Twitter’s micro-video application offers a popular way to share short videos.

What is Vine?

A little more than a year old, Vine is a spinoff of parent company Twitter. It is a micro-video application that allows users to record and upload short videos of six seconds each. The short length makes for smaller file sizes and easy sharing on social media and mobile. It was rated the fastest-growing app of 2013 with a growth rate of 403 percent.

Who is the audience?

At last count, Vine reported more than 40 million users, and that number is growing. Because of its visual nature, the site has attracted creative types as posters—the most popular Vines so far have been from musicians—but anyone can follow feeds as a consumer. According to early data, the majority of Vine users are young adults and most users are American.

Why do I need it?

Stats showed that, in 2013, audiences were four times more likely to see a branded Vine video than other videos online. Already, there are five vines tweeted every second. As the popularity of this app grows, it will offer increasing reach for your videos.

What to post?

Creativity and brevity are key. Graphics and time-lapse video help condense a brand’s message into a strong visual story. With the help of a photographer or graphic designer, plus a little innovative thinking, businesses can take advantage of this snapshot (or snap-video) method of marketing.