I started this series of three blogs about ultra short form video marketing by talking about Instagram. You may find it odd that when I finally come to write about actually making a marketing video that I stick with Vine. But there is one very good reason for that. Both of these applications deal in ultra short form videos and the ideas, limitations and possibilities I will be discussing apply to both. Instagram gives you a bit more room to maneuverer with its 15 second run time, so you will find it easier to get more information across. But that means that videos on Vine are more demanding in their construction. So let’s take a look at what is possible and what you should consider when planning your Vine video.
What’s Possible In A Vine Video?
The first suggestion I would make to you is that comedy is possible in a Vine but drama, portraying a touching moment for example, will be much more difficult. Why? Because the pacing of an edit for a dramatic, sad, reflective moment needs to be slower than for comedy and we just don’t have the time. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible, just difficult.
[bctt tweet=”Vines contain a whole other level of creativity”]
Comedy, however, works very well. What you need to think about is a little bit of slapstick or a one liner. I find slapstick comedy to be tiresome but the beauty of a Vine video is that there is no time for your audience to tire of your video. A little bit of silliness can attract an audience and share a human moment of fun with your potential customers. Click here to view a nice little video from Doritos. A lovely little idea that features the product and is fun to watch. It’s even worth watching through several loops. It’s a great use of simple editing techniques to tell a funny little story, which leads me to my next point.
Effects. Because you can upload a video from a library you can make your video using any software you like. That means that the full range of effects and cutting tools are available. You want space aliens? You can have space aliens, as long as you have the film maker capable of creating the effects. Your video could be an ordinary street scene subtly altered to emphasize your product or it could have monsters in the background. Whatever works for your concept.
Animation. Your Vine video could be an animation. It could be a two dimensional traditional animation or it could all be CGI. Alternatively it could be made form paper cut outs in the style of Terry Gilliam or just be made to look as if it is paper cut outs but actually all be computer generated like South Park.
In fact the only limitation to what you can do with your Vine video is time. Your video has to be so short that in order for you to achieve your aim of driving recognition for your brand you will have to plan your video very carefully.
Five Things To Consider When Planning Your Vine
- Why will people want to watch my Vine?
- Why will people want to share my Vine?
- How will I feature my brand
- How will I feature my product
- Why will people want to follow my brand?
You can tell how much people want to watch your Vine by how many times they let it loop. Is it worth them having a second look? You have to have a concept that makes your Vine worth watching and worth looping. If viewers think it’s worth looping they may also think it is worth sharing and this is our chief aim. Our Vine should be drawing attention to our brand and product and driving contact with our more substantial information points. So if we can persuade users to share we will be doing just that… as long as we feature the brand. In the vine we saw above there was nothing to tell us the brand but the product featured prominently. If you look at the other videos on the Doritos Vine page you will notice the brand is usually very heavily featured alongside the product. This could appear pushy and boring but Doritos have taken the decision to crowd source their Vine production so instead of that boring corporate image you get fun, lively, vital videos that are watchable.
My final point about why people would want to follow your brand harks back to a point I find myself making over and over again. No video should stand alone as your only marketing. Your videos should be part of a coherent strategy and in terms of Vines this means a steady stream of videos that attract people and keep them coming back. Dedicated followers and sharers will lend your brand and product credibility that you cannot buy. If you give them something they want to watch and share regularly they will build your brand for you, and that rise in brand/product awareness is what Vine is all about as far as we as video marketers are concerned.
I hope you’ve found something useful in my blog today. As always feel free to comment and share your expertise and experience and I wish you all the best of luck.
