We'll make this one fairly short and sweet, folks, because well, that's what it is. Yesterday, Twitter announced the launch of its new, integrated mobile video app called Vine. The GIF-like app, which was acquired by Twitter in October 2012, enables mobile users to capture and share short videos of six seconds or fewer, which complements the brevity of 140-character tweets quite nicely. Why is it GIF-like, you ask? Because these short videos play on a loop, just like an animated GIF does.

According to the Vine blog ...

"Posts on Vine are about abbreviation -- the shortened form of something larger. They're little windows into the people, settings, ideas and objects that make up your life. They're quirky, and we think that's part of what makes them so special."

While the app is currently only available on the iPhone and iPod touch, and free to download in the App Store, Twitter says it's working to make it available for other platforms, so be on the lookout. Users don't need a Twitter account to use Vine, and despite Mashable's report that its videos weren't getting shared to Facebook, the app claims it supports sharing Vine videos to both Twitter and Facebook, with more social networks "coming soon."

How Marketers Are Using Vine

While it's only been a day since the launch of Vine, we've already seen marketers start testing it out for themselves in creative ways, courtesy of Mashable. Check out what a few companies have already created and shared:

We made a @vineapp Vine video of Red Vines. #Vineception vine.co/v/b5D7vzrz6OY

— Red Vines (@RedVines) January 25, 2013

The most important Vine you'll ever see. #uodogs vine.co/v/b5HEYV0IQPJ

— Urban Outfitters (@UrbanOutfitters) January 24, 2013

Callum Reilly sat down to talk to @blues_tv earlier. Look out for the full feature. #BCFC vine.co/v/b5FhmD0mgUU

— Birmingham City FC (@BcfcDotCom) January 25, 2013

When you eat @moose_tracks, The Moose is proud. #vine vine.co/v/b5UjnWzD6iz

— Moose Tracks(@Moose_Tracks) January 25, 2013

How Vine Is Making Video Content More Accessible to Marketers

The first thing I can't help but think about is how this app plays into the whole visual content trend we're seeing more and more of, particularly in social media. To me, the app seems like a fusion of video content and static visual content like images.

And because of its ease of use, I also see it as a more accessible way for marketers to leverage creative video content. While marketers have long had video sharing services like YouTube that enable them to easily share videos in social media, the mobile, on-the-go nature of Vine seems to encourage more quick and dirty video creation and sharing that is less concerned with production quality, and more about the content itself. Vine's 6-second time limit also capitalizes on users' short attention spans, considering that about 20% of viewers will abandon your videos after just 10 seconds, according to Visible Measures.

Some Ideas for Creating Vine Videos for Marketing

Intrigued by the possibilities of using Vine for marketing? Let's get the creative juices flowing, marketers. Here are some quick ideas we've come up with for using Vine videos in your social media marketing ...

• Sneak peeks to promote an upcoming event or webinar (e.g. speaker clips)
• Short, funny clips to showcase the personality behind your brand (a la Moose Tracks)
• Quick, bite-sized product demos
• Clips showing off awesome new gear/swag/products in action
• "Behind the scenes" looks at your office to show your company's culture and the people behind your brand
• Quick highlight reels
• Short features of customers enjoying your product/services
• Clips highlighting PR initiatives, like employees doing charity work or award acceptance speeches
• Brief announcements from your executives about product feature launches

What other ideas do you have for experimenting with Vine videos for social media marketing? What do you think the appeal of Vine is over other video sharing services like, say, YouTube?

Image Credit: Tobyotter