Should your brand be on Vine?
How do you know which social media platforms are best for your brand? As with most business decisions, it’s about weighing up the pros and cons.
First you need to pinpoint your market and understand which platforms they are using and why. It’s also helpful to identify which mediums will best sell your business – videos, photos or text. These will help you choose the right channels, but you’ll still need to consider the time needed to build and manage that profile.
In our new blog series, we take an in depth look at so-called “fringe” social platforms, with Vine the focus for this article. We explain what Vine is, who’s using it, and give you an idea whether it’s worth your while building a presence for your brand.
What is Vine?
Vine is a video sharing social platform run by Twitter that lets you create and share 6-second videos filmed on your smartphone. These short clips repeat on a loop and can be shared easily on Vine and other social channels, such as Twitter and Facebook.
Users can search by term or browse videos under categories such as Popular Now, Tending Hashtags and of course under the usual topics such as Animals, Sports, News, Comedy and more. Users can also follow other users – Vine’s most followed user has more than 12 million followers.
With only 6 seconds, it’s a challenge to create original and unique videos, but one that people rise to everyday. Viners are constantly inventing new ways to craft engaging content, with popular Vines going viral because they’re funny or tap into the unexpected.
It is available in iOS, Android and for Windows.
Are my customers using Vine?
There are about 40 million total users on Vine worldwide. User demographics are estimated at 57% women, with it being most popular among young people aged between 14 and 20. As it was acquired by Twitter early on, Vine has been cleverly integrated; Vines are easily shared and embed smoothly into Twitter streams. So, it stands to reason that Twitter followers seem most primed to consume Vines, as are young people.
Is it an effective use of my time?
Since launching in 2013, Vine has seen an influx of brand penetration and marketing efforts. As we live in a highly visual world and can digest information at a phenomenal rate, it’s little wonder why Vine’s short-form video sharing platform has been so successful for marketeers. We love a soundbite. Vines are easy to consume for our increasingly short attention spans, especially for the younger demographic it seems.
When taking on any new social platform, it’s important to consider whether you have the time needed to learn the platform (if required), create regular content, cross-promote through other channels and experiment with what works.
That said, video works. If this is where your target audience is engaging with brands online, it’s where you need to be.
What other fringe social channels should I be using?
As part of our latest blog series, we are examining several social media platforms beyond the mainstream networks. These include:
- Foursquare
- Tumblr
- Ello
- Tsu
- Snapchat
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In In the meantime, if you’re looking for advice on content marketing or for help in implementing an effective digital strategy, contact iFactory today on 07 3844 0577.
