Just as you get to grips with Twitter and Facebook, along comes another social media platform for you to get used to.
If you have not already heard of Vine, you soon will as it has, as the name suggests, been spreading in popularity online like a weed.
Vine is a Twitter owned company that was launched early in 2013. It allows users to record short six-second clips that play continuously on an endless loop. This tiny six-second video is considered to be the equivalent to the 140-character limit on Twitter.
Think of Vine being like Instagram except with videos instead of pictures.
Users add these videos to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook and it is incredibly quick and easy to do.
So you may be asking yourself, ‘who wants a six second video and why would it be useful to my business?”
Well the answer to the first question is simple: Millions of people. Vine has already attracted over 13 million users in less than 6 months after its launch. There are thousands of blogs and sites that are dedicated solely to finding the bet vine videos and sharing them for everybody to see.
In answer to your second question here are some reasons why Vine is an effective way to promote your business:
Present Your Raving Fans
If you have a customer who raves about your product or service, no doubt they will be very happy to agree to provide you with a testimonial. As the Internet is so visual, having video testimonials is the perfect way to showcase your testimonials. However, most customers, even if they love what you do won’t be too thrilled about the idea of appearing on camera for a long time to create a testimonial for you. Many of them will be camera shy and not comfortable in front of the camera.
If you have a customer who raves about your product or service, no doubt they will be very happy to agree to provide you with a testimonial. As the Internet is so visual, having video testimonials is the perfect way to showcase your testimonials. However, most customers, even if they love what you do won’t be too thrilled about the idea of appearing on camera for a long time to create a testimonial for you. Many of them will be camera shy and not comfortable in front of the camera.
But how about this for an idea: Instead of having then speak, why not have your happy smiling customer hold up cards with words that best describe your product or business. A six second video of your thrilled happy customer holding up cards such as “Saved Me Money”, “Easy to Use” and “Friendly Service” is the perfect way to get your message across and intrigue potential customers to look at what you are offering.
Display Your Work For A Client
Instead of just having a static portfolio of your work on your site create an animated one on social media instead. It is such a simple idea that even small businesses without a large advertising budget could do. It will help spread the word about your product or service far quicker than any ad in the local press could.
Instead of just having a static portfolio of your work on your site create an animated one on social media instead. It is such a simple idea that even small businesses without a large advertising budget could do. It will help spread the word about your product or service far quicker than any ad in the local press could.
Whet Your Customer’s Appetite
Vine is perfect for creating suspense and intrigue, particularly if you are launching a new product or service or even adding an update.
Vine is perfect for creating suspense and intrigue, particularly if you are launching a new product or service or even adding an update.
You can start generating a buzz by giving your viewers a sneak peek. Simply link viewers to your website or information page where they can find more details.
Engage With Your Followers
The majority of your customers will be well clued up on social media and how it works. It is now part of everyday life. So use Vine to engage with your followers and starting a conversation by using a Vine video.
The majority of your customers will be well clued up on social media and how it works. It is now part of everyday life. So use Vine to engage with your followers and starting a conversation by using a Vine video.
There are so many inventive ways that you could do this. For example one bookstore owner doesn’t ask what book his followers are reading. Instead, he gives visual clues as to what HE is reading and gets his followers to try and guess what it is. Genius!
Give A Tour
People are naturally curious so why not treat your followers to a sneaky behind the scenes glimpse of your business. You could do this from a variety of different angles such as showing off a cool piece of equipment in your workshop, or putting faces to the names of the staff in your business. The list is endless and will thoroughly engage your clients.
People are naturally curious so why not treat your followers to a sneaky behind the scenes glimpse of your business. You could do this from a variety of different angles such as showing off a cool piece of equipment in your workshop, or putting faces to the names of the staff in your business. The list is endless and will thoroughly engage your clients.
Show Before and After
If you are in the home improvement business, a landscape gardener, a beautician, an interior designer or any other kind of business where clients expect to see results then Vine is ideal for showing impressive before and after results. If the effect is really good then it will quickly go viral and have people rushing to your site to find out more.
If you are in the home improvement business, a landscape gardener, a beautician, an interior designer or any other kind of business where clients expect to see results then Vine is ideal for showing impressive before and after results. If the effect is really good then it will quickly go viral and have people rushing to your site to find out more.
Celebrate the Holidays
You can show that your business is getting into the holiday spirit by creating fun videos and messages for your clients. This will help you to engage with your followers. You can also make them into marketing related videos by putting some promotions in the mix too showing your products relevant to the holidays.
You can show that your business is getting into the holiday spirit by creating fun videos and messages for your clients. This will help you to engage with your followers. You can also make them into marketing related videos by putting some promotions in the mix too showing your products relevant to the holidays.
Whatever you decide to do, it will go down well with your followers and they are bound to reward you with positive comments and spread the word about your video making sure it gets lots of exposure.
Send Out Video Invitations
Use Vine to build up interest around any event that you might be planning by sending out a personalized invite to people that you want to visit your store, enter a contest or attend a seminar.
Use Vine to build up interest around any event that you might be planning by sending out a personalized invite to people that you want to visit your store, enter a contest or attend a seminar.
This is a particularly effective promotional idea: If you are attending a trade show get people to visit by doing a vine based “Where’s Wally” type promotion. Get your followers to watch the video and see if they can spot your logo at the show then offer a prize for the correct answers when they visit your booth. It works a treat.
Public Relations
Social networking has done a lot to ‘humanize’ companies and Vine is no different.
Social networking has done a lot to ‘humanize’ companies and Vine is no different.
An excellent way to gain a new audience and potential customers is to show off your company being charitable or even of your and your employers having fun. If your company is throwing a Christmas party for example, post a video of your employees singing a Christmas carol. It is a nice touch and a fun way to interact with your customers.
Getting Followers To Your Trade Show Or Conference
We mentioned a great idea above for getting people to visit your trade show but here is another effective way that businesses are using Vine to great effect:
We mentioned a great idea above for getting people to visit your trade show but here is another effective way that businesses are using Vine to great effect:
Use a Vine video with your conference hashtag to let people know when the conference or trade show is starting. You could even show a video of the speaker or your booth in the video too. It is a perfect way to attract a targeted audience and get additional visitors to your event.
Bring People Inside Your Store Or Restaurant
The Internet is global but Vine is ideal for local businesses marketing to a local audience. Show your fans and followers how attractive your store or restaurant is and invite them to come and visit. You could even host a special event to bring extra footfall into your business.
The Internet is global but Vine is ideal for local businesses marketing to a local audience. Show your fans and followers how attractive your store or restaurant is and invite them to come and visit. You could even host a special event to bring extra footfall into your business.
Hopefully this article has provided you with inspiration and shown you how effective Vine can be for your business.
However, just before you dive in here are another 3 tips that will really help your videos to shine and encourage fans to spread the word and make them viral.
Think Before You Press Record
What makes Vine so different to many other video marketing strategies like YouTube for instance is this: you can’t upload something that you have already made. You cannot edit your video or go backwards once you get started. It really is a “one-take” process.
What makes Vine so different to many other video marketing strategies like YouTube for instance is this: you can’t upload something that you have already made. You cannot edit your video or go backwards once you get started. It really is a “one-take” process.
So with this in mind it’s important to know exactly what you want to record before you begin. Start by creating a simple storyboard or sketch out what kind of shots you want before you begin. Plan carefully what you want to film, the angle of the shots and how long you want each shot to appear for.
Consider lighting and Stillness
I know it sounds obvious but your vine video will work best if you have proper lighting and a series of steady shots. This is even more vital to remember if you are going to be using Vine to brand yourself online or wanting to show off your products and services.
I know it sounds obvious but your vine video will work best if you have proper lighting and a series of steady shots. This is even more vital to remember if you are going to be using Vine to brand yourself online or wanting to show off your products and services.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just spend a few extra minutes planning your location and perhaps invest in an iPhone tripod to help keep your shots steady. It will make all of the difference to how well your videos will be received.
Sound Or No Sound
A lot of Vine videos don’t have any sound in them and that is fine if you don’t want sound in yours either. However, it may sound obvious but the Vine app will still record sound when it is being used. If you really don’t want sound in your video then you are going to have to find a very quiet location to film your video and try not to breathe too heavily when creating your video.
A lot of Vine videos don’t have any sound in them and that is fine if you don’t want sound in yours either. However, it may sound obvious but the Vine app will still record sound when it is being used. If you really don’t want sound in your video then you are going to have to find a very quiet location to film your video and try not to breathe too heavily when creating your video.
If on the other hand you WANT sound in your video you might want to consider buying a dedicated mic for your phone or experiment with the mic that comes with your iPhone headphones.
Using Vine To Reach A Global Audience and How We Can Help
If you have already experimented with Twitter you will know firsthand how effective a tool it is and why so many successful businesses use it as part of their marketing strategy.
With the addition of Vine it will help keep your audiences engaged and reach an even bigger and broader audience than ever before.
Businesses are experiencing great results because the short videos create memorable impressions on their target audience and promote the business or product very fast by encouraging their target audience to spread the word and make the video go viral.
Businesses need all of the help they can get to get their product and services out there in front of the general public. By using social platforms such as Vine it is one of the best opportunities to grow your business through self-promotion and advertising.
Like all effective marketing strategies it can take a while to get to grips with how the media works or how to use it to its fullest potential.
This is how we can help. We have the experience required to help your business reach a much broader audience and attract brand new customers.
If you need any advice or would like to ask more about the marketing services we provide please don’t hesitate to contact us. We will be glad to help.
A Two-minute Crash Course: Vine in 6 easy steps
Step one
Download and install the Vine app for your iPhone, iPod, iPad or Android phone.
Download and install the Vine app for your iPhone, iPod, iPad or Android phone.
Step two
Create a Vine account using your Twitter profile or email address.
Create a Vine account using your Twitter profile or email address.
Step three
Find people to follow by going to your profile and clicking the People icon at the top right of the screen. You can also go to your settings and use the Find People option under Friends.
Find people to follow by going to your profile and clicking the People icon at the top right of the screen. You can also go to your settings and use the Find People option under Friends.
Step four
Connect your Facebook account to share videos on Facebook as well.
Connect your Facebook account to share videos on Facebook as well.
Step five
Click the video camera icon to start recording videos. Tap your finger on the screen to record and release stop recording.
Click the video camera icon to start recording videos. Tap your finger on the screen to record and release stop recording.
Step six
When you’re finished, click continue to share your video on vine, Twitter and Facebook.
When you’re finished, click continue to share your video on vine, Twitter and Facebook.
It is that easy. Now you can get creative and make your brand go viral.
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