7 Tips For A Great Facebook Video

Facebook is really pushing video these days, wanting it to be a major part of the platform and maybe even compete with YouTube before too long. Here are 7 quick tips  from Jackie Cohen at AllFacebook on how to optimize your videos just for Facebook. I've adapted them a bit more for artists and bands.

1. Limit the video footage to 5 minutes or less (way less). The shorter the video, the more plays you'll get. A long video can scare off people who might ordinarily check it out.

2. Create a good thumbnail image for your video. A good thumbnail is like a good cover of a book. It helps get an impulse "buy."

3. Create a catchy or unique title. Just like with a book or magazine article, the title can sell the product. Of course, this is just the same on YouTube.

4. Check out the keywords for similar videos. For example, if your song has a drum solo, you might want to check out what keywords other videos other songs with drum solos use as well.

5. Allow people to share your work. This sounds like a no-brainer, but many artists actually limit the sharing of their video. Let them embed your video on their blog and website if they want. That's how you go viral.

6. Encourage people to rate and review your video. Don't directly ask for a Like, since that's against Facebook's terms of service, but you can ask for comments or a rating.

7. Upload to other video sharing sites. Use OneLoad to post your video on all relevant video sites. It's the quickest and easiest way to do it, and you'd be surprised the number of people who might find it that wouldn't otherwise.

Keep the above tips in mind the next time you post a video on Facebook. They don't take much time but can make a big difference in the number of views that your video ultimately receives.

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Is Vimeo Better Than YouTube?

YouTube is the undeniable king of the hill when it comes to online video hosting, but it's far from the only game in town. At last count there were over 90 other sites doing roughly the same thing, which you can see at all-video-sites.com. While most of these sites were very specific in their content, a number of them are a catch-all, open to anything that one might post, as is YouTube.

There is a competitor to YouTube that doesn't open its arms quite as wide, which in many cases makes it a better choice for the serious artist or videomaker. That's Vimeo, which gets 70 million unique visitors a month that are generally more engaged that what you'll find watching the competition.

One of the advantages of Vimeo is that the content is generally up a notch or two from YouTube, with fewer cat and baby videos. Add to that a streamlined layout that allows you to find and watch what you want a lot easier, and you can see why it's preferred by many after they try it.

One of the best reasons to watch on Vimeo though, is that it's advert free, which won't make money for the content creator but sure is better for the viewer. Let's face it; no one likes to wait for a pre-roll commercial before you get to the video you want to check out.

A basic membership is free and allows you to upload one HD video per week or 500meg of storage. The downside is that your uploaded videos are subject to banner ads, the ability to make a video private is turned off, and the analytics package is pretty basic. Upgrade to Vimeo Plus for $9.95 a month and those limitations are lifted. If you're a pro, you can upgrade to a Vimeo Pro account for $199 per year that basically ups the game by providing better video quality, more storage and bandwidth, and the ability to monetize your content.

You might not want to change completely from YouTube, but Vimeo offers a lot - for a price. Then again, with a service like OneLoad, you can upload to a number of platforms and have a presence across all of them. After all, there's nothing like a video everywhere to raise your profile.

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