's time to upgrade from a free video hosting service (like YouTube) to something paid (like Vidyard).

They both do the same thing, right? They put your video content in front of the people you're trying to reach. Well, kind of. 

Today, I'm going to help you make the choice for yourself between Vidyard vs. YouTube -- and you may be surprised by what I tell you.

Watch the video to learn more or keep reading!

Are YouTube and Vidyard That Different?

Both YouTube and Vidyard are important tools in any successful video marketing strategy, but yes -- they're very different. So, you need to be aware of how to use them to get a return on your investment be it time or money.

But first, a spoiler alert: I'm letting the cat out of the bag and telling you that later on, I'm going say you need both YouTube and Vidyard.

Or, even if you don't go with Vidyard, another viable video hosting solution for your website -- for example, Wistia is a popular choice among businesses. (I have a lot of thoughts about Vidyard vs Wistia, too.)

I'll explain why you need both in a second, but I need to clarify now that these platforms are too different to compare side-by-side. 

What you need is to be able to pick where you put your content. And that's what we're going to talk about here.

YouTube Is Actually 2 Things

An important thing to realize YouTube is that it’s more than a video hosting platform. It’s a search engine and social media platform.

Vidyard, on the other hand, is neither of those things.

Every single day, billions of people watch videos on YouTube. For viewers, it’s a familiar place. They’re comfortable spending time watching videos there, and they go to YouTube when they have problems.

Sometimes that problem is boredom.

Sometimes that problem is not knowing how to pick the best product.

It’s also worth noting that YouTube is constantly suggesting content to its users. It’s got an algorithm that discovers a viewers interests, problems, and habits and serves up content that is relevant to them. That relevant content could be yours.

As great as all this sounds, it can also be a bad thing, for two major reasons.

First, you’re competing for attention on a platform that is not conducive to keeping viewers focused. You're squatting on someone else's property and, at any point, viewers could get distracted and start watching something else.

Second, it's hard to get users to take action after watching your content on YouTube. You could have 10,000 views on a video, but still zero conversions -- meaning you're dealing with a vanity metric that doesn't result in collected information or a purchase.

More to the point -- you're a business; you need to generate leads and there’s no forms on YouTube.

No matter what you’ve got to get them back to your website to control the conversation. Your website is best place to have your viewers watching content because you call the shots.

And that’s where Vidyard comes in. 

You'll See Results (Not Just Views) with Vidyard

When you use Vidyard for your video marketing, you've got a custom playback experience where you can add calls-to-action and forms on your videos.

You can see your viewers by their real name and see how their engaging with the content. This leads to more meaningful sales outreach and a tailored marketing approach that’s relevant to them.

On top of that, there are no ads and no competing content vying for views. And even though you're paying for Vidyard, you’re getting a measurable return on your video efforts.

This changes the conversation from, "Should I invest in a video host?" to "Am I losing customers by not investing in a video host like Vidyard?"

So Yeah, You Need Both YouTube & Vidyard -- Here's Why

YouTube is a great place to educate prospects. You should put all your greatest top-of-the-funnel content for viewers who have realized they have a problem. They might not to ready to visit a website just yet, so meet them where they are. Sure you can’t see who they are, but now they’ll know who you are.

When they’re ready to pick someone to give their money to, they likely won’t be on YouTube anymore.

They’re going to be on your website and without a video experience -- powered by a video hosting solution like Vidyard -- that helps you convert leads and call your viewers by name, your videos aren’t going to be the best sales tool I know you want them to be.

In the end, if you were to choose one or the other, you’d be missing out on valuable opportunities either during the research phase of your customer's journey, or during the time in which they’re ready to buy.