YouTube Links Last Twice As Long As Others
Every business is curious to know which social media platform has the best ROI and a recent study from Bit.ly, a popular link-shortening service shows that YouTube links last twice as long as links on Facebook and Twitter.
According to Sarah Kessler’s article on Mashable about YouTube links:
“Bit.ly Chief Scientist Hilary Mason and her team have borrowed a concept from nuclear physics — half-life — toexplain the patterns of how people clicked on 1,000 popularBit.ly links across Facebook, Twitter and YouTube links. Half life, in this case, is “the amount of time at which [a] link will receive half of the clicks it will ever receive after it reached its peak.”
A half-life for a breaking news story would be fairly short lived, because the news is outdated or irrelevant after a short period of time. A video about a service or a funny video like most YouTube links, will have a much longer half-life, because the content is relevant or entertaining for a longer period of time.
YouTube Links Last Twice As Long As Others | How The Competition Holds Up
We just discussed content and how it can make a half-life longer, but the study showed that where the link is shared is also very relevant. YouTube links do remain the strongest, however Facebook links are about 24 minutes longer than similiar content shared on Twitter. Links in emails and instant messages are a big hit, as a matter of fact these last longer than links shared on Facebook.
Check out the pattern found by Bit.ly’s Chief Scientist, Hillary Mason:
“Link activity on these three platforms — Twitter, Facebook and email/IM — follow a similar pattern. Mason toldMashable this is likely a result of the way that the platforms interact — links posted on Twitter are likely to be shared further, through Facebook and email — though Bit.ly hasn’t attempted to quantify this relationship.”
The clicking pattern for YouTube links are a completely different beast. The average half-life for 1,000 links on Facebook, Twitter, and email/IM was 3 hours, YouTube links’ half-life for identical links was a whopping 7.4 hours.
“You could say that Twitter is the best way to post something if you want people to see it quickly,” Mason says. “But one platform isn’t necessarily better than another. We’re just showing that the platforms have different dynamics.”
YouTube Links Last Twice As Long As Others | Bottom Line
I’d be willing to bet that more small businesses are focusing most of their social media attention on both Facebook and Twitter, because many don’t know what kind of content to publish on their YouTube channels. YouTube can be your means of showcasing one of the past events at your venue or restaurant. YouTube links can also be directed to educational videos on how your customers and potential customers can solve a problem related to your industry. Let’s say that you opened up a car mechanic’s shop, you could direct your YouTube links to a video on how to change your own oil. If there is one thing that customers enjoy and appreciate, its some free advice or information, its how you become a trusted source. Tell your marketing team to brainstorm on your own unique ways to contribute to YouTube, you don’t want to miss out on this amazing ROI. Always remember to release fresh content and interact with your users, this is the key to any social media success!