When it comes to digital marketing, video is the undisputed king. And although engaging videos are generally more difficult for companies to produce and distribute, social media has totally streamlined the process.
YouTube has opened up the floodgates in terms of accessibility, while competitors like WeVideo, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) have made it simpler than ever for companies to edit, post and interact with viewers.
Small business owners have definitely taken notice. According to Animoto's Social Video Forecast for 2016, 55 percent of SMBs have created or commissioned a marketing video within the last 12 months. But not all video tools are created equally, and users usually have plenty of choices.
That's why the web's biggest video services have rolled out some major updates this summer in order to lure businesses away from the competition. But while WeVideo and Apple are rushing forward, Facebook is undeniably lagging behind.
A Look at 3 Big Video Marketing Tools
WeVideo
WeVideo is one of the web's premier cloud-based video editing services. It caters to around 14 million users at present, and maintains constantly updated and super sleek iOS and Android apps - as well as dynamic browser capabilities.
But last month, WeVideo said sayonara to the video editor users had come to know and love by rolling out an all-new HTML5 editor. Having previously revolved around the ill-fated Flash, WeVideo's new editing dashboard loads 80 percent faster than its predecessor. The editor has been fitted with an intuitive click-and-drag clip tool the company says will give the controls a more responsive feel. Best of all, WeVideo doesn't require users to download plugins or apps. The company claims all needed tools are right there in your browser, and that the tool also offers real-time previews without rendering.
By ditching Flash, WeVideo's August update has also helped the company to improve user security and limit any potential software vulnerabilities.
Apple
For its part, Apple is attempting to offer mobile users a cutting-edge app that may ultimately cut services like WeVideo totally out of the equation - at least for Apple users.
At the end of August, Bloomberg revealed the tech giant is currently in the process of developing a new video editing app that should enable users to record video, apply filters and send to contacts or post on social media in one swift motion. Sources have already said the app is designed to shoot, edit and upload video in under a minute - veering into direct competition with the likes of the video-editing capabilities of Snapchat and Instagram. Again this service will only be available to Apple users.
The app is set to be rolled out by the same team that brought the world the Final Cut Pro and iMovie software, although a release date has yet to be announced.
As the globe's most formidable social media hub, Facebook is a haven for video sharing, according to stats.
Facebook users log in an estimated eight billion video views every single day. It's not hard to see why, with the number of videos popping up in user newsfeeds having shot up by 360 percent last year.
Despite that formidable market share, Facebook appears to have become relatively stagnant when it comes to offering users new editing capabilities. In fact, the social media network hasn't actually updated its video editor tool in over three years - the only real choice users have currently got on the site after uploading raw footage is to trim the ends and play around with the sound. At present, it doesn't sound like Facebook will be working to address that either.
That being said, it's worth pointing out Facebook does currently offer two alternatives. Facebook Live is constantly adding filters and drawing tools, while Facebook Slideshow is essentially a lightweight video advertisement creator that enables businesses and marketers to create quick videos using existing clips or photos. Facebook Slideshow was updated in August so that you can add audio tracks to the videos, and users are given access to the site's extensive stock image database to further enhance ads.
At the end of the day, it looks like Facebook is placing less emphasis on editing capabilities to focus on opening up new publishing opportunities for businesses and advertisers. That's not awful news for small business owners keen to reach one of the web's most consolidated built-in viewer markets. Yet it's worth keeping an eye on some of the more dynamic developments taking place over at Apple, WeVideo and further afield.
After all, no two editing tools are quite alike - and it never hurts to do a little shopping around.
Shooting Video Photo via Shutterstock
This article, "Video Wars: WeVideo, Apple Innovate While Facebook Lags Behind With Important Tools" was first published on Small Business Trends
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