Vine isn’t just a plant that you see climbing up the outside of Ivy League University buildings. It’s also a growing social media network that features super short form videos.
Founded in June 2012, Vine is a video sharing service that allows its users to create and share looping video clips that are six seconds long.
Acquired by the social media giant Twitter just before its official launch, it made sense that the little birdies responsible for 140 character message limits would also put the ‘V’ in ‘microvlog’.
Vine and Social Media
Videos have been a long established medium to get brand messaging, imagery, or a new product out to a large audience. Vine, YouTube, and Instagram video are all social media platform applications that fit into this category.
It’s important to know how Vine differs from the others, because they each have their own place when it comes to a successful social media marketing campaign.
7 Things to Remember With Vine
Before we get into the different types of Vine videos and how they can increase your brand’s presence through social media, it’s important to understand its basic parameters and framework.
Here are seven things to keep in mind when determining what content to place onto which social media platform.
- It is meant to be short, creative, and memorable.
- Vine is a video, not a GIF, which is an animation.
- Don’t forget that Vine videos can also have audio.
- Vine is a looping micro video, so you will need one clear concept (six seconds isn’t a lot of airtime).
- Vine is not YouTube. If you have a lot of content to cover the latter is more suited for lengthy explanation or informational videos.
- Vine is also not Instagram video (which has 3-30 seconds of video) as they are designed to impact the viewer very differently.
- Vine is, above all, a place to tell a micro-story.
Know Your Brand
When writing, the general rule of thumb is the fewer words you can use to get your message across, the better. The same rule can apply to social media videos.
Can you get your brand image or message across in six seconds? Or do you think there is simply too much information to convey?
Don’t just make a Vine because it’s the newest social media trend out there. It has to convey your brand accurately. Research other companies who have successfully used Vine and know your industry trends so you can stay ahead of the game.
To Vine, Or Not To Vine
The six second restriction can seem a little challenging, but with some creativity and ingenuity marketers can create Vines that catch on with their user base.
First, you will need to have a clear beginning, middle, and an end. Your initial step to determine if Vine is the right platform for your existing marketing campaign is knowing what your message is.
What are you trying to convey to your viewer?
Fill in this blank: “I want the people who watch this Vine to __________.”
Do you want them to laugh? Cry? Get angry? Click the link below? Having a clear goal when considering Vine for social media marketing is the first step to success.
Heard it through the GrapeVine
There are of course, many different ways to convey your message. One proven way is through a social media influencer.
Vine has its share of influencers that marketers might consider tapping into as a means to get immediate traction on the social network.
Currently KingBach is the most followed user on Vine, boasting over 12 million followers. Clearly, there are loyal audiences to be found in this short-form video space if marketers are willing to take the time to court them.
Popular Vine Techniques and How They Can Fit Your Brand
Six seconds may not be a very long time for a video, but there are actually many different styles of Vine videos that have had success on the network.
Looping
Because the six second video loops continuously until a user stops it, we can create the appearance of endless motion as the video continues to play over and over.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different types of Vines; from absurdly silly (like the Ryan Gosling Won’t Eat His Cereal series) to high art (22 Vines were featured in the Moving Image art fair in New York City), Vines run the full gamut of subjects and styles.
Uses: Repetition is a fantastic way to remember something. Vine marketing does that naturally. Extremely versatile and good to use if you are marketing a service as they can see the action repeated again and again.
Stop Motion
This is an animation technique where the Vine user will take several still frames (or objects) and manipulate them in a way that makes it appear like they are moving on their own.
This technique was made popular in Vine by successful social media influencers like Meagan Cignoli and Gentleman Jack, who have been hired by many large brands to create Vine videos.
Uses: Has been utilized in successful Vine campaigns by brands like HP, Nike, Nordstrom and countless others. Stop motion can convey your brand or product in a fresh and unconventional way.
360 Degree View
This method takes a focal point and circles around it within the six second time frame. You can blend this Vine type with both stop motion and the looping effect, as the 360 view circles seamlessly around.
Uses: Great to reference a specific object, location or person.
Spot the Difference
This vine will split its six seconds between two different version of the same shot, encouraging the viewer to loop several times and become invested in the video.
It is important to have one main focal point for this Vine, as it will give the viewer a place to start for each frame.
Uses: A great way to showcase several items at a time. Great for couture collections, arts and crafts, and countless other products.
Roulette
This Vine is actually a branch of stop motion, as it takes several frames and cycles through them continuously until the viewer clicks the Vine to pause it, thus revealing a message, picture or slogan.
Uses: Is able to include a significant amount of information on one Vine as the viewer can pause the video and read all of the content. A good option if you have a little more information to cover, but make sure that you don’t overcrowd the image.
DIY
Used to show quick recipes, cleaning or craft hacks to promote continued use of a particular product or item.
Uses: Extremely popular way for food and drink brands to remind viewers of the many ways they can incorporate those items in their daily lives. Also works great for cleaning, crafting and other tools.
Plan Your Way to Successful Vine Marketing
Ultimately, creating a Vine should be fun!
Play around with the app on your off time and get comfortable. Social media is about spontaneity and being in the moment. And when you’re ready, just remember that Vine is linked to one of the biggest social media platforms used today.
The ability to have visual airtime along with your tweets adds depth to any social media campaign.
This helpful infographic below will give you some insight into usage stats for the network, as well as some useful best practices for using Vine for marketing purposes.
Like Slideshare, its slow ramp up can be a good thing for marketers looking to find new avenues for visual content without needing to compete for space on YouTube or Facebook.
