5 Ways to Use Vine to Market Your Small Business

These days, marketers and small business owners are challenged to keep up with a multitude of social media sites. Not only must they sign up for accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and FourSquare, they mustalso keep up with those accounts on a regular basis. At some point, a business owner must look at each of these social media sites and choose the ones that are most likely to reach the target demographic of his or her business.

A new social media site has entered the scene, catching on quickly with creative types who want to express themselves, as well as social media users who want to be entertained in short clips. Owned by Twitter, Vine is still a newbie to the social media field, but it already boasts 40 million users. Those aren’t necessarily active users, but millions of “Vines” are linked on Twitter each day. With Instagram rolling out its own video-sharing service, Vine faces stiff competition, but Vine’s unique easy-to-use interface makes it ideal for busy small business owners.

How can sharing six-second videos with the masses help you promote your small business? Here are a few ways you can reach out to Vine’s spirited user base to promote what your business is offering.

Promote Products

National retailer J.C. Penney recently posted a Vine campaign promoting its “First Day Look” for back to school. The company finds unique ways to reach out to its customer base through fun videos while also displaying its latest products.

Show the People

Many companies use Vine to take customers behind the scenes, showcasing company culture. Gap lets customers see inside company parties, but you don’t have to have a party to introduce customers to your staff.

Demonstrate DIY Projects

While six seconds isn’t long to teach someone how to build a house, small jobs like re-tiling a bathroom or installing a toilet can be demonstrated in six seconds. As with other social media sites, Vine is a great way to show customers how great your work is and get your name out there.

Go Viral

On Vine, when a video connects with large numbers of people, it joins the “Popular Now” section of the app. The site also distinguishes videos that are “On the Rise.” Browse the videos on these lists and note that many are creative videos designed to make people laugh or connect with people through their relatability.

Have Fun

If there’s one thing that’s clear when browsing through Vine videos, it’s that people are there to have fun. Inject your videos with humor and lightheartedness and your customers will respond.

Vine is a unique social media tool that’s both easy to use and entertaining to view. All you need to get started promoting your business on Vine is a smartphone with an app and the creativity to come up with fun six-second videos. Add in a little creativity and you’ll be building your audience in no time.