Social Media Video Marketing After Vine: What’s Next

Vine gave social media stars their fifteen minutes of fame in six-second looping video bites. By now, social media marketers are well aware that Vine’s own fifteen minutes of fame ended when Twitter recently announced that it was shutting down the Vine service. Brands who had developed Vine-specific campaigns were left wondering what to do next, and how they could move forward with social media video marketing.

Even before Vine, social media marketing was a fickle and transient business. The marketers and influencers who embraced Vine in its infancy reaped the benefits that go to early adopters. Marketers who joined the Vine parade after it hit stride got some of those benefits, but as with so many other aspects of social media, they discovered that the Vine phenomenon and the benefits it provided were short-lived. Those entities can take some comfort in the new alternative strategies for social media video marketing that have already begun to take root.

First, they can embrace other social media platforms that provide equal or better exposure for their short-loop video marketing campaigns. Vine distinguished itself with nonstop looping video streams that are not available on those other platforms, but all other features of Vine videos can be replicated on Youtube, Instagram, and every other major social network. Brands can re-attach themselves to those networks and reach their target consumers with social media video marketing campaigns that take advantage of the tools and techniques which those networks can offer. Marketers can even get a secondary benefit from the competition that Vine’s demise has created. Industry watchers expect the big social networks to offer more competitive pricing as they attempt to attract marketing and advertising spending that would have previously gone to Vine.

Second, marketers that rushed to Vine after the early adopters made Vine popular now have a second chance to distinguish themselves as leaders rather than followers. Vine’s disappearance has introduced a dislocation into the industry. The crowd might all rush to one or two replacements, but before any company makes that immediate jump, it will be better served by analyzing all of its options and formulating the social media video marketing campaign that is the best fit rather than jumping on the latest marketing bandwagon.

Third, even though Vine’s disappearance is forcing a quantum change in social media video marketing strategy, brands can smooth out the transition to new platforms with a smoother and more modulated approach. Existing Vine videos can form a foundation for any new strategy. Marketers can continue to push their products with existing videos as they move toward a new and more custom-fit social media video marketing campaign. This is one area where old and new strategies can be combined to create a seamless evolution.

Fourth, marketing managers need to understand that traditional marketing and advertising is trending toward independent influencers whose followers pay more attention to them than they do to the companies that market and advertise their products. This trend began long before Vine became popular. Marketers might be loath to cede control to independent third parties that might or might not be loyal to their products, but they also need to evolve as the marketing industry evolves to embrace social influencers. As the industry changes, this is an ideal time for marketers to consider adding a social influence component to their toolboxes.

The social media and content experts at Dapper Goat work with clients in all industry sectors to develop complete packages of social media marketing services, including strategies that will help them to move forward after Vine. Please contact us for more information on how we can help your company establish a new and improved marketing presence in the now Vine-free marketing world.