Nowadays, it seems that everywhere you turn, another social media site is popping up! First, there was Facebook. Soon after that came Twitter, then Instagram, and other sites. And now, there’s another site taking the social media world by storm! Maybe you’ve heard of Vine, or maybe you haven’t. It is steadily gaining popularity, and sure to be the next big thing in social media.
But, what is Vine exactly? Vine is actually owned by Twitter, and was launched in 2013. Differing from YouTube or other video sites, it lets users record 6- second video clips, and the clips play continuously on a loop. Six seconds may not seem like a lot, but it’s actually thought to be roughly equivalent to Twitter’s 140-character limit. Once you create Vines, you can quickly and easily share them with your followers on Twitter and friends on Facebook.
In the six months after its launch, Vine has already drawn in well over 13 million users. In addition to being entertaining, Vine is also a strategic way to promote your business!
Share Your Testimonials
If you have regular, happy customers, you can use Vine to show other potential clients how much your product or service is appreciated. Rather than asking your favorite customer to create a long, awkward YouTube video, simply request that they help you out by creating a short, 6 second Vine. Maybe they can hold up cue cards with short slogans, or even describe your business in a few short words for you!
Showcase Work Samples
Clients easily get bored looking through pages and page of websites, looking at different work samples and trying to choose the best one. Don’t just have a boring portfolio of your work, like everyone else has. You want to stand out! Vine can help you do this. Create an animated work sample on Vine as a quick and efficient fix to advertising to a large audience.
Grab Your Customer’s Attention
Vine’s short videos can allow you to give your followers and current customers a sneak peek at what’s to come. It’s a great way to reward your current customers, as well as drawing in new ones. Making short Vine videos can also create suspense, so your followers will want to keep checking back in to see what’s new.
Interact with Your Customers
Show Them Around
Vine is an innovative way to show your customers fun facts and behind-the-scenes peeks into your business’ inner operations. Unlike a long YouTube video, which might pressure you into having to give long explanations and drawn our tours, tour Vines can give you a quick way to show off key, interesting parts of your business. Maybe showcase a cool new product that you’ve been working on, or let your customers quickly meet some of your staff members.
Show Potential Results
Businesses such as construction companies, hairdressers, and designers might want to showcase their results of satisfied customers, to attract new customers. Using Vine will allow you to show potential customers before and after pictures of past projects, therefore letting them know that they’ll see good results.
Plan Events and Send Invitations
Short, suspense-building Vines can help you get the word out about any upcoming events you might be planning or hosting. It will help grab people’s interest, making your event more popular. You also might want to send out cute invitations by posting personalized Vines, or advertise the event’s promotions.
PR and Networking
Vine is an easy way to network with your community and your clients. By posting behind-the-scenes video, you are making your business more personable. By posting videos of your current products, you are showing your clients that you are keeping up with modern technology to showcase your products in the best light.
Reach Out and Bring Followers to Events
You can post Vines to easily attract people to your trade shows and conferences. Utilizing Vine’s hashtags to promote your conference or other event might also help spread the word.
Draw in Customers
Vine can be an amazing business tool, but there are a few things to keep in mind before you start using it!
It’s a One-Shot Deal
Once you hit “Record,” you won’t be able to edit the video, so make sure that you think about what you want to post before you post it. Additionally, make sure that you know that you have to record with Vine—you can’t just upload a video that you already made. So make sure that you have a plan before you start!
Factor in Other Details
To have the best outcome with advertising your business through Vine, you’ll want to have a high-quality and clear video. So, make sure that you have the right lighting, and are holding your phone or webcam steadily. You can easily do this by planning out your location beforehand, and maybe placing your phone down on a steady surface to keep it from wobbling.
Decide About Sound
If you want a more professional video, you might decide that you don’t want any sound in the background. However, even if you don’t want sound, when you record a Vine there will be sound in the background. So, make sure that you find a very quiet location, and check for background noise before you begin filming! Conversely, if you do want sound in your video, to make it more high quality you might want to buy a specific microphone for your phone.
Using Vine on a Global Scale
Vine will help your business reach a global audience, and reach a wider variety of people. Vine is an innovative way to engage and interact with your audience. Vine’s short videos are fun and quick to watch, which draws and keeps customers’ attention.
Businesses are getting great results by using Vine, and their products and services are being promoted to large audiences. Vine is a free way to get your business out there, and draw in more clients.
Vine may seem intimidating if you’re not very familiar with social media. Here is a quick 5 step guide to using Vine:
1. Download the Vine app on your smart phone or tablet.
2. Sign up for Vine—it’s a quick process and you can create an account with either Twitter or your email. You can also connect your account to Facebook.
3. Look at the top right corner of the screen, and click the “People” icon to find other people to follow on Vine. (You can also do this by clicking the “Find People’ option under the “Friends” menu in your settings).
4. Click the camera icon to start recording your vines. Tapping your finger on the screen will start recording, and releasing it will stop recording.
5. When you’re done recording, click “Continue” to share your video on Vine and other social media sites like Twitter and Facebook!
You can promote your business by creating fun videos and messages for your clients. This will help you to engage 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.