Content marketing is getting shorter than ever. Explainer videos at 90-120 seconds were last week’s craze. Now it’s the 6-second video. Twitter’s 140 character limit wasn’t enough. Now they’ve launched Vine, a mobile app which allows you to record six second videos which can then be posted to Twitter or Facebook. If it was difficult to present a value proposition in 2 minutes, getting it down to 6 seconds can be downright tricky. The question is whether you should try and if so, what should you be aiming for?
First, let’s review the basics. Buyers are looking for quality products and services offered by companies that are reputable and trustworthy. No one can tell a company story and convey all the features and benefits into a 6-second video. That’s why content-rich blogs, pod casts and videos are king. They tell the story and generate the Google search results that drive new business. If rich content is your cake, the 6-second video is the icing on top.
Do you need the icing? Yes. Here are several reasons why you should create 6-second videos:
- It’s incredibly popular: In 6 months, Vine has grown to over 13 million users (which prompted Instagram to get into the game). Tweets with Vine attachments get 6-8x the level of engagement than those without. You’re competitors are doing it, why not you?
- Great for promotion: Got a new product or service? Create a quick 6-second video to let everyone know. Seeing it is the first step to buying it. Videos create excitement and interest around new products.
- Forces you to focus: The visuals, sound and text convey the message in a clear, simple and compelling way. The short-story format enables you to reach busy consumers with a compelling, creative story with visual content that awakens interest.
- Showcases your personality: Your video, done properly, showcase who you are as a business. A humorous skit or a direct message from the CEO exposes you to your audience.
- Could go viral: Over 70% of internet users watch video online. Interesting and humorous videos get shared most. One great 6-second video can be seen by millions.
- Increase brand recognition: The picture, sound and text combined increase retention up to 50% more than text alone. If you want to be remembered, create a great video.
- Small investment, long shelf-life: The cost of the video is small compared to the payoff. Your video can be watched over and over again by new prospects, and can be viral more than once in its lifetime. It’s not uncommon to see a Facebook video passed around that was created 2 years ago.
In summary, 6-second videos are a great way to engage your audience with new product and service introductions, convey your value proposition, showcase your identity and share your message – not to mention increase followers of your brand and increase sales.
– Video Caddy
