Short-form video is an invaluable tool in the marketers kit. With the incredible popularity of Vine and Instagram videos as of late, the savvy marketers amongst you will no doubt have picked up on it’s plethora of opportunities and potential reach, with studies showing that 40% of the top 1000 most shared Instagram videos for last month were brand led.
In fact, Instagram's 15 second videos are creating twice the engagement that images do and not only are users watching but they are also sharing and embedding them. The downside of all this of course is that getting your content seen is even more of a challenge. Greater popularity = Greater competition meaning your video has to be even better than it’s multitude of competitors. But never fear! Here are some top tips to make your video the cream of the corporate crop.
1.) Tell a Story: Real Time is all well and good, but giving your story some context can make it even more engaging to the viewer. What do you want your video to say? Using it as a storytelling arc may mean more time prepping and planning - thinking about storyboards, angles, and what it is you are trying to achieve. This extra effort could, however, serve in making your video more memorable and aid it’s longevity.
2.) Listen!: Instagram & Vine are pretty much entirely mobile-based applications, so the sound quality can sometimes be hit-and-miss. Be sure to place yourself at a close enough distance to your object so that you can clearly capture what it is you want your audience to hear. It might even be worth using a microphone to get the crispest audio possible, especially when in a noisy environment.
3.) Have Some Fun: Never be afraid to show some personality in your content. Above all, Instagram and Vine are social platforms - people are waaay more likely to follow you for likeability over professionalism. Make sure you build relationships with your audience and maintain a strong sense of character throughout your videos. Having a personality can engage viewers and help cement good customer relationships.
4.) Use a Great Thumbnail: First impressions DO count! The thumbnail is the first thing viewers will see and has to encourage them to click through to the actual content, so it’s worth making them as appealing as possible. Pick one that could stand alone as a picture, but also teases the viewer into watching the whole video.
5.) Hold Steady: Mobile phone footage is the worst culprit when it comes to shaky, jerky shots. Stop moving and set the phone down on or against a steady surface, or better still, mount it on a tripod. If you absolutely must be holding the camera, consider keeping the focus object stationary in the shot whilst you move with them, it will help create smoother transitions and stop the overall footage from being too disjointed.
6.) Experiment with Angles: Unless you're doing a stop-motion piece, try and vary the perspectives of your shots as much as possible.Experiment with close-ups, wide shots, big reveals...just doing something as seemingly simple of this could make your video more interesting as well as provide you with some excellent practice.
Madeleine Hammond is a marketing executive at Skeleton Productions - one of the UK's leading video production companies.
Mobile app Vine has taken the video world by storm. Available to iOS and - as of two months ago - Android phones and tablets, more and more people now have access to the snapshot videos. WIth such massive potential reach at stake, it was only a matter of time before brands jumped on the Vine bandwagon. Just as Twitter restricts you to 140 characters, Vine only allows for up to 6 seconds of video, forcing brands to get creative in the way they streamline information. So here are just some of the brands who are totally winning at this Vine thing…
1. French ConnectionStop motion art is a popular format on Vine. So, in a collaboration with photographer Meagan Cignoli, fashion brand French Connection set out to exploit this trend with a series of shareable, summer-themed stop motion videos. In this particular Vine, we see FCUK’s latest collection packed up into a suitcase.
https://vine.co/v/bFPQhPexlDz
2. WiredComputer magazine Wired have frequently expressed their love for the video app. They put this love into practice earlier this year, getting staff to upload original & creative content. These ranged from a recount of the most loved Star Wars moments to - as shown below - comedian Fred Armisen receiving a tour of the Wired office from a tiny robot.
https://vine.co/v/b67VzXeH7wX
3. Urban OutfittersAnother fashion brand next. Urban Outfitters have long been pioneers in creative Vine content amongst fashionistas, using it to promote in-store events, sales and generally just the brand itself. Whilst the video below is not strictly apparel-related, the unexpectedness, entertainment factor and general absurdity makes it completely share-worthy and gets people talking about UO.
https://vine.co/v/bnrPdjDJln6
4. Brit AwardsA great example of using Vine to build momentum to an event. The Brit Awards for their 2013 ceremony released this Vine with teasing preview snippets and backstage footage. Throughout the night, the account continued to post videos of the ceremony from the audience, giving a sense of what it was like to be there.
https://vine.co/v/b6XWE7Buq7t
5. General ElectricThe US conglomerate corporation General Electric are perhaps a more surprising brand to have got all creative with Vine. In attempts to showcase the company as a forward-thinking, innovative and science-based company, the brand released a series of'six second science' Vines which proved incredible engaging and popular.
https://vine.co/v/bDY9O7xTllv
Special thanks to Madeleine Hammond, a Marketing Executive at Skeleton Productions, a UK based corporate video production company.
