On October 27th 2016, Twitter announced Vine’s discontinuation. Vine, the quirky six-second video app that brought us now familiar-faces like Bat Dad and Thomas Sanders, is going the way of the dodo. Though Vine will remain an archive for the well-beloved videos it already hosts, no new videos or content will be added. In the wake of Twitter’s announcement, many marketers are scrambling – what networks should they be prioritizing for their vine influencer marketing strategy?
The Death Of Vine Influencer Marketing Is Not Unexpected
Vine isn’t the first social media platform to go belly-up, but it does serve as an important reminder for any brand that relies on social media for content creation and outreach. But first, it’s important to understand what led Vine to the tipping point and what, exactly, pushed it over the edge and into obsolescence.
Vine Influencer Marketing: Road So Far
Within moments of Twitter’s announcement, #ripvine was trending as a common epitaph among thousands venting their frustrations and disappointments. Like other platform users, some Vine content creators and Vine influencers unexpectedly found fame within the app, and many other brands followed suit, having hopped on the bandwagon when usage was high. Famous Viners are now looking to other avenues to share their content and to monetize on the brands they’ve built during the app’s three-year run, and many others are looking to revamp their content marketing strategies to prepare for similar losses in the future.
Many attribute Vine’s demise to other apps like Snapchat and Instagram, which video-sharing capabilities rival that of Vine. But with the future of Vine Influencer Marketing still up in the air, especially with rumors abound of Twitter looking for someone to potentially acquire the venture, Vine is not the first network to face cessation and it certainly won’t be the last.
Learning from the Past
When most people think of early social media, Myspace comes to mind. Myspace saw a significant decline in user traffic once Facebook opened registration to non-college users, but over a period of several years the platform managed to rebrand and garner a new user base. Since Vine is by no means the first social media platform to expire, it should act as a reminder to brands everywhere.
Social media platforms come and go, but they also evolve. Some platforms will lend themselves to a specific brand more than others, but it helps to pay attention to marketing trends, especially in the digital sphere. Platforms like Facebook have constantly evolved. Sites like MySpace have learned from past mistakes and rebranded. And other apps have merged to create better media outlets and modes of communication for more intuitive info-sharing. But what does this all mean for your marketing strategy?
Taking Account of your Content Collateral
Although Vine isn’t the first social media platform to shut down, it also isn’t the only one of its kind. Vine’s six-second gimmick allowed for the novelty of repetition – not only did Vine have a six-second video limit, but many videos relied on the loop feature as well. Though these features set Vine Influencer Marketing capabilities apart from other video content platforms, they were all that made Vine, well, Vine.
Instagram and Snapchat, on the other hand, broadened their range of video-capturing capabilities, utilized them in different ways, and found ways to monetize their platforms. Both allow users to create stories and share with others, and even Snapchat’s initial self-deleting feature has evolved. The ability to have a video “expire” is still there, but there are now options to save, screenshot and add on to Snapchat stories.
Instagram has evolved similarly. It allows users to add on to daily video stories that have the option to disappear upon viewing. Or, they can remain for a period of time.
The development history of these apps tells us that there are always other avenues to consider.
If you relied heavily on Vine for content outreach, there is no reason why you can’t find the same success on other apps, too.
Moving Forward
Most Vine influencer marketing will move to Instagram, Snapchat or even YouTube. But if you relied solely on Vine before, you may be faced with a daunting task. Rebuilding your entire fan or client base on a new platform can be crushing. This should be a lesson in branching out your branding and diversifying your audience across the social media landscape. When creating branded content on social media, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Platforms are constantly changing and evolving. There is always an outcry over talk of one company buying another or rumors of an app’s demise. These worries will always be there, and so will be opportunities to evolve.
An app changing hands can be a godsend or a death sentence. Talk persists about the futures and demises of platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Thus, finding different avenues for your branded content is essential. It can help you escape the potential of losing your entire audience overnight.
This applies to all platforms, so Vine’s demise can be a lesson to all of us.
No two social media platforms are alike, but they may not be as different as you think either. There is a lot of potential for crossover. It helps to keep your content and your brand securely on more than one platform at all times. Whether you used Vine or not, let this be a lesson to influencer marketers everywhere. No matter what your preferred platform is, the most important thing is to have a well-rounded, audience-focused marketing strategy. That way you can evolve and change, no matter the platform.
