By Alan Coleman on 28 Mar 2014
Earlier this year Vine celebrated its first birthday. Since it burst onto the scene its popularity has soared and now claims over 40 million users worldwide. However, in Ireland the app has signed up just 3% of adults aged 15+ whereas Facebook and Twitter have wrangled 60% and 27% of that market respectively. With that in mind it stands to reason that your customers are not using Vine. But don’t let that discourage you.
Fundamentally, Vine is a content creation tool. With a couple of clicks of a button you can create some exciting, engaging, and shareable content (NB - CONTENT IS KING!). If you think about it, Vine is a perfect medium. And here’s why:
1. Videos > Images > Text - Q.E.D.
2. The Videos Are Only 6 Seconds Long – this constraint means that you can’t get carried away and forces you to keep it simple. Don’t worry though, six seconds is plenty of time.
3. Seamless Integration with other Social Media - A user can watch and share a Vine without ever leaving the comfort of their Facebook or Twitter feed.
4. No Big Budgets Required – You don’t need lots of money to make a great video. But, what you do need is a bit of creativity. Like with all great content, if you want a user to engage with your video it needs to entertain, educate, or inspire. Remember this before you hit the record button.
5. DIY – It doesn’t have to be perfect, and you don’t need Hollywood special effects and slick editing. Save that for YouTube. Instead, be social, have fun, and don’t take your brand too seriously. The amateur look is all part of the charm.
Vine is unique amongst its peers by being a creative space first and social media platform second – in fact, the social media part is really an afterthought. Don’t worry about growing your Vine page or developing campaigns based around it; instead, use it as a support tool for your core social media activities. Use it to add another dimension to your content marketing. Instead of telling it with words or images, tell it with a video. Mix it up.
Because your customers don’t need to use Vine to enjoy your creations you don’t need to worry too much about whether channel is right for your business. The question you need to ask yourself is “Can I deliver a message that will educate, entertain, or inspire my customers?” – here success hinges on creativity. So, before you press record, decide what you want your customer to take away from the video and work backwards.
We’ve found that a lot of the brands that have Vine Accounts don’t really know what to do with it so here are some ideas to get you started:
Showcase Your Product (via Malibu)
https://vine.co/v/b52DvxmdKZt
Thank Your Followers (via Diabetes UK)
https://vine.co/v/b5tnVIVjt2M
Get Your Customers Involved (via ASOS)
https://vine.co/v/bJ9dTgx3wJt
Suggest Product Uses (via Cadbury)
https://vine.co/v/MmvtQtw9nEK
Show Behind the Scenes (via The Weather Channel)
https://vine.co/v/hqJF2DBVwXe
