As you might have heard, Twitter recently acquired Vine. Vine is a video-sharing mobile service that allows you to create and share short, 6-second looping videos (think of a GIF). This new feature will mean that Twitter users (you don’t HAVE to have a Twitter account to use it, however) can share short clips of their life. As a marketer, you may wonder how your organization can use this new feature to its benefit. For starters, marketers can create short previews of video content available on its website to drive traffic. It also allows marketers to make their own infographics , which are all the rage, lately. Below are five key ways of how to use Vine to your company’s advantage:
1. Make content just for Twitter. Although you can use the short clips to preview existing clips on your site, it’s important to give followers a reason to follow you. For this reason, marketers will want to create original video content for different platforms, depending on each platform’s individual purpose.
2. Clarity is important. Remember, you only get six seconds to get your message across. You should be sure to decide which aspects are key to conveying your message. The last thing a marketer needs is wasted time on a video that sends a confusing message. Tactics similar to those for other visual marketing should be applied (check out the infographic guidelines on Content Marketing Institute’s website)
3. Be relevant. This means you’ve got to be on your feet and develop content quickly. Live events and content revolving around real-time events has greater potential be more relevant (and therefore more popular) than something produced on a random schedule.
4. Be recent. Your followers aren’t going to scroll very far in their newsfeed, so it’s important to use social media managers like CrowdBooster to tweet your videos at times that most users will be active on Twitter. This helps to reduce wasted quality content due to bad timing.
5. Balance is key. Although this new feature can be a useful tool for your brand, it’s important to vary the type of content you deliver to your followers. A lot of videos will get boring after a while just like nothing but text would.
By following these five tips as well as other guidelines for visual content, you can transform your company’s Twitter account from boring to dynamic!
Adriana M. Bóveda-Lambie, Ph.D. 
i believe that a lot of companies will try to use the six sec looping video as short viral video. the best way to do this will be doing something similar to the youtube sensations dude perfect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4giMyqv0qc&list=PL78596A4F8E36D8D9&index=4
by placing a logo some where in the ad similar to what Gillette did with Evan Longoria. in the following ad.
I am so happy about this post. I am looking forward to using this new Twitter feature at my co-op. A short six second clip like this can be a great ‘teaser’ to show followers information that will engage them to look into what you are sharing more.
Wow. I am also super excited about Vine. These are great tips for marketers to keep in mind while trying to properly utilize this new tool. My favorite tip provided would probably be the second one about clarity. Like so many other online tools, marketers will rush to Vine as well without a strong plan or vision. Posting random videos will definitely confuse the consumer. Marketers need to make sure the content is understandable, relevant and likable.
Vine will be a great way to build brands as well! I can’t wait to see fun content posted!
This new feature, Vine seems to be a godsend for branding. To me it seems like a perfect way for companies to post videos that are short enough to keep the attention span of an individual and can spread a specified message quickly and effectively.
I think it will get individuals who aren’t on the twitter platform to get interested. I wonder if it will affect YouTube in any way at all or if it will help boost its popularity, assuming the videos are shared between the two platforms. This might be the perfect excuse for companies to get on the platform to better target consumers or get those they weren’t able to before, or simply build a brand presence.
My brother started a video sharing site that allows you to post 30 second clips of something your selling.. in short a video classified, Vlassified.com. It’s an interesting concept because most don’t realize that their attention span only lasts for a few seconds. 6 seconds may be too short though. How much can you show in 6 seconds? Not much, but maybe that’s a perk. I guess we’ll find out in time!
While I don’t personally use Twitter too much, this seems like a pretty logical and great next step in the sort of “sharing you experience” with other bandwagon that Twitter really is. It’s also really cool how it could be integrated with brands and bring an new level of engagement to their consumers.
Like everyone else, I am very excited about Vine and the new marketing opportunities it may bring to all kinds of brands. I already love browsing GIFs, so this will only add to the already-large amount of browsing materials and sites. I think brands will have to be creative to really spark any kind of attention in users; brands may utilize strategies like buzz marketing to get the most out of the service. The article and infographic lay out some good points for companies to follow when sharing their six-second videos, most importantly, be recent and relevant. Great post and topic!
Thanks to Mashable, here are a few of the best examples yet:
http://mashable.com/2013/01/24/creative-vines-on-twitter/
GIFs have become increasingly popular amongst blogs and younger markets. GIFs also have a strong chance of becoming viral, and shared amongst users. It’s increasingly important in a world of text status updates to add some visual stimulation, and a clip that’s easy to share. The fact that it is only 6 seconds long will encourage watching, and ensures that the audience won’t get impatient or bored.
This is pretty interesting. It’s going to be fascinating to see how social marketers utilize 6 second videos to get their product across. I can see this being useful integrated directly into twitter like twitter pictures are.
I was recently reading a article about Vine and I think that this could be a strong tool for marketers. GIFs are very popular, especially among the younger generation. I think that these short clips can help to introduce a product or serve as a quick way to relay information. The article I was reading stated that Vine could be used as a way to develop quick tutorials. I think that that 6 second GIFs will work well because they get the message across quickly, which is what consumers ultimately want.
Companies can use this successfully if they create ads that are more in the background of the main attraction. These videos will allow companies to branch off in order to attract consumers to their brand. 6 seconds is enough time to effectively get the message of what your company wants to advertise.