Twitter’s new Vine App has launched on to the visual social media space and is already causing more than 6 seconds worth of Buzz.
Let’s look at what Vine is, How easy it is to use and 5 ways you can use it now to Rock Your Visual Social Media Marketing.
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that Twitter’s Vine App may well just join my other top two DIY Visual Marketing Tools (Picmonkey and Over) as a tool to have in your arsenal. All 3 tools make it easy to create images and videos for DIY visual social media marketing in your business.
Vine App by Twitter
Released in the last couple of days, Vine is 6 seconds of awesome.
Video marketing is huge at the moment. Huge. But for some businesses, the idea of filming, editing and uploading a video (even with all the wonderful tools at our disposal to make it easy) is just overwhelming.
Enter Vine. An app that allows you to snag a short, looping video and share it with ease!
What is Vine and How Does it Work?
Here is what Vine says about itself: Vine is the best way to see and share life in motion. Create short, beautiful, looping videos in a simple and fun way for your friends and family to see.
Benefits:
- Vine is free, has unlimited uploads, and allows you to instantly post videos on Vine and then share them to Twitter and Facebook at this stage.
- It works like Instagram in that you can find, follow and interact with people close to you. Put simply, Vine is the Instagram of Video Sharing!
- Vine allows you to explore trending posts, featured hashtags and editor’s picks.
And here is a short video I just created.
Stormy Day. Blogging about @vineapp. vine.co/v/bJzlmLq9OuQ
— Donna Moritz (@SociallySorted) January 27, 2013
- Total time to create: 3 minutes (and no, I don’t think it is an Academy award winner…). Well, give or take 3 minutes for me to delete the first attempt. And just FYI, the storm is way worse than it looks on this video with a cyclone to the north of us. Macbook Air on battery supply.
- Filming Tip: having an extra pair of hands would be handy for creative filming. Opening a Macbook Air one handed while filming is not ideal. Slight overshoot occurred. Sorry little Air Buddy.
- The verdict? It’s easy to use and the creative potential for business (and for fun) is huge.
These posts by PCMag and Mashable give a great overview of how it works if you are looking for more information. Facebook is seeming to be carrying on its little Feud and refusing some integration with its platform as outlined here. Will it make a difference? Not if the Twitter community has anything to do with driving it. And Vine has indicated that they will be opening up more sharing to other platforms shortly. Give it time – like all just-released apps, there will be updates.
5 Ways to use Vine to Rock your Visual Social Media Marketing
1. Be Innovative with Your Branding
Mashable have done this with their short, play on words. It also allows you to meet some of their team having fun. In 6 seconds!
Just doing some rearranging around the office… #vine vine.co/v/b5QFFdnqgH9
— Pete Cashmore (@mashable) January 25, 2013
2. Create a Short How-to or Overview Video
I love what Lee Murrell from Eject Creative Studios has done with this simple snapshot of the process involved in making Pecan Nut Brownies.
#Pecan #Nut #Brownies #howto #Cooking #Baking – A #MichelRoux recipe from his inspirational #Desserts book…. vine.co/v/b5dwBuW016P
— Lee Murrell (@LeeMurrell) January 24, 2013
Let’s watch the cooking and recipe blogs go off about that one! But seriously, what can you showcase in your business that is a “How-To”. Just like on Pinterest, the How-To Vine Video could become something that is easily shared. Is there a process or product or system that you can easily show an overview of by using a Vine Video snap?
A Vine video creates an easy lead in to a longer, more detailed post, video or web page. I think this could be huge. Just sayin’.
3. Take Us On a Quick Tour
Now This News have grabbed the opportunity to shoot a quick tour of their studio:
.@nowthisnews‘ #firstpost to @vineapp!Tour our office in 6 seconds. vine.co/v/b5HQKiVmiDH
— NowThis News (@nowthisnews) January 24, 2013
Birmingham City Football Club are embracing the use of Vine on Twitter to showcase their club in a whole range of ways. This 6 second “tour” of their field with snow on the ground also provides a lead in to their upcoming team news for the day.
Welcome to Turf Moor! We hope to have #BCFC team news for you in the next 15 minutes. vine.co/v/b53P7dUhb63
— Birmingham City FC (@BcfcDotCom) January 26, 2013
4. Create a Meme-in-Motion
Quote? Inspirational? Put it into motion with Vine:
Hope your day is bubbly! vine.co/v/b5x566X23m0
— Khoa (@lazybearkhoa) January 25, 2013
I love this little gem from @LazyBearKhoa. Think in terms of your business – can you create a meme – say an inspirational or industry relevant quote, that you can animate and showcase on Vine?
5. Tease or Preview Upcoming Content
Again Birmingham City are using the “Content Tease” very effectively. This snippet of an interview with their Manager Lee Clark was posted as a teaser for the full interview.
For Lee Clark’s full match reaction at Turf Moor, log on to bcfc.com later. #BCFC vine.co/v/b5lDzqEQnDQ
— Birmingham City FC (@BcfcDotCom) January 26, 2013
Think of how you can use snippets of video to tease into or provide a preview of a larger piece of content. That content could be more video, or even an article, blog post or page on your website.
Tip: Be sure to include a link to the location of the content you want to drive the user to (ie YouTube, your wesbite, or a blog post).
6. And Just for Fun.
Here are a few videos that are being shared around Twitter at the moment. Just for fun.
The stalking cursor…
Stalking cursor!!! vine.co/v/bJBDredWvLd
— Khoa (@lazybearkhoa) January 26, 2013
Malia Obama photobombs her Ma and Pa sneaking a kiss…
Our #firstpost on Vine! Malia Obama photobomb, natch. vine.co/v/b5HA7MJ5eAU
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) January 24, 2013
In Summary
Vine showcases short, fun video slices of life. Yeah. I. Can. Totally. See. That. Crashing. and. Burning. NOT! But let’s jump in to why it works well and how you can think about using this nifty little app in your business – no matter how video savvy you are!
What works about Vine?
- It’s easy to use.
- It provides easily digestible (snackable) video content that packs a punch. A short message that has visual impact. What’s not to love?
- It’s social. Yes, Vine is a social network all of its own!
- It’s shareable.
What’s not to love?
Here are some great ways that you can start using video (and Vine) to showcase your own business. Vine’s co-founder Dom Hoffman described video posts on Vine as: “…little windows into the people, settings, ideas and objects that make up your life…Posts on Vine are about abbreviation — shortened forms of something larger”
With this in mind, think in terms of short snippets of life that tell either:
- tell a story
- convey a message
- inspire
- show someone how to do something
and that lead into something bigger, or can be linked to more content.
If you can nail one of those, you are off to a great start with making your Vine video appealing ….and shareable. As Vine says: Make a scene.
Is your head spinning yet? Keep it simple. How can you use this simple easy-to-use app to show your business and your story to the world in 6 seconds? Have fun with it.
Let’s get creative. What would you snag on Vine in just 6 seconds to showcase your brand or business?
Donna Moritz is a Social Media Strategist and Visual Marketing Specialist – and founder of Socially Sorted, in Queensland, Australia. Donna loves to help small businesses and companies use visual social media strategies to get more reach, referrals and results for their business. She has been a contributing author for Entrepreneur.com, Social Fresh and Amy Porterfield and has been featured on Forbes and Yahoo Small Business. Connect with Donna on Google+ and other social media networks below.
