This week at Propel, we’re celebrating our interns! Check out what Social Media Intern Maria has to say about the debate between mobile video apps…
Since the recent launch of Video on Instagram, the competition is heating up between video platforms for mobile, social media.
How does Instagram’s new video feature match up against apps like Vine?
The Competition:
- 72.40% of smartphone users have Facebook
- 27.10% of smartphone users have Twitter
- 35.5% of smartphone users have Instagram
- 10.7% of smartphone users have Vine
Now that Instagram has come out with a new video feature, people are starting to wonder what will happen with social media’s newest video app, called Vine. Instagram is linked with Facebook in order to easily share your artistic pictures and videos with friends. Vine, on the other hand, is owned by Twitter, giving users the ability to embed your videos into tweets. Instagram’s brand new feature is predicted to widen the gap between Facebook and Twitter, while also serving as Vine’s direct competitor.
There are many similarities and differences between the two apps. In order to evaluate which application is the right one for you, here is a list of the features for both:
Vine
- 6 second videos
- Embeds directly into Twitter
- Coming out with a “draft” feature where you can pause and save Vines, then come back to them later to finish them up
- 15 second videos
- Can delete content as necessary
- Can add a filter
- Improves video quality on iPhones
- Syncs with Facebook
Vine’s main target is younger (teen) audiences who love Twitter, or barely pay attention to their Facebook. It is also a better choice for companies who leverage Twitter for marketing. People like to follow companies to view promotions and other special offers they otherwise would not know about.
Instagram, however, occupies a completely different demographic. They mostly target people in their late 20’s to early 30’s, who have pets and/or children, or live a unique lifestyle. These are people who like to share their life experiences with others in a quick and efficient way.
The new Video for Instagram makes it easy to capture a special moment, and share it with all of your Facebook friends. There are also many younger users who love Instagram for the filters, and will probably continue to use it with the video feature because it adds an artistic flare that Vine does not offer.
Instagram videos can be linked in your tweets (just like photos), but they are not embedded the way Vine’s are. This makes it a little more difficult to open the videos, but it is just as difficult as a picture; so it’s unlikely to turn away many users as a dealbreaker.
Businesses and Viral Videos
Startups have many practical uses for using Vine. They are able to introduce a product in 6 seconds, show how a new product works, give people fast and fun facts about the company, receive user feedback, and show fans the company on a personal level. Vine seems like the perfect choice for a business which has a strong Twitter following. Video for Instagram is likely better suited for bigger or more glamorous companies, coffee shops, or boutiques, as well as for personal use.
Experiment with the two and comment with your feedback! Let us know what you think is better: Video for Instagram or Vine?
