One of the most overused-but-true lines in the world of marketing, be it social media or any other kind, is that words tell but stories sell. You have all heard that a million times at least, I know. But the reason any sort of saying like that turns into a cliche like that is that it's true. People connect with people because of the things that unite us, the things that we have in common and the way we discover those deep connections is most often through the power of a story.
Early in the days of Twitter, people wondered how on earth a story could be told in 140 characters or less. So Twitter was written off by many as just a teenager's playground. I mean – no one who's serious tries to communicate in 140 characters without looking really dumb with a bunch of abbreviations that make you look like you can't write in proper English! Just saying…
But as people started to use the service, it turned out that we all discovered that there was some real power in those 140 characters to stir emotions, to inform, and to connect and in the process, stories were told.
This is why I am SO excited about the standalone video app that Twitter released called Vine. In case you haven't heard, Twitter introduced a micro video blogging app called Vine. Users can create and upload 6-second video loops (and even splice short clips together) to share with their friends. Vine doesn't import any connections from your other platforms (like Twitter). This means that just like any other platform, you have got to put some time into searching out and connecting with other Vine users, not to mention making yourself attractive by putting some thought into creating your profile.
So How Can a 6-Second Video Build Your Brand?
1. Product Demos
So far, this is one of the most obvious ways that brands can use the power of 6-second videos. Is there something that makes sense to show your customers instead of describing with words? Turn it into a 6-second video (or a series of them).
2. Contests
Contests are one of the most popular social media tools in any brand manager's toolbox, right? So use this in your favor! Do some crowdsourcing and ask your followers to create their own favorite how-to video or advertisement on Vine.
3. Showcase Your Team
As I have mentioned for other picture and video platforms, this can be a fantastic place to show some behind the scenes footage from your company. Take a quick video in the employee break room. Snap a quick video of your cat playing with a laser pointer as you prepare for your next presentation. Show a before, in progress, and after of your next tradeshow setup. The possibilities for letting your customers see the “behind the scenes” of your company hard at work are endless.
How might you use Vine to launch your company's brand? I'd love to hear – leave me a message below!
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You're kidding right? 'Build your brand in 6-seconds or less'? No-one's brand is built in 6 seconds I don't care how clever your video is. This article is terrible misleading Kim. Vine is great. And a great tool to use to help build your brand, but it takes months and months of hard work and tens of thousands of dollars to build a brand.
I didn’t intend for anyone to take the title literally, Doug. Vine is a branding tool. One of many and yes, I agree that it takes time to build a brand.
Those good first impressions are critical, right?
Thanks Shilpi!
You are exactly right, John. Vine is simply another tool in our marketing/branding arsenal!
Great article, Kim! Glad to see you supporting it.
Sounds intriguing, Hunter!