A lot of people today earn from videos. YouTube has been the dominant player when it comes to video streaming on the World Wide Web. However, since the beginning of 2018, things have become harder to earn serious money via YouTube. YouTube required channels to have 4,000 hours worth of watch time in a 12-month period and at least 1,000 subscribers.
According to YouTube, it changed its rules in order to “prevent bad actors from harming the inspiring and original creators”. Unfortunately, this can also cause a lot of problems on someone who is still starting his or her channel.
Use Vimeo to Earn Money
Now, you may want to consider Vimeo if you wish to make money on your videos. Over the years, Vimeo hesitated to bombard users with ads. In the past, Vimeo made use of Tip Jar in order to get artists to monetize their videos uploaded on the platform.
With the Tip Jar, users get to receive 85% of the tips donated by the viewers. However, those who can give their tips are Vimeo Users that already have the Plus account and Pro account. It means that those who can give tips were those that are already paying Vimeo monthly. By 2015, Vimeo decided to pull the plug on Tip Jar. It didn’t work the way Vimeo thought it would.
How to Make Money with Vimeo?
So how do you make money using Vimeo? That’s where you can take advantage of Vimeo on Demand. Here, you will be having the right tools wherein you can earn serious money as a video creator. You can get videos via subscription sales. The average price of videos by filmmakers is at $10. In fact, you have the freedom to choose how much you choose to price your material. It is also possible to choose any language and even put a subtitle on your videos.
What makes this a good option? You can sell basically anything under the sun. You can be a comedian looking to sell your materials to your audience, or you can be an industry expert who teaches classes on the World Wide Web.
In order to be able to sell your videos, you just have to pay at least $20 per month as subscription and have a Vimeo Pro account. There are also other options such as Vimeo Business wherein you don’t have any weekly limits and you get up to 5 Terabytes video storage. As a video creator, you get 90% of the total revenue after transaction cost.
Three Types of Purchases on Video on Demand
You have three options how you can sell your videos. Users can either rent, buy, or subscribe to your videos.
Now, how does each option differ from each other? For those who are going to rent a video, they can simply view the video for a limited duration of time. As for those users who opt to buy your video, then they will be able to stream the videos as long as they use Vimeo. And lastly, users can also subscribe. Here, they subscribe to a series and get unlimited streaming access to videos within that series page. It also includes future videos that will be added in that particular series.
Marketing Your Video on Vimeo
- Teaser
No matter what you are selling your audience, you need to make a teaser. Here, you give viewers a preview of what to expect from the video that they are going to buy. Think of it as a way to attract people. Whether you are selling documentary video or you are selling a tutorial, you want a trailer that captivates the attention of your followers.
When it comes to making your teaser, be sure to keep it short. Try to make a trailer that runs from around 40 to a minute. Here, you will be able to reveal tidbits of what your audience is going to get. Add the right musical score to stir emotion and you can easily get people to watch the actual film.
- Getting the word out
There are plenty of ways how you can get people to purchase your video. One of the most effective strategies that you can use is to have a solid social media marketing for the video/s that you are selling. You can use Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram in order to get more people to click on the video and buy from you.
For some video makers, they assign a team in order to get impressions online. You can start with 8 to 10 people and easily get a decent number of impressions from social media. It is also a good idea to contact influencers within your niche. Whether it’s a blogger or someone who is prominent within the niche, using someone’s network can be a great opportunity to widen your audience. You can also incentivize an influencer in order for him or her to promote your work. There are instances when free access to your videos is all it takes to get someone to promote your videos.
- Cross Promotion on YouTube
If you want to maximize the number of views on your videos, it is a good idea that you also make use of other video platforms such as YouTube. Here, you can upload the trailer and point the link towards your Vimeo video.
- Pricing
You have to understand that pricing plays a crucial role in your video’s success. If you are selling a video tutorial, you might want to check your competition. For those who are only starting to make money on Vimeo, it might be a good idea after all to have a price the video lower than your competition. You have to understand that you should give your audience a reason to choose your videos.
YouTube or Vimeo?
Considering the new rules imposed by YouTube on its partners, it is a good idea that you also explore Vimeo. Vimeo may not have the popularity of YouTube, but it certainly has the potential to generate a good amount of serious money on your part. You don’t have to wait to have 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 views in the last 12 months in order to get started.