In the past, Instagram may have gained a bit of a reputation for being a boring photo-sharing app where the majority of users pretended their lives were at lot better than they actually were. However, if you’ve been keeping up to date with the evolution of Instagram, you’ll probably know already that this photo sharing app is quickly becoming one of the most powerful tools for business marketing using video.
Instagram’s approach to video may be a little behind – there’s no option for live video and it’s not as quick to use as Snapchat – but, it’s still taking the marketing industry by storm, and for very good reason. Although Instagram only allows users to upload videos which last a matter of minutes, these short and to-the-point videos have proven to be a hugely effective marketing tool.
Today’s modern consumer is a very busy person, and they do not want to waste time watching lengthy videos, especially if there is a quicker way to get the message across. One of the best examples of Instagram videos is those used by make-up artists. Professional MUA’s and beauty bloggers quickly saw the benefits of using Instagram videos for marketing, making short and sweet tutorials which were sped up in order to fit into Instagram’s short video timeframe.
Instantly, this became a big hit with their followers, who were suddenly able to learn how to get a make-up look that takes 45 minutes to complete without having to watch a video which took that long. Instead, make-up enthusiasts can now scroll through Instagram and learn how to get the latest looks from their favorite MUA’s in under ten minute’s time.
This allows busy users to get the latest video updates from their favorite brands quickly and efficiently, whether they’re flicking through Instagram on their lunch break or during the morning commute.
Effective Instagram Videos
The most popular videos on Instagram tend to be the ones which tell a story or portray a series of steps on how to do something. Since videos will need to be sped up in order to ensure that the whole thing fits into Instagram’s given timeframe, this provides users with a quick way to stay up to date or learn something new.
Depending on the type of business which you run, you may be able to easily incorporate these types of videos into your Instagram feed. ‘How-to’ videos featuring the products that you sell, for example, can not only be a great way of grabbing the attention of your followers, but can also be a great advertisement method to help get more exposure for the product.
Connecting With Customers
As with other social media platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube, you can use Instagram video to better connect with your customers. As well as providing informational and educational content in the form of how-to video guides, for example, you can also use Instagram to keep your customers updated with what’s going on on the inside of your company.
Upload videos to Instagram when it comes to whatever it is that your brand is getting involved with. Along with this, you can also use Instagram to connect with your customers by finding out more about them via what they upload to the app. Although some of your followers may have private Instagram accounts, you may find that many will have their uploads available to the public.
Browsing through the types of things that your followers get excited about on Instagram can help you to get a better picture of your target audience and be better able to determine what to post in order to get their attention and generate interest.
Linking Networks Together
One of the best things about Instagram is that you can use links in the video or photo description. Because of this, it works well as a platform to use when sharing ‘snippets’ of longer videos or short descriptions of blog posts, live interviews, or other new updates on your other social media profiles or your business website.
For example, if you upload a video interview with a celebrity on your website, you can use Instagram to advertise it by uploading a preview of the clip and a link to the full-length movie for your users to follow. Not only does this mean that you will generate more traffic to your website, blog and other social media sites, it also helps to generate more interest in your content by leaving viewers wondering what else happens after they have seen the preview.