We love options. Paper or plastic? Chicken or beef? How would you like that cooked? Decaf or regular? In a world filled with so many wonderful possibilities and alternatives of those possibilities, it’s hard to not find a suitable option. (Unless you’re really, really picky.)
And guess what? Our social media choices just got a little bit more varied. If you haven’t heard, Instagram (owned by Facebook) just added a video feature capable of recording up to 15 seconds. Instagram is now a direct competitor of Vine (owned by Twitter)—the first video sharing site (which only allows for 6 seconds of recording time).
What does this mean? Why should you care? You shouldn’t really. You should pick one that suits your company’s marketing needs and dive in. But first, you should know your options.
Delve into both, examine, and then make a choice. When you distract yourself worrying about which one is more popular on a day-to-day basis, you waste time (and miss the whole point). And the point is to get involved.
Our best advice? Use the platform that best allows you to tell your story how you want to tell it. If you don’t have as much to say, use Vine (six seconds). If you’re having trouble cutting down your message and need a little extra breathing room, use Instagram. If you want to start with a platform that already has an existing user base, Instagram has a user group of 130 million.
If you’re feeling ambitious, check out both. See what works, what yields better, more interesting marketing materials and go from there. And if you’re having trouble brainstorming potential marketing uses for these brief videos, we’ve compiled a list to get the ball rolling:
Show off your company culture
Any company outings coming up? Shoot a video of your worker bees having fun.
Headshots of new employees
Have them make funny faces, do a little dance or walk like super models—however you’d like to introduce your new team members, get creative.
Show your process
How do your materials or services get made? Give potential customers a brief rundown of your operation. It will make them feel more knowledgeable of the service they’re paying good money for.
Demo an easy how-to
Have a simple problem that multiple customers are having? Show them how to solve it. Speak in simple terms and avoid buzzwords and jargon.
Be crazy
Vine and Instagram Video are just one more outlet for your company to show off its culture. Get a group of your most creative team members and see what they come up with.
The sky is the limit. (Well, actually 15 seconds is the limit). But you’d be surprised at how creative some people have gotten with these new channels. Google “Vine Marketing videos” (or “Instagram”) and get inspired by other’s creativity.
No matter which platform you decide, pick one, stick to it, find their value and go forth.
