5 Tips from the Vimeo Experts Program

Vimeo is an all-in-one solution in the online video ecosystem. I have covered Vimeo and their consistent release of new features made available for several years. They have continued to expand their offering, keep up with industry trends, and make their case as a solid go-to online video platform for enterprise use. All of this is in addition to staying true to their original mission of providing some of the industry's highest quality video delivery options. These things have set Vimeo apart from other online video platforms.

The user base across Vimeo has changed over the years, and everyone from local artists to big businesses can use the platform. I took part in the Vimeo Experts program, and here I’ll share some highlights from the training. These tips can help video publishers across different verticals and various online video use cases.

Tip #1: Using Vimeo Events

One of the most impressive investments that Vimeo has made is with its live-streaming capabilities. While most social platforms offer a way of going live, Vimeo has taken a more professional approach to stream. However, everyone from novice users to broadcast-style producers can use Vimeo Events to create a virtual event to deliver ongoing impact for a business or mission.

The platform offers two ways of going live. First is the “Stream with Vimeo” option. This choice runs upon broadcasting live with a browser-based experience. It requires no additional software or external inputs and is tailored for ease of use. While this may discourage some more advanced users, this workflow offers many professional features such as adding multiple speakers, images, graphics, polling, chat, lower third titles, and pre-producing elements before going live (Figure 1, below).

Figure 1. Vimeo Events. Click the image to see it at full size.

These streams are built upon what Vimeo calls “scenes.” Scenes allow publishers to control how things should appear during a live stream throughout the event. In addition, branding and logos can be added to further customize the look and feel. Vimeo offers interactive tutorials that familiarize users with scenes and the “Stream with Vimeo” option.

Tip #2: Streaming via RTMP

The second live streaming option on Vimeo is “Stream via RTMP.” This option is for broadcast and advanced users who have external encoders (hardware/software) to convert audio and video into a digital stream for live streaming. Vimeo will generate the RTMPS URL and Stream Key for connecting encoders (Figure 2, below).

Figure 2. Stream via RTMP. Click the image to see it at full size.

One of the other benefits of streaming on Vimeo is that users can combine their events with other Vimeo features, such as syncing with mailing lists via popular platforms like Mail Chimp and Constant Contact. Publishers can also use other lead-generation tools built into Vimeo to capture emails, signup forms, contact forms, player branding, and more.

Both streaming options are solid choices for large companies, educational content, sports, faith-based organizations, or any publisher looking to live stream in the future.

Tip #3: Using Vimeo in Team Environments

It takes a village to have a solid video strategy, and Vimeo has recognized this with their many available collaboration features.

Vimeo Review is a fan favorite for the video revision process. Vimeo Pro members and higher can access video review pages, making it easy to gather feedback and securely share rough cuts. These pages are semi-private, unlisted, and mobile-compatible, so you can easily share them with reviewers, even if they don’t have Vimeo accounts.

Reviewers can add timecoded notes right in the video to streamline the video review process (Figure 3, below). Comment notifications on the activity on the review page go to the editor for revisions.

Figure 3. Timecoded notes added in Vimeo Review. Click the image to see it at full size.

In addition to the review tools, Vimeo offers many collaboration features with their Team Settings. The Manage Team Settings option allows users to set up a team and add members. Once a role is assigned, team members get notified via email. Users can assign roles for team members in four different permissions. These include uploaders, viewers, contributors, and admins (Figure 4, below).

Figure 4. Adding team members and assigning roles

• Uploaders can upload videos to the account.
• Viewers can be invited to specific folders, but will have limited access to the contents of those folders.
• Contributors can be invited to access specific folders within an account. They can upload, edit, and review videos within the specified folder.
• Admins can upload and manage all videos, folders, and collections. However, admins cannot access account information or payment information. Only the owner has the option to change those settings.

Another helpful feature to explore for teams is Vimeo Record. This tool is a free screen and webcam recorder that lets you share video messages quickly and easily. It works through the Google Chrome extension and offers a simple and efficient setup (Figure 5, below).

Figure 5. Vimeo Record. Click the image to see it at full size.

Users can record their screen, camera, or both simultaneously. Once a recording is complete, users can adjust privacy settings and share their video in multiple ways, such as sharing a link or downloading the file directly to a computer. Vimeo Record offers unlimited recordings and allows for up to two hours per recording. Record is a great tool to use for internal training or educational purposes.