Brands Cultivate New Social Video Strategies as Vine Wilts

Marketers are cultivating new social media video strategies following the announced demise of Vine, the video-sharing network known for its quirky six-second loops.

Twitter last week announced its intention to permanently shut down Vine, which the company purchased for a reported $30 million in 2012, viewing the short clips as an equivalent to its 140-character tweets. Twitter did not announce the actual shut-down date for Vine, enabling marketers to retill their video marketing strategies.

Cause of Vine’s Demise

Vine was once a preeminent video sharing network. Popular Vine creators, or Viners, drew millions of views and the attention of advertisers and marketers who commissioned Viners to create brand-oriented Vines. But Vine remained stagnant as fast-growing competitors like Instagram and Snapchat continually rolled out new products and pursued longer videos. Vine did extend its 6-second time limit earlier this year but the longer format never attracted much interest. It was probably too late and Twitter probably needs to focus its resources on its core tweet service which is also experiencing lack of user growth.

Twitter strived to put the best face possible on the demise. The website will remain online and users will be able to download their Vines, the Twitter/Vine team announced in a Medium post. “Nothing is happening to the apps, website or your Vines today,” it stated.

“Twitter should be wise to offer many options to them to do this. Otherwise, angry influencers stripped away of their favorite social platform could create a huge PR backlash for Twitter,” Florencia Lujani, head of influencer relations for J. Walter Thompson London told Digiday.

Seeking Vine Alternatives

Vine creators and influencers will migrate to other networks, mostly Instagram or Snapchat, but also possibly YouTube or Facebook.

Snapchat’s 10-second limit most resembles Vines. “Even with Instagram’s Stories component, there isn’t that sense of rawness and authenticity which Vine has on Instagram,” said Tim Armoo, co-founder of video influencer platform Fanbytes, told Digiday.

Debora Sweeney, CEO of MyCorporation, which provides online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, offers these tips for brands that posted on Vine.

Back up existing Vines. Twitter’s assurance, which mentions “today,” contains an expiration date. The coming months remain uncertain. Create your own Vine archive for your business.

Head to other networks. Reuse the clips on platforms like Facebook or Instagram. Re-establish a strategy for the types of video content you’d like to share on other sites. Promote your product, share how-to advice, and mark major company milestones.

Adjust your strategy to longer video formats. The 6-second Vine format may not be as well-received on other social media networks. Consider creating similar videos that deliver the same message, but in a longer format that entertains at least as well as your Vine video.

Consider real-time video. Consider posting video of live events or use Periscope to show an unedited video in real time to showcase a new product or service, provide a do-it-yourself demonstration, or provide a behind-the-scenes tour of your business.

Re-evaluate your video strategy. Pause to re-consider your strategy before rushing to fill the Vine gap and embrace the next shiny new video app.

Jeri Smith, CEO of advertising research consultancy Communicus, urges brands to think carefully about investing in new platforms. In his article in the Observer, he recommends asking:

• How will this platform help improve perceptions of our brand and purchase funnel?
• How will this platform amplify the impact of the dollars we’re investing in other media?
• Which platform/channel will we take time and money away from in order to develop custom content for this one?
• How much of the urge to explore this channel is simply fear of being left behind?

“By measuring the right things and focusing intensely on brand-building, companies can make massive gains,” Smith comments. “Until they do so, brands will continue to suffer and marketers will keep losing their jobs. In a post-Vine world, brands will save themselves not by having all the answers, but by asking the right questions in the first place.”

Bottom Line: The imminent death of the once-popular Vine highlights the fast-evolving nature of social media and influencer marketing.  The passing of the app is prompting marketers to pursue other video-sharing networks. Experts urge them to carefully measure the social media activities and ponder the potential benefits of other networks as they migrate to new video and social media strategies.