Instagram is one of the most successful social media of 2020. It is expected to dethrone Facebook as the biggest social media platform shortly. The photo and video sharing platform currently has over 1 billion active monthly users, which is 1 out of every seven people worldwide. What’s even more intriguing to note is that, out of all the stories shared on Instagram, 1 out of every three is business-related.
Business with Insta
Instagram is a very business-friendly platform, which is evident by the fact that there are more than 25 million business pages on Instagram. Instagram also offers one of the best engagement due to which nearly 200 million users visit at least 1 business page daily. In short, if you want to grow your business, Instagram marketing is the right option.
Being an app which is applauded for constant updates and new features, Instagram introduced IGTV in June 2018. For those who are unaware of what it is, IGTV is a long-form video channel and a stand-alone app. Before moving to how you can use IGTV for business, we will try to be on the same page by ensuring we know the basic functionalities of the app.
What is IGTV?
- IGTV stands for Instagram TV.
- A long-form video channel to compensate for the 15-seconds story.
- Verified users can post as long as 1-hour post. Regular users can upload videos having a duration of more than 1 minute to 10 minutes on IGTV.
- You can play IGTV on both Instagram as well as on the app.
- The videos are vertical and full-screen.
Now that you know the basics of IGTV let’s move on to the specifics –
Instagram introduced IGTV to compete with rivals like Snapchat and Youtube. IGTV is also termed as the modern Television. At an age where television consumption has rapidly decreased among 40% of the millennials, IGTV has come out as contemporary Television.
Using IGTV for Marketing
Now let’s focus on how you can use IGTV for marketing.
- In terms of users, there are around 112 million Instagram users located in America; that’s nearly 33% of the total population of the United States. But you will be even surprised to know that the US contributes to just 11% of the users on Instagram. The rest 89% are from various countries around the globe. Brazil and India share the 2nd and 3rd spots, respectively, with 70 million and 69 million users.
- Now, this allows brands to have a larger audience, which is not just limited to their own country. The international audience enables the brands to have more substantial recognition and hence grow exponentially.
- According to YotPo, more than 30% of the Instagram users purchase products after spotting them on the picture-sharing platform. This is an essential upgrade for the social media app, from being an awareness platform to being one that can appeal to the customers.
- It’s a fact that videos are the most useful medium when it comes to marketing. They have the best influential rates, and nearly 80% of the people prefer watching a product video before buying it. This will allow brands to use their creativity and make videos that can appeal to viewers worldwide.
- It is noteworthy to note that your video should be relatable and relevant to your target customers. It has been reported by the Digital Marketing Institute that videos have a 90% conversion rate, so if you are planning to use IGTV videos for marketing, make sure to create such videos which can convert your viewers into buyers.
- One of the best digital marketing strategies to lure customers is to give them a feeling that they need the product. The most productive way to do this is by creating a story. IGTV gives you all the features to create a compelling story ad that can cement your brand on the social media platform.
- This is plausibly the best time to get into branded videos as it has shown a 60% growth monthly. So, why not use the tide to bring maximum profit.
- While it is true that IGTV is an excellent tool for video marketing, it is advised to use your existing content to get the hang of the video-sharing application. Moreover, IGTV comes with its own set of limitations, like no option to zoom or crop an uploaded video. Therefore, take your time to get familiar with it before experimenting.
- You must remember that you need to engage with your existing audience and create a base for your brand. Your videos should be able to resonate with your current audience and attract new ones to enhance your brand eventually.
- An essential quality of IGTV is that it can allow you to get exposure to new audiences through the discover option. Using the long-videos as a medium to engage and influence your audience is essential since, by 2021, 80% of all the traffic will consist of video as media.
The future of Instagram TV
Just two years old, the concept of IGTV is highly unpredictable, but it surely is the evolution of video marketing. Another significant thing to notice is the introduction of vertical videos, a trend which will rise higher in the coming days.
Most of the brands that have succeeded have done it because they evolved with the technology and tools around them. So if you have a plan of long-term growth for your brand, IGTV is an essential arsenal.
The concept of earning revenues through paid advertising is also one that you can target if you succeed in building a broader audience. Now, it will be a great time to get started with modern TV to reap the benefits of this tool, bound to evolve and expand in the future.
Conclusion
Video creation is an art that needs lots of practice and experimenting before you can find out your niche. The experimental part gets even more relevant when your target is to convert a viewer into a buyer. The use of social media for a business started with the Facebook ad template, and IGTV is now the future. So take the opportunity and expand your business, for this is a chance of a lifetime!
