The landscape of social media is constantly evolving. With new social channels, platforms, and features popping up left and right, how do you know which ones are worth investing your money and effort into? There are a lot of factors to take into consideration before jumping on the bandwagon for a new social feature but if you’re already utilizing Instagram as part of your social strategy, it might be worth it to utilize Instagram TV as well. Here are just a few ways that IGTV could benefit your business.
Increased Visibility
You have a lot of competition when it comes to capturing the attention of your online audience. Having content on multiple platforms will increase your organizations reach and make it easier for you to be seen by your desired audience. The great thing about IGTV is that if you already have an Instagram account with followers, then you already have a base audience for your IGTV content.
Instagram recently launched a feature that allows you to post a clip of your IGTV video to your Instagram feed. If a viewer likes what they see, they can watch the rest of your video on IGTV. This is important because just like any social platform you’re working with the platform’s algorithm. If your followers are interacting with your video, then it’s more likely to show up in the discover section of other Instagram users. You’ll also want to utilize keywords and relevant hashtags in your description.
Candid Communication
While brands such as Redbull set a high bar for content, IGTV viewers do not share the same expectations IGTV as they do for YouTube. It has proven itself to be a much more casual platform for connecting with your audience. Most of us have become accustomed to Youtubers creating videos in well-lit rooms with strategically organized backgrounds. Creating videos for Instagram TV is as easy as hitting the record button on your phone camera. No extra lighting or studio space necessary.
Some argue that the lower expectations for IGTV give off the feel of a second-hand youtube. However, brands can use the more causal platform to their advantage. Recent scandals involving social media slips ups and data breaches have left people hesitant to trust large corporations and online marketing. This means transparency within an organization is more important than ever. IGTV gives you the opportunity to create casual content that helps your audience feel more connected with your brand.
Because IGTV has a more casual feel to it than Youtube or Facebook, this is a great place for content that you wouldn’t traditionally post on your other social media channels. It’s an avenue for brands to explore themes that they wouldn’t traditionally focus on. Some examples of this could include a behind the scenes video, office events, or contests. These kinds of videos are often too long to fit well into a 15 second Instagram story or 60-second story.
Early Adopters See Higher High ROI
Early adopters of a new platform are often the ones who benefit the most from it. We all witnessed Instagram’s rapid growth from March 2014 to June 2018 in which monthly active users grew from 200 million to one billion. IGTV may not be the primary platform for video viewing at the moment but don’t underestimate it. IGTV was announced in June 2018 so it’s only a year old at this time. IGTV is in a way a hybrid of Instagram and Youtube, which are two incredibly successful platforms, so we can expect it’s population of viewers to skyrocket in the upcoming years.
The fact that IGTV already has over a billion potential viewers on Instagram means that it will grow even more rapidly than its parent platform. The amount of content for people to sift through on the internet is increasing by the day. Using a brand new feature or app can benefit you because there will not be as much similar content competing for the attention of your target audience.
Will IGTV become a major tool in your social strategy? That’s up to you and the needs of your business. But we do know that when utilized correctly, IGTV will increase your brand’s visibility and leave you more connected with your online audience than ever before.