The pervasiveness of social networking is pretty much a given by now and many companies have already set up Facebook and Twitter accounts to at least have a “presence” in this realm. But there’s no reason to stop there. Vine was a pioneer in video-sharing mobile apps, and Instagram has recently upped the ante by introducing their own video-sharing feature earlier this summer. Video is an incredibly effective marketing tool, so it makes good sense to utilize these free platforms to help show the world the great things your company is doing.

Here are five tips to help you make a brief but effective video on Vine or Instagram.

1)      Highlight something interesting

First and foremost, choose a subject that not only highlights a particular facet of your company but one that potential viewers are going to be interested in. This is the age of the abbreviated attention span, so even though the length limits on both of these applications are fairly short, that doesn’t let you off the hook when it comes to providing something that’s interesting and fun to watch.

2)     Brevity is enforced

As mentioned above, both of these apps have built in length limits—15 seconds for Instagram and 6 seconds for Vine – so this is not going to be an infomercial. You will probably need to lay out exactly what you are trying to get across and then start trimming. This isn’t really a bad thing—built in strictures will only help you get to your (selling) point as quickly as possible.

3)     Script it out

15 seconds isn’t exactly Lord of the Rings territory, but it is still wise to have a script or even a storyboard. Viewers today are sophisticated enough to recognize something thrown together on the fly. Take some extra time to map out, in sequence, what you want to film beforehand. These apps aren’t exactly editing wonders, so you will have to shoot every scene in order. And if things don’t turn out the way you want, you pretty much have to hit delete and start from the first frame again.

4)     Audio and lighting can be tricky

Audio and lighting are important things to keep in mind.  Make sure you have enough light so that viewers will be able to tell exactly what they are seeing. As for audio, the microphones on mobile devices pick up just about anything in the area, so you will have to be vigilant about ambient noise. Again, there are no sound editing features so it may take some time to get it right.

5)     Get creative

6 seconds really isn’t a lot of time, but with some patience and effort you can easily make an animated looping company logo. Watching letters fall together to spell your company’s name or having your logo magically appear at the bottom of a disappearing bowl of ice cream is something that people will remember far longer than just a static picture. The key is to get creative and make it a fun experience for the viewer.

Interested in more tips to improve your companies marketing efforts? Check out our free ebook, the Essential Guide to Internet Marketing.