Best Social Media Platforms For Video Content In 2022

Among social media platforms, the consumption of TikTok content on Android devices has now increased to more than that of YouTube (also on Android devices) as of June 2021. TikTok users continue to watch more video content on TikTok than on YouTube in UK countries. Furthermore, HubSpot's report on the State of Marketing in 2021 indicates that video content is the top content marketing strategy, while social media is ranked as the leading marketing channel.

Social media marketing and video content go hand in hand with data like that -- and all the social media video platforms around.

It is true that creating great social media videos for your company can be an incredibly effective marketing strategy, but there shouldn't be a one-size-fits-all approach to social media content strategies. In order to spread quality brand awareness through your videos, you'll have to make the right videos for the right audiences on the right platforms.

Hubspot surveyed 300+ consumers to find out where they most commonly watch videos on social media in order to help them decide where to publish their video content.

In this post, we'll reveal the results and some expert tips for building the best social media video-sharing strategy for 2021, including one from Wistia.

Which social media platforms do consumers use for video content?

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram that cater to Gen-Z have grown in popularity in recent years. Our poll might surprise you if you think everyone watches video primarily on these platforms.

When I asked consumers "On which social media platform do you watch videos most often?", 35% said YouTube. It's not surprising that YouTube or Facebook, two of the world's largest platforms, is the most popular video viewing sites. However, only 8% of respondents said they viewed videos primarily on Instagram, which pioneered Stories and live video features.

While it's not surprising that YouTube or Facebook, some of the world's biggest online platforms, are the preferred video viewing sites, only 8% of respondents said they primarily watch videos on Instagram -- one of the pioneers of Stories and live video.

One of the most surprising findings was that 20% of respondents use TikTok (the youngest social network on the list) mostly for video viewing. While this doesn't necessarily mean you should change your whole strategy to TikTok, it does indicate that the platform has a bright future ahead of it for content marketers.

You don't want to worry that you're publishing videos on the wrong social media platforms based on this data. Please keep in mind that this is just one informal consumer survey. Our results might have been different had Hubspot polled a specific age group, people from a specific industry, or consumers from different regions.

It does remind us, however, that, even though this is just one small survey, a mix of newer and older video platforms, like YouTube and TikTok, are popular amongst a wide audience.

Another study Hubspot conducted surveyed 310 United States social media marketers to determine which platforms, formats, and plans they anticipate utilizing in 2022.

The top social media content format marketers leverage is video content: short-form videos (54%) and live videos/streaming (47%). Moreover, this format is known to be the most effective, as 85% of respondents said short-form videos are the most effective, and 70% said live streaming is the most effective.

Despite this, marketers report that video content has the highest levels of engagement and ROI on Facebook and Instagram.

Thus, it's not surprising that 95% of marketers who utilize short-form videos plan on increasing or maintaining their investments in social media services in 2022. Furthermore, 95% of marketers who use live videos/streaming plan to increase their investments in 2022, and 89% of marketers who utilize long-form videos plan to increase their investments or continue investing the same amount.

Once we've established where consumers watch social media videos most frequently, we'll walk you through a few tips for sharing the best videos for different social media audiences.

How to share social media videos
1. Focus on snackable video content for most platforms.
We live in a fast-paced world. In addition to watching social media videos in their spare time, some people also do so between meetings, while waiting in line, or on public transportation. While people may have the time to watch hours of video, the amount of content available will encourage them to scroll to more content almost immediately after their video starts.

2. Try different video formats for social media services, too.
If your videos are engaging and valuable to your audience, you can still publish longer videos in 2021. You can design a test around new video formats as they emerge and determine if they might be suitable for your brand. It is important to determine what success metrics to measure.

3. Reach your video audience wherever they are.
Social media services’ content will perform better on certain platforms than others, as with any social media strategy. A snackable video or Q&A with a corporate thought leader could perform better on a professional network like LinkedIn than on YouTube, Facebook, or TikTok's massive consumer audiences.

Content navigation on social media

Content marketing and social media are evolving more than ever before. Whether you're investing in video or other tactics, it's essential to stay current with the latest trends and data on social media platforms as a marketer.