8 Ways to Use 15 Second Videos to Connect With Your Customers

8 Ways to Use 15 Second Videos to Connect With Your Customers:from Social Media Examiner by Brian Honigman
Are you using video to connect with your audience?
Do you think 15 seconds is too short to convey your message?
Think again.
The rise of mobile users has brought new tools to help marketers connect with on-the-go consumers.
Viddy is one such tool.  It’s a relatively new social network centered on creating and sharing 15-second video clips.
Taking advantage of the rise in mobile use, Viddy is used mostly on smartphones and other mobile devices by its user base of 22 million people who create and interact with video content daily.
Since the network limits your video uploads to 15-second clips, it’s a similar experience to Twitter’s 140-character limit, ensuring your quality content is concise.

Why add Viddy to your business’s existing social media regimen?

• Video streaming has increased 93% via mobile phones from 2010 to 2011, according to Ooyala.
• Americans spend 2.7 hours a day socializing on mobile, according to Smart Insights.
• Viddy needs less maintenance as compared to other social networks like Twitter or Facebook.
• Fluid integration with Twitter, Facebook and YouTube help bolster your video content and presence on Viddy.
• There’s less competition on Viddy for getting your content seen as compared to Facebook, YouTube or Twitter because the social channel is still young.

Viddy gives your business the ability to tap into the mobile space with 15-second videos that you can upload, edit and share with your audience.

Businesses of all sizes can take advantage of what Viddy has to offer in the following eight ways.

#1: Share Your Events

Most companies host events to give potential customers an up-close view of what products or services they sell. It’s a powerful way to connect your audience to what you do best.
Using Viddy from your mobile phone or tablet can help entice viewers to attend if they’re nearby or participate even if they are far away.
Below, the clothing company Diane Von Furstenberg uses Viddy to showcase their company events and activities, which are extremely engaging for their avid supporters and fashion advocates.
Diane Von Furstenberg uses Viddy to highlight their fashion shows, charity events and parties to give an inside look to viewers. DVF planned these events in the past, but simply chose to incorporate a new level of engagement for them through the social and mobile web on Viddy.

DVF uploads a plethora of videos on Viddy, all showing a different side of the company's culture as a whole.

If you’re already spending the money for a company function, capture as much content and engagement from it as possible.

#2: Highlight Company Milestones

Every company has milestones they should celebrate and share, whether it’s the company’s fifth anniversary or the hiring of your hundredth employee. Audiences will be interested in your company’s culture if you build excitement around the occasion.
It’s important to share your success because it helps show how your company is progressing over time and lets your viewers in on your company culture. It’s engaging content that’s easy to capture on Viddy, especially since it’s already naturally happening.
General Electric was one of the first companies to post engaging content on Viddy. Their feed shows unique content that is best-suited for short video—quickly viewed and consumed.
GE is a company with a long history worth sharing. They often give their viewership on Viddy a glance at company milestones never before seen on a mobile device.

General Electric consistently uses Viddy to share company milestones and innovations behind the scenes. Look to share what's unique about your company to gain similar levels of engagement.

This Viddy below shows the GE Turboprop engine’s demo. It gives their audience a reminder that GE is on a constant path toward innovation.

#3: Share How-To’s and Quick Tips

The saying “content is king” is still true, even more so when it comes to engaging video content. Viddy allows businesses to share quick tips with their viewership at little cost and time commitment.
Whether you’re telling an audience how to wear a certain pair of jeans or how to connect with other businesses in the area, video is an extremely effective means of driving value. Once a potential customer gains value from your free content on Viddy, they’re more likely to take interest in your paid services.
Share how-to’s much like you would on YouTube or Facebook, just adapt them to the Viddy 15-second video format and include a strong call to action at the end.
“Project Runway” uses their Viddy account to introduce their cast, along with quick fashion tips. Share quick tips with your audience to help make your content on Viddy truly valuable.

#4: Drive Sales and Promotions

Promotions and sales are the driving force of many businesses, especially in regard to their online marketing channels like email. Use Viddy to let your viewers know about a particular in-store or online sale in a quick and engaging way.
Online video isn’t often thought of as the first place to announce a sale, but that only helps make your sale promoted on Viddy more memorable to those who see it.
Use the same Viddy in your email and social marketing channels to make use of your existing audiences and improve the promotion’s overall reach.

ShoeMint gives a Viddy-specific promo code at the end of every one of their videos. It's an excellent way to encourage follower growth and track use of this social network.

#5: Host Contests, Sweepstakes and Giveaways

According to a study on HubSpot, 70% of users follow social media to participate in contests or sweepstakes. Contests have proven successful on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social networks for driving branded engagement and growing a company’s social audience. Hosting a giveaway on Viddy can be just as effective.
A contest on Viddy is centered around users uploading a video on a particular topic. Set the theme of your sweepstakes and post your own Viddy or write a blog post. Offer an enticing prize to encourage entries.
The nature of Viddy’s short uploads makes it easy for contestants to contribute, as opposed to their contribution to a video contest on other social channels.
To accurately track entries to your promotion, instruct your audience to mention your account’s username or a hashtag to officially enter the contest.

Got 15 seconds? Then you have time to enter our Southwest-themed @Viddy contest! Here’s how to enter: cot.ag/A1TboJ #SWAViddy
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) January 13, 2012

Southwest Airlines’ incorporation of Twitter in their Viddy promotion was a vital way of increasing the visibility and engagement of their contest.
Southwest Airlines, also an early adopter of Viddy, held a contest for participants to win 2 free plane tickets if they uploaded Southwest-themed Viddys. They supported this contest on their blog and on Twitter with the #SWAViddy hashtag.
The Southwest Airlines Viddy promotion was successful in gaining the company an extensive following on the platform and high levels of participation.
It was a simple way to engage with their fans related to their business, while also growing their audience on Viddy with little cost to the organization.

Southwest Airlines' selection of Viddys range from contests to moments with company staff to content about the planes to culture and goals of the organization. Look to incorporate a diverse selection of videos on your Viddy account.

#6: Show a Glimpse Behind the Scenes

Giving your online audience a sneak peek into your company’s inner workings is one method of engaging with them more deeply than you would with text or images. The human element is an important way to give your audience a personal connection to your company.
Viddy gives your viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what makes your company tick. You’ve got quality content free in your workplace. Why not make use of it to extend your reach and make your company more relatable?
Ecko Unlimited uses their Viddy account to take their viewers behind the scenes—in this case, an up-close look at a photo shoot.

#7: Showcase Customer Testimonials

Testimonials are highly beneficial to businesses, but nothing’s more convincing than hearing the recommendation firsthand. Typically, testimonials are written in marketing case studies or wherever a company wishes to showcase them to future customers.
If your satisfied customers are willing, have them record their testimonials in a short video for you to share on Viddy. From here your small business can share your Viddy on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or your website to give further exposure to your positive PR.

#8: Innovate with Custom Filters

Viddy offers premium opportunities to businesses looking to take their presence on the social network to the next level. The partnership offers a custom production pack, which Viddy users can then add to their videos after they shoot them.
These production packs act as custom filters that help beautify and brand your videos to make them more meaningful and engaging.

SXSW chose to use a frame-like production pack for their latest interactive conference that helped brand Viddys taken at the event, looking similar to a postcard.

These premium partnerships come with a price tag, but offer a deeper level of engagement because they allow the Viddy community to alter content with a filter-like tool that’s branded for your business. This level of Viddy integration isn’t for every kind of business, but those who do take this route should plan carefully to make the most of this paid partnership.
What do you think? Are you using Viddy for your business? What value do you think it has for businesses of all sizes? Do you prefer another mobile video platform? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.

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