Facebook could be the winner in social media video wars

Facebook reported Wednesday that they’re seeing a sizeable shift to visual content, especially video.

In just one year, the number of video posts per person has increased 75% globally and 94% in the US. And with people creating, posting and interacting with more videos on Facebook, the composition of News Feed is changing. Globally, the amount of video from people and brands in News Feed has increased 3.6x year-over-year.

Since June 2014, Facebook has averaged more than 1 billion video views every day. On average, more than 50% of people who come back to Facebook every day in the US watch at least one video daily and 76% of people in the US who use Facebook say they tend to discover the videos they watch on Facebook.

Today re/code reports that Twitter’s anticipated video service is only weeks away.

The feature, which will allow users to shoot, edit and post video directly through the app, is Twitter’s attempt to get more clips on the service — and more engagement. Right now, the only way for regular Twitter users (that is, not advertisers, or certain publishers and celebrities) to share video is to do so through Vine, Twitter’s standalone, six-second video app.

Twitter’s goal is to have an easy to use video service that will drive more engagement and get more people using its social network.

Facebook or Twitter video for lawyers? Probably Facebook, as strange as that may sound to many of you who do not use Facebook or use it only sparingly for sharing of personal items.

Sources have it that Twitter’s video may capped at twenty or thirty seconds. If that is the case, the videos would presumably then be on continuous play. Entertaining and engaging, but closer to Vine and Instagram video. Not something I envisioned when I blogged about Twitter video just days ago.

Facebook’s video service has a ten minute limit for unverified users.

Videos can be easily uploaded from a smartphone or computer the same as you would add a photo to Facebook. You then describe, caption and tag. Simple video from a smartphone or edited after a professional video shoot, either way Facebook works.

I could easily see lawyers and law firms doing videos, for Facebook, of business associates, lawyers, referral sources and fellow businesses in their community. The key will be reporting and value to viewers, not talking about the law firm and its lawyers.

YouTube is no doubt the king of online video, but there’s not a built in social network that we’re all using already as is the case of Facebook. Facebook moves the news.

Probably why some are predicting Facebook will challenge YouTube – in time.