— Nathan Isaacs (@sevengmedia) March 5, 2013
One relatively easy and cheap way to add video to your marketing mix while on the go is by using Twitter’s new Vine app.
Released in January, the app is currently only available for the iPhone and iPad, but I am sure it will be extended to other platforms in the near term.
Dom Hofmann, Vine co-founder/GM, said posts on Vine are about abbreviation. “They’re little windows into the people, settings, ideas and objects that make up your life,” Hofmann said while announcing the Twitter partnership. “They’re quirky, and we think that’s part of what makes them so special.”
The gist of the app is that it allows you to create a six-second video using your mobile device and then post that video to the Vine stream, as well as to your Twitter and Facebook profiles.
Already some major brands – including as Gap and GE – are using the platform to share short branded video messages. Also posted to the platforms have been resumes, jokes, porn and plenty of crap.
Here are a few tips on how to create Vine videos for Twitter and without your videos being crap.
First, this is a mobile application and you have to download it to your iOS platform.
You then have to link the app to your Twitter account. All that takes about 3 minutes, more or less.
You can then take advantage of the quick tutorial in the app on how to shoot, post and share your first Vine video.
Simple right? Only if you are content to making crap.
Currently, there is no option for editing the video after you have shot it. There also isn’t a back office application to work on this on a desktop computer (with big monitors that help you spot mistakes). You also can’t shoot several takes and then take the best one (yet). You also can’t insert video or pics from other sources into the video (yet).
What this means is that planning is going to be critical to your success. In filmmaking, there is a concept called “write to shoot, shoot to edit” and essentially that is what you will be doing with your vine videos. Sketch out a short storyboard of what you are trying to say and what images you can capture to convey that messaging.
Some things to consider are: What is the video’s goal? What is the story? Is there a call to action?
For example, I think a perfect fit for Vine videos would be real estate agents posting videos about new listings. An agent could capture images such as an exterior shot of the home, a slide or screenshot that shows MLS listing info, and a pic of the agent saying tweet for more info.
Another tip to consider for creating Vine videos for Twitter is to use a small tripod that fits the iPhone, or work with another person to hold the device.
Remember in your planning that the video is going to be running as a loop, so avoid things that may come across as distracting such as background noise or music.
How else can you use the videos? Create teaser behind-the-scenes videos for other video projects or special events. If you are selling goods, create product demo videos of the product in use. Enlist your Twitter or Facebook followers to create their own Vine videos using your products or services and run a competition for the best one (create a special hashtag for the competition).
As with any marketing effort – or for that matter, any business effort – go back and review what went right or wrong with the video’s production and promotion. Think about ways you may improve your messaging moving forward and then iterate and repeat. Just know that the videos you create tomorrow will more than likely be better than what you create today.
Hopefully, Twitter and Vine will continue to evolve the tool to give us more control of the videos we create. I would like to be able to edit videos in my editor, and I would like to import videos and other media into the Vine platform.
Other platform worth exploring is YouTube’s Capture app. I will write about that next week.
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