How to Brand Your Business on Vine or Instagram

Have you ever heard about Vine or Instagram? If you are a social media user, you probably have. They are visual social media platforms that offer a unique experience for the user. Instagram appeared as a stand-alone network, but Facebook soon purchased it, and Vine is the property of Twitter. It’s funny to see two of the largest S.M. companies battling it out with these adorable little networks.

Instagram offers still photography and video capabilities, while Vine focuses only on videos. The first has been around for quite some time now, and its working mechanism is straightforward: you snap a photo with your phone, add some vintage effects, and share it online. You can also sync your Facebook profile and double the feed. On the other hand, vine makes it possible to shoot and edit six-second videos (or longer) quickly. Considering that they are the baby platforms of Twitter and Facebook, it is safe to say that they have received large amounts of traffic from them (because they can be used in conjunction with those accounts). For the user, all of these things sound pretty fun. Also, blogs like http://guestpostshop.com/blog have mentioned the importance of building an online community.

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How can Instagram and Vine Help Your Business?

For most people, it’s not just fun and games. Some are trying to make a living online, so they are constantly exploring new and exciting channels from which to profit. Vine and Instagram hold great potential because they currently exploit the most popular type of content: video. According to recent studies, internet users are more likely to click a video or an image than a written article.

There is also much talk about the rivalry between Vine and Instagram (as it turns out, Instagram implemented the video features after Vine started to gain more popularity). But the problem isn’t which platform is better; the problem is what you can do to promote your business or website with them. At the moment, nobody has reported any success story regarding Vine or Instagram marketing, but we don’t believe this is the networks’ fault. In most cases, this is due to poor utilization of available features. Here’s how you should use each of these platforms.

1. How and When You Should Use Vine

The first time I logged on to Vine, I was intrigued. What struck me most was the simplicity of the concept: you get six seconds to send a message. So it has to be a powerful one. As a user, you are creating GIFS. Have you ever worked with GIFs before? They are commonly used to generate excitement or to explain certain terms. They are also great for uniquely showcasing products.

Since you only benefit from six seconds of video time, you will want to flash the most important features of your products (if this is what you are trying to promote). Ensure you show enough so people want to learn more (translation: don’t show everything). If you are trying to use Vine for business, the main goal is to create curiosity. For example, you can give a short preview of an upcoming event, just enough to make them want more. Alternatively, you can make videos of work bloopers or teasers of your next products.

Last but not least, you can make a series of how-to videos to help your customers understand the inner workings of your products. Make sure you capture all the information needed in the six given seconds.

2. How to Use Instagram for Business

I’m not an expert in business management, but I can tell you that Instagram is a tool for branding, not necessarily selling. Before its video features, you could share only images. Nevertheless, the vintage effects included in the photo editor made everything look good. The idea is to showcase interesting and funny things your customers might like. This can consist of behind-the-scenes peeks, mistakes you made, images of your upcoming products, etc. By sharing these photos, you can get closer to your target audience. But enough about ideas, we are more interested in the video features.

At the moment, Instagram has become the latest sensation because it offers 15 seconds of sharable video. This is more than double the time on Vine, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better. There is a saying that strong essences are kept in small bottles. As you might have guessed, you can add Instagram effects to the videos to make them look better.

Fifteen seconds means much more than Vine, meaning your videos can be more informative. If you showcase a product, you have more time to discuss it or highlight its features. For example, if you own a technology company, you might find Instagram more useful than Vine because it allows you to talk more about difficult-to-describe objects. Alternatively, if you are selling clothes or jewelry, you might want shorter videos. As we mentioned before, it’s all up to you.

Another great solution would be to create a serious video with a theme describing your brand’s personality. Be spontaneous, and don’t be afraid to show your “human side.” Business branding is about getting closer, so don’t feel embarrassed to show your bloopers or funny moments.