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Streaming Media East: Branded Video Tips for Vine and Instagram

If short-form video isn't already a part of a company's social media marketing plan, it should be. That's what Streaming Media contributor Jose Castillo said in his Streaming Media East 2014 session "Instagram vs. Vine: Hands-on with Social Video Apps." The question isn't whether or not to use these apps, but rather, which one to use.

Instagram was born in October 2010, as a photography app, and acquired by Facebook in 2012 for $1 billion. It claims to have 200 million active users as of March 2014, and offers filters, tagging, geotagging, private messaging, social sharing, and the ability to create 15-second videos.

Vine, on the other hand, was born in June 2012, and acquired by Twitter in October of the same year. It officially launched in January 2013, and has 40 million registered users as of August 2013. It offers channels, tagging, a TV mode, geotagging, private messaging, and social sharing. The big difference between it and Instagram is that Vine's videos are only 6.5 seconds long.

Many big brands are already in the short social video business. Taco Bell unveiled its Cool Ranch Dorito Taco in a Vine video, Castillo said. Bristol Motor Speedway employs a person who does nothing but create Vine and Instagram videos to give fans behind-the-scenes access to the races.

Over at Grapestory, Gary Vaynerchuk enlisted Vine "rockstars" -- people with big followings and lots of hits -- to help brands create great social video. One of the Grapestory's biggest success stories was GE's Six Second Science Vines, which encouraged users to send in videos of short science experiments.

For those just starting to use social video, Castillo offered few general tips:

  • Pick one platform and do it well
  • Ask the audience create content for the brand
  • Use other people's content
  • Talk like a human

Despite the big numbers touted by these services, Vine and Instagram are much smaller, more intimate communities than sites like Twitter or Facebook. That makes it easier to break through the noise and reach consumers. Companies that use these tools well will stand out in the crowd.

Watch the full presentation below: 

 

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