How 5 Large Consumer and B2B Brands Are Using Vine

This post is from one of TopRank’s social media strategists, Emily Bacheller. As companies look for examples of using different social media platforms, I asked her to find examples of major brands using Vine. Here’s what she found:

There’s been considerable debate in the marketing community as to whether or not Vine is a valuable social marketing tool for B2B brands.  While the six second video app has proved its worth to B2C organizations, B2B brands have lagged behind in testing this video platform.

In this blog post, I hope to show that Vine videos have a number of useful applications for companies of all sizes that would like to diversify their content mix. The highly consumable and shareable nature of these short videos as well as the ability to embed them on any web page means that you don’t necessarily need a large following on Vine itself to get major exposure.

The five large B2B and consumer brands highlighted in this blog post demonstrate that Vine videos can be an engaging element of any marketer’s social media toolkit.

Philips – Share your Office Culture

Consumers are more likely to trust brands that are able to demonstrate their humanity. Similarly, B2B brands want to engage in partnerships with companies that are engaging, innovative and staffed by intelligent individuals. Organizations that are reputed to have a great office culture also find it easier to recruit and retain excellent employees.

There are major business benefits to having a healthy office culture and an exceptional staff. If your office is a great place to work, then you should let the world know.

Vine videos are a great way to give clients and customers a glimpse into the inner workings of your organization. Featuring your staff, office space or a staff event in a Vine video is a great way to show that your organization has soul.

Philips, the lighting and electronics giant, has created Vine videos that feature their staff and office building. These videos put a human face on an organization that might otherwise be too large or too technical to relate to.

Cisco – Showcase your Creativity

Creativity is an essential component of effective problem solving, project management, product creation and, of course, marketing. Creative thinking is necessary for distilling complex ideas, tackling entrenched problems and developing innovative solutions. Cisco, a networking services provider, recently developed a brand pillar called The Internet of Everything.

The philosophy is so brainy that they needed to employ some creative content specialists to help them convey their new philosophy to the masses. Cisco launched a blog and multi-channel social media campaign to explore concepts related to The Internet of Everything. The Vine below is one artists’ interpretation of The Internet of Everything. Although it’s abstract, content like this is eye-catching, interesting and helps establish Cisco as a creative thought leader in an innovative new field.

Adobe – Document Industry Events

Industry events provide a great opportunity for brands to engage in “real-time” social media marketing. Supplementing your blog posts, photos and tweets from industry events with Vine videos gives your employees and fans insight into the events and your brand’s role in the industry.

Adobe software is a prime example of a company that has spiced up their event coverage with Vine videos that highlight their keynote speakers, branded displays and product presentations.

Hewlett Packard – Promote Product Launches

Use Vine videos to create anticipation for a new product launch, unveil the product to the public or to promote a new product.

Hewlett Packard, the American information technology corporation, recently created a series of Vine videos promoting the new HP Officejet Pro X printer. The Vine series compares the speed of the printer to the fast pace of life in New York City, adding an element of regionalism to the campaign.

General Electric – The King of Consistent, Buzz worthy Content

In the marketing blogosphere, General Electric is consistently named one of the best branded users of Vine. This energy solutions provider proves that B2B businesses can leverage Vine just as well as any B2C brand.

General Electric keeps their fans engaged by uploading a new Vine video every week. They also create themes like “6 Second Science Inspiration” and share their fans’ best submissions as a way to reward participation and supplement their on-page content.

Brands that want to succeed on Vine can follow General Electric’s model of posting Vines regularly, following a theme or content plan and encouraging fan submissions.

From demonstrating the brand personality and culture to getting creative with company news and industry participation, these 5 major B2B and consumer brands have found ways to use just 6 seconds of video in powerful ways. One important thing to understand about Vine is that the experience for your audience is not limited to one 6 second video. Think about Vine as a TV channel with 6 second episodes. The impact you can make by connecting your string of short videos will be far more impactful than random videos about various topics.

Is your company using Vine? What are some tips you can share with our other readers?