Vine: the Next Big Thing in Social Marketing?

Now that you’ve had time to establish your strategy and day-to-day routine for marketing with Pinterest and Instagram, don’t you think you’re overdue for a new weapon on your social utility belt? Ok, maybe you weren’t “dying” for one, but whether you like it or not, there’s a new player on the block.  Vine, owned by Twitter, is a mobile app that allows users to create 6-second videos, aesthetically similar to gifs.

While Vine was introduced with a great deal of buzz and excitement, it still has its share of critics and skeptics.  Recent articles, with ominous titles such as, “Introducing Vine: The Worst Thing Ever to Happen to Content Marketing?” and “Fruit of Twitter's Vine Could Be Rotten for Business,” have certainly scared off their fair share of marketers.

One of the common questions Vine faces from marketers is, “What am I supposed to do with a 6 second video?”  This reminds me of a few years back, when a strong segment of the population was sharing sentiments such as, “Twitter? What’s the point? No one cares what I had for breakfast today!” We all know how that went.

I’m not saying Vine will gain equal footing with Twitter and Facebook.  However, I do believe it is imprudent to immediately dismiss what could be a useful marketing tool due to a snap judgment or early “expert consensus.”  Like with most visually driven mediums, B2B marketers will have to think outside the box to create engaging, memorable content using Vine.

One of the best uses of Vine I’ve seen thus far from a B2B was HubSpot’s Vine chat with CMO Mike Volpe.  HubSpot’s Twitter followers could tweet questions at Volpe, who answered with video.  Not only did using Vine facilitate clear and concise, answers, but also it added novelty and excitement to what would have otherwise been a chat centered on a hashtag.

Note the words “clear” and “concise” in the last paragraph.  One thing you will not want to do when marketing with Vine is create “pointless” content.  While the 6-second video format does lend itself to more fun and creative pieces, they should still be associated with an end goal.  In addition, be sure your video either addresses your goal within those six seconds, or somehow points the viewer towards a more thorough solution.  Otherwise, your Vine account will be contributing to the  “deluge of crap” that I recently discussed.

Has your company begun experimenting with Vine yet? Can you think of any B2Bs that have found a creative way to use the app? Any and all examples (good or bad) are greatly appreciated!