Why Wistia is the video host of choice for worldwide video producer Lightswitch Video’s thousands of videos.
Lightswitch Video creates hundreds of videos every year, for dozens of clients. One challenge with creating that much content (and needing approval from so many different people) is figuring out the easiest way to actually get the video in a client’s hands to view and give feedback on – that’s where Wistia comes in.
There are tons of video platforms out there. Of course, the most popular one also happens to also be the Internet’s second-largest search engine. Biggest does not always mean best - YouTube might actually not be the best video hosting platform for all of your marketing needs.
Wistia is our go-to when it comes to hosting our video content – here’s why.
Wistia is designed for businesses
Wistia is designed specifically with businesses in mind – they support the needs of B2B companies using branded video for marketing, support, and sales.
The way that Lightswitch Video uses Wistia is unique. Our primary need is to easily host thousands of videos – and second to have a platform that is easy and straightforward for our clients to use. We also want to control how the client experiences the video we’ve created for them - we don’t need a pre-roll ad popping up before a client review work. In the scope of what Wistia has to offer, we’re very basic - our needs are only the tip of the iceberg.
“I love that we're able to download in various sizes and resolutions! That makes it incredibly helpful when a client has a specific ask for a specific format of a video. This way, I can get it straight from Wistia and take care of the ask myself without having to involve the editors.”
Andrew Nuño, Senior Video Producer, Lightswitch Video
Some of the most useful features that our team utilizes (and appreciates!) everyday:
Easy organization
Ability to download in various sizes and resolution
High quality playback
Sending proofs to clients without them needing to log in
Ability to customize player
Wistia vs. YouTube
You might be asking yourself, doesn’t YouTube do a lot of those same things? The answer is…sort of. First things first - Wistia is ad-free, but Wistia also has a great article talking about the different – and similar – features between the two platforms, so that you can make the most educated decision for you and your business. Wistia is the superior option if you want to drive traffic from your website, improve conversions, or increase engagement across the websites that you control. Simply put - Wistia is where you go if you want to own the experience.
YouTube is the juggernaut of the video platforms, and it can be necessary for things like SEO and the traffic it can generate, but YouTube is chock full of ads and provides less control over the user experience. We recommend developing a specific YouTube strategy for SEO and reach, but using Wistia for direct hosting and sharing.
How can Wistia help my business with a video marketing campaign?
Lead generation, and conversions are common goals for video marketing campaigns. Wistia can help with both.
Collect information on potential leads
Wistia does a terrific job helping businesses collect useful information from their potential leads. Wistia Turnstile is a tool developed by Wistia that asks viewers for their email on the video page (also their first and last name if you wish). It’s a clickable call-to-action that is easily inserted into every video, and it drives more traffic to your sales page or any other place you would like to direct your viewer, helping you to identify high-quality leads with video and allowing you to customize the experience.
Those emails aren't just lumped into one huge pile of addresses, either. Wistia gives you the option to integrate their email forms with your email marketing service of choice (Mailchimp, AWeber, Constant Contact, etc.). This means you can then target based on where the customer is in the buying cycle, which you can determine based on the video they entered their email address from! Someone who gave their information while watching a video guide you created probably is still in the beginning stages. However, a lead who entered their email on your company explainer video is probably further along.
But having the option to gather lead information doesn't do much if the videos themselves aren't doing very well, does it?
Advanced analytics
Luckily, Wistia has a plethora of analytical options for its users to evaluate their videos’ effectiveness. Trend information is easily accessible, from ones pertaining to your account to a single project to the media level. Engagement graphs show how the audience as a whole has seen your video. Quite literally, these graphs show where in the video your audience engages (rewinds, pauses, fast forwards, etc.). Similarly, heat maps show a graphical representation of a single viewing session. This can give you a better understanding of how a certain viewer or demographic views their videos.
All this information can help you better optimize your future videos and guide you in making better ones in the future.
Whether you’re a veteran in the video marketing space, or are just starting out, Wistia’s wide array of features is sure to include something invaluable to your team. If your business is leaning into video marketing (which it most definitely should), you should give Wistia some consideration. Your sales numbers (and your customers) will thank you.
