While The Practice team has been thinking about Facebook and Instagram’s video developments lately, other platforms have launched updates of their own. So which video features are new on Twitter and Pinterest, and what will they mean for businesses and users?

Pinterest is doing all it can to woo advertisers, with the introduction of Promoted videos. Unlike auto-ads which you might see on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, these will be click-to-play only, and displayed on mobile. The advantage to this is of course the fact that viewers will be able to choose which content they wish to watch, but there’s also the risk for businesses that this might result in their videos not being seen. This year alone, Pinterest reported seeing a 60% increase in videos on the site, with the format being used to showcase content such as beauty, DIY and workout tutorials. Promoted videos will also be accompanied by Featured Pins shown below, which will be helpful in enabling viewers to click through to products displayed in the video. Testing has begun with select partners such as Universal Pictures and Garnier, so we imagine it’s only a matter of time before the feature will roll out to all business accounts.

We like this new update from Pinterest, because it sounds like one of the most lucrative video options available across social media platforms. While video ads on Facebook or Twitter can be accompanied by Call-to-action buttons and links encouraging viewers to click through, the combination of Featured Pins and Promoted videos will create a more visual experience for the viewer, perhaps enticing them more so. Secondly, as these videos will be click-to-play, having the relevant images below will serve to encourage views, putting the watcher in control. According to recent statistics, around 75% of all content on Pinterest is from businesses, while 55% of users express intent to shop for products on the site, so the move should be a natural and lucrative fit.

In a slightly different approach to attracting brands, Twitter is using Periscope to reveal the importance of live video when it comes to new content ideas. The platform just announced that it is creating a new video series on Periscope entitled “Pint and Periscope”, where it will be asking brand marketers to share their thoughts on Twitter best practices.  The advantage with Periscope is its interactive nature- viewers would be able to share their thoughts during these live broadcasts. For brands watching these, they would not only be able to gain insight to best content practices on Twitter, but also see how live-video might be beneficial for them in terms of high audience engagement. And of course, this idea works for both B2B and B2C companies- the former might be encouraged to use Periscope to broadcast industry updates or live webinars, while the latter can learn how live-video might fit in with their story-telling initiatives.

What do you think about these latest announcements? Do you like having further video options on social media, especially when it comes to consuming brand content? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.