By the time you finish reading this sentence there will be 5 videos uploaded to Vine. If you’re a slow reader and it’s taken about a minute to get this far there have been 8,333 videos uploaded on the 6-second video platform.
Not only are Vine videos relatively cheap and easy to make, they are 400 percent more likely to be shared than other forms of video content. If those numbers aren’t convincing enough to get you on board, the application grew by 239 percent in 2013 with teenagers 16 to 19 years. Vine is a place where you can make a difference with the next generation.
Simplicity – Once you log in to Vine you will notice it’s designed to be simple and easy to use. Creating a Vine simply requires pressing the record button in the upper corner, touching the screen to start and lifting your finger to stop. You can even upload an existing video into the application.
Looping – Vine videos loop automatically. The feature is so central to the user experience that it’s mentioned in the application’s description, “See and share beautiful looping videos.”
Integration with Twitter – Even if you don’t think Vine is a tool worth using it’s worth looking into because the short clips are the only video that will play on Twitter.
Share yourself
Take time to share your office, campus, staff or home so that your viewers can feel that they are getting to know you a little more through the short video. It doesn’t have to be professionally done, you can just jump in!
Stop Motion
Vine is built for stop-motion experimentation. Many of the most popular Vines use this technique to gain popularity including yours truly. Go to Vine.co/Cru to see what we do!
Build the Buzz
You can create a Vine tease to get followers excited about an upcoming event or product launch. Unlike commercials, Vine is an easy way to promote in real-time.
Try Trivia
People of all ages and backgrounds love a good trivia question. You can use the video to share information about your Summer Mission, campus or other ministries.
Celebrate Good Times
You know you like to celebrate holidays, even the weird ones. Make a dozen pies and show folks eating on Pi Day. Blow out birthday candles for Cru’s birthday or give a shout out to a camel on Wednesday.
Vine is more than just another application. The video app gives us innovative, surprisingly powerful ways to take advantage of the fact that visual content performs well on social media.
If you ask me, there are many reasons you should use Vine but chief among them are that students in high school and college are there – 9.2 million to be precise. It’s time to meet them where they are and start making videos.
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