By now you should be aware of the importance of utilizing social media when it comes to implementing your marketing efforts. Whether or not you’re a firm believer in posting on Facebook, streaming company news on LinkedIn or building Pinterest boards, social sharing is more popular than ever and should be considered when building your marketing strategy.
Along with the mass popularity of social media has also come a rapid expansion in available platforms. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by what’s out there, but we do recommend exploring your options, especially when it comes to finding what resonates most with your business’ audience. Consider this when examining one of the latest social apps, Vine.
What is Vine?
Vine is a mobile app that allows users to create six-second looping videos that can be shared socially. The app is owned by Twitter and used by an estimated 13 million people, and has recently been embraced by several big name companies for the deployment of new marketing campaigns and contests. Given Vine’s popularity amongst mass users and large brands, does that mean it’s a good choice for you when it comes to marketing your own business?
Will Vine Expand Your Marketing Reach?
According to Social Media Today, mobile video will represent 66% of global mobile data traffic by 2017. With future stake in over half of the mobile market, video seems to be the top choice for savvy marketers. What’s even better is, early adapters who dove into Vine are not only getting their hands wet in the popular and far reaching world of video, they are also doing so in an extremely cost effective manner, as Vine is free.
Imagine being able to create short, to the point creative that has the potential to reach millions of eyes with no cost to your company. You’d be restricting your own potential reach by not considering this tool. However, it is important to remain aware of the fact that with any new tool or trend comes the need to learn proper usage protocol. It’s one thing to embrace a new app and push it to your audience, but it’s another thing altogether to know how to utilize it successfully.
Must Have Tips To Vine Successfully
Creativity is Key: Anyone can throw a 6 second video together, but the most successful businesses are using Vine to produce short, well thought out campaigns. Take French Connection, for example, whose Spring Bloom Vine plays like a charming Television ad. Or General Electric, who used Vine to reach out to a new, younger audience in a cool way with their #6secondscience campaign. There are no limits to the possible content you can produce, so be imaginative and think outside the box.
Channel Spielberg: If you’re using Vine to market your brand, then you’re going to want to make sure the final product looks professional. After coming up with a creative concept, be sure to take the time to set your video up for success by using things like good lighting, attractive angles and a stabilized camera. Even though you’re producing a spot on what might just seem like a fun social app, you always want to put your best foot forward when promoting your business.
Be Informative: You’ve only got 6 seconds to work with, so make them count! Although you’ll want to be creative enough to grab the attention of your viewers, you’ll also want to be sure you’re getting your message out clearly. If you’re running a campaign with an accompanying hashtag, why not try to get your hashtag worked into the video? At the very least you’ll want to include it in your description, but getting your desired message seen, and seen clearly, is what counts most. Don’t oversaturate your videos, pick one simple idea and central message and run with it.
Share Socially: The great thing about Vine is that it allows you to share your creations socially. Not only can you post your videos to Facebook and Twitter, but you can also add your content to pre-categorized channels within Vine itself, like Comedy, Food or Art & Experimental. Furthermore, when sharing you can also get your work searched by including #hashtags within your posts, which you already know can act as helpful viral marketing tools. So share away! The larger the audience you expose your brand to, the better off you are.
Although it might seem like social apps and their popularity come and go, there’s something to be said for those brands who are brave enough to embrace the trends, and to do so in a creative manner. If you’re still lacking the courage to shoot your first Vine, take some final inspiration from monster brands Taco Bell and Dunkin Donuts. Go get shooting!