Think Vine Is Useless? Think Again

by Lily Bradic

When small businesses think about using Vine, the most common objection is that six seconds isn’t very long. And while that’s true, it’s also one of the best reasons to use it.

​Your customers are more likely to give you six seconds of their time than two minutes, or one minute, or even thirty seconds. But, if you waste those six seconds, they might not click on one of your videos again.

So, while it’s easy to get people to commit to watching a Vine, it still needs to be a good one. And it can be.

Comedian KC James has gathered over 4 million followers from posting 6-second skits on Vine.

The Weather Channel has used Vine for showing what goes on behind the scenes.    

PUMA has used it pretty extensively for the #ForeverFaster campaign:

And you can use it, too. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• If you can say something in a Tweet, you can probably communicate it using a Vine, too. Have an announcement? Update? Quick how-to tip? Try making a Vine video and share that on Twitter instead.
• Want to say sorry for your website being down, or that link to Kim Kardashian: Hollywood that you posted on your brand's Twitter account by mistake? (If it can happen to EPA's Office of Water, it can happen to you.) To acknowledge and apologize for a non-serious error that hasn't actually offended anybody, a cute, stop-motion Vine is a good way of saying "We're sorry, we screwed up" in a fun, friendly way that your audience might appreciate. It does depend on your audience, though — and you know them better than we do.
• Reveal new products. Why use a picture when you can use a video? 
• Entertain people. Business doesn't have to be serious 24/7, and if you're going to borrow six seconds of somebody's time, they'll love you for making them laugh.

Have any tips? Want to show us what your brand has been doing on Vine? Leave a comment to let us know!