Today’s guest post is by Yvette Pistorio.
Social media has become very visual.
Photos and videos are taking center-stage as the most shared and talked about forms of content.
Given the rise of smartphones with cameras built into them and the growth of Pinterest, Tumblr, and Instagram, the percentage of photo and video sharing is high.
And now we have Vine, a video app that is social media’s shiny new toy of the moment.
A 2012 study by ROI Research says when users engage with friends on social media sites, it’s the pictures that are enjoyed the most.
Forty-four percent of respondents said they were more likely to respond to brand posts involving pictures or status updates.
And according to All Twitter, 36 percent of links shared on Twitter are images.
Information Overload
With information overload and our ever-shrinking attention span, Vine might be perfectly engineered for our bite-sized appetites.
Jay Baer recently shared some key takeaways for companies and brands on Vine:
- Develop content buckets for videos in alignment with key themes and business departments.
- Pick one point or key message per video and don’t overcomplicate it.
- Enhance the mini moments within each of the six seconds to maximize the impact of your videos.
- Be conscious of sound and background noise when recording.
- Develop guardrails and a process to review and approve Vine videos before they go live.
- Don’t forget to search for videos related to your company or brand. Similar to Instagram, liking and commenting on your fan’s Vine videos can generate super fans and boost your engagement on the platform.
Here’s a few I would add:
- Figure out how you can tell your best possible story in just six seconds.
- Don’t use the app without a clear purpose. Yes it’s a fun, new tool, but it’s also important not to rush into the app. (See number one from Jay above.)
- Pay attention to what is trending in social media, mobile apps, and in video. Take notes and use that information to stay ahead in the game.
Brands Dig Vine
- BuzzFeed showed off their dance moves.
- NBC shared a quick tour inside 30 Rock.
- Red Vine engaged with one of their fans with this video.
- Jeremy Cabolona of Mashable demonstrated how to make a microwaved brownie in a mug. Alright, so Jeremy isn’t really a brand, but I had to share how you can make a brownie in a microwave.
- Sonar, a social discovery app, used Vine in place of a news release. They recently received a big investment from Microsoft’s Bing Fund and used Vine to let the world know.
Who knows if Vine love will last, but it’s a tool that can help you build awareness, showcase, and humanize your brand. Even if you just experiment with Vine, you may find it is a beneficial addition to your marketing mix.
Have you seen any really unique uses from other brands? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Yvette Pistorio is an account executive and community manager for Arment Dietrich. She is a lover of pop culture, cupcakes, and HGTV, and enjoys a good laugh. There are a gazillion ways you can find her online. You can find her on Twitter (Spin Sucks and personal), Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Google+.