There's a new video sharing platform in town - Instagram announces video and marketers must choose which app is best for digital content.

Instagram took the video marketing world by storm when it announced that it now allows users to create 15-second clips on the social sharing platform, seemingly upstaging Vine’s 6-second recording capabilities. Now, marketers must choose between the two as they plan their digital content strategies – will they keep it short and sweet with Vine’s micro-clips or take advantage of those extra 9 seconds on Instagram?

Some things to consider:

  •  Instagram has 130 million users
  • Vine has 13 million users on the iOS platform alone, since it launched as a free app in January 2013, and just became available on Android
  •  Content shared on Instagram receives 1 billion Likes every day
  •  Vine recently surpassed Instagram for Twitter mentions
  • Vine loops videos
  • Instagram offers special filters for videos (which are mostly named after streets and towns, according to All Things D.)

Despite the slight differences, time might be the ultimate divider, according to a recent Nielsen report. After researching individuals’ attention and emotional responses to video clips, the study found the 10-20 second range is the sweet spot for ultimate viewer engagement.

Still, it’s best that marketers pursue the channels that support their content marketing strategies and appeal to target audiences.

Lauren Kaye is a Marketing Editor at Brafton Inc. She studied creative and technical writing at Virginia Tech before pursuing the digital frontier and finding content marketing was the best place to put her passions to work. Lauren also writes creative short fiction, hikes in New England and appreciates a good book recommendation.