This month we have finally seen the closing of the video sharing app Vine, which has been looping six-second videos for four years. After its acquisition by Twitter in 2012, ahead of its launch, the platform became a hub of creativity, with a host of talented early-adopters taking to the web to create and exhibit their own short-form content. These Vine creators would become minor celebrities in their own right, showcasing comedy, dance, art and music, all in a tiny six-second window.
The video hosting service might be headed to the big data dump in the sky, but it has left behind a lasting legacy on creativity that marketers are continuing to evoke with their content. Here are three Vine-inspired tips for creating punchy video:
Quality Over Quantity
A strong message doesn’t need loads of airtime or to be chock-full of information. Amy Shaw, senior Digital PR Executive at Curated Digital, says: “The restriction on time meant that successful vines became really tight and the content was good. Vine proved the importance of a narrative arc. No matter how short the time frame, your content could have a huge impact if the story was strong enough.” A simple message and visual can snag the initial interest needed to inspire a click or search. Consumers don’t have an unlimited attention span; pique their interest and leave them wanting more.
Follow Your Audience
Before you can snag your demographic, you have to make sure you’re directing your efforts in the right place. Vine was a massive hit with millennials, on both the creator and viewer side, and the snappy, often comedic videos were exactly what the content-fatigued social media generation were looking for in terms of entertainment. Gemma Flinders, social media consultant, Receptional, notes: “Brands on Vine did not attempt to plug their products to us in the allocated six seconds. Instead, they created funny, engaging content to entice the user to like their brand. And as any marketing expert knows, getting a consumer to like your brand is a great start to ultimately selling to them.” It’s important then, to make sure you are targeting the optimum network of prospects on any one platform.
Adapt Your Form
Vine was a huge part of the movement showing that video content needed to do more than simply be shared. “People will eventually get bored if they are watching the same thing over and over again just in different ways.” Says Shaw. “It emphasises the importance of being consistently refreshing – whether length, format, or substance.” Adapting video for different platforms, by length, aesthetic and tone is a sure fire way of making sure your message has the right impact across the board. It also shows an invaluable understanding of your audience and command of your various channels.
Will you miss Vine? What were your favourite vines? Tell us at @Figaro_Digital