4 Ways Vine Can be Used for Marketing
A few days ago Twitter launched Vine, a new video app that allows users create 6 second videos and share them online. Being labelled as ‘Instagram for video’, the simplicity of Vine makes it a doddle to use and clips can be shared immediately on the users’ social networks. At first glance, Vine might look like a novelty app with little substance or tangible use, but with a little creativity, I think brands could utilise this service to increase engagement with their social network. Here are 4 ways for you to use Vine effectively:
1. Preview a new product
If you’ve got a new product that you want to quickly share with people, Vine is perfect. 6 seconds is all you need to get a quick shot from a few different angles and it allows your followers to get the gist of the product without having to leave the comfort of their Twitter timeline. Mobile users are much more likely to view embedded media than they are to click a link that’s going to open in a new browser window and take them away from whatever they’re doing. Users are also more likely to share a ‘Vine’ with their own network because it’s unique, quirky and engaging. Ergo, your product reaches a wider audience. Urban Outfitters has already tried this approach with some of its new products.
2. Unique content
In the industry we’re constantly hearing ‘content, content, content.’ Vine is a great tool for creating unique and engaging content. For example, a personal trainer or health and fitness magazine can share videos of how to correctly perform exercises, or show their followers new exercises. If it’s a particularly rainy day; ‘here are a few exercises you can do at home’. They could also share videos of quick and easy smoothie recipes or healthy snacks their followers can make. All of this content is unique and something that their competitors probably won’t be doing. It’s quick, easy, effective, and best of all, free!
3. Consumer engagement
Engagement is everything in social media. The ability to connect and share with people, join in the conversation and get involved. Vine adds a new dimension to that. As a brand you need to be thinking ‘how can Vine help us engage with our audience?’ One thing I see brands doing a lot on Twitter is picture competitions where they give their followers a topic or challenge and encourage them to upload a photo, they share the photos and the best one(s) win a prize. Vine takes that idea to another level. For example, a sportswear brand could ask its followers to post a video showcasing their skills in their particular sport, the top 5 win a prize and get uploaded to the website. What you end up with is some very creative user generated content.
4. Customer service
This one may be a stretch but there could be scope for Vine to be used in a customer service situation. Many companies are now using Twitter for customer service, however, one of the problems they face is answering questions and dealing with problems in 140 characters. Actions speak louder than words, and in some cases it may be easier to show the customer a 6 second Vine video than try to explain something verbally. I’ll use a web hosting company for this example; a customer tweets them saying they can’t figure out how to perform a certain action in their control panel. The process involves navigating through several levels of the site and may be confusing to explain, so the customer service advisor makes a quick video of them doing it and shares it with the customer. The customer can see exactly what to do and just has to copy the steps. Now, in most cases, especially with big companies, this wouldn’t be viable and would probably be counterproductive. However, for smaller companies this could be a simple gesture that makes their brand stand out.
These are just a few examples that came to mind whilst I was playing with Vine this weekend, I’m sure we’ll see marketers finding even more unique and creative uses for it in the near future. So don’t write Vine off as another novelty social app, think of ways you could utilise it for your business.
