Instagram’s IGTV allows users to upload long-form vertical videos that are up to an hour long. Though the platform encourages long-form videos, you can upload shorter videos too, as long as they are at least 15 seconds long.
So far, IGTV has garnered mixed reactions, both from individuals and businesses. Months after its launch, users and businesses are still trying to figure out how to leverage IGTV to engage their audience. That said, it’s still too early to judge the platform. Besides, Instagram’s parent company Facebook is serious about IGTV and truly believes it to be the “next generation’s TV-viewing experience.”
There are several businesses that are already using IGTV to grow their brand’s visibility. To that end, here are 3 ways you can use IGTV to grow and engage your Instagram audience.
#1 Repurpose Your Existing Video Content
Before creating fresh, native content for IGTV, you may consider converting your older horizontal videos from YouTube or Facebook to fit the vertical format of IGTV.
There are several apps out there which can help you convert your horizontal videos into vertical videos. We recommend you use a free app called SooMov (available on iOS). SooMov will fit your horizontal video in vertical and blur backgrounds.
That said, be selective with the videos you choose to upload on IGTV. Videos that you uploaded in 2015 on YouTube may not be relevant for IGTV, and therefore will fetch you limited engagement.
#2 Create Native Content That’s Exclusive to IGTV
In his New York Times bestselling book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, Gary Vaynerchuk emphasizes the importance of native content to any social media platform. He says, “In the right social-media-savvy hands, a brand that masters native content becomes human.”
IGTV is no different. While posting some of your older content on IGTV will help you gain a new audience, you’ll need to produce fresh, exclusive content on the platform on a consistent basis to retain, engage, and entertain your target audience.
HubSpot has mastered the art of native content quite well. Visit their IGTV channel to find lots of exclusive content — from tips to starting your own podcast to social media community management tips, HubSpot’s IGTV videos focus on educating their audience, rather than promoting their services. Here’s an example.
HubSpot has a massive reservoir of video content. It would have been so easy for them to repurpose some of their older content on to the platform. But their team decided to create exclusive content for the platform, and each of their IGTV videos gets 1,000+ views while other brands are struggling to get 10 views for their videos.
While creating these exclusive videos, keep in mind to focus on storytelling, rather than selling.
#3 Feature Customer Testimonials and Success Stories
Building social proof for your business is critical to business success. One way to build social proof is to feature customer testimonials and success stories on your website and social channels.
IGTV is a great platform to showcase some of your customer testimonials and customer success stories. Reach out to your existing customers and invite them to share their experience using your products or services.
Here’s a short video we published on our IGTV channel that showcases 5-star reviews we received from our clients for our digital marketing services:
Summary
IGTV may not dethrone YouTube as the preferred video platform anytime soon, but the long-form video platform is here to stay. A few businesses have already started creating engaging videos on IGTV, while many are yet to recognize its potential. As such, now is a great time to establish your presence and increase your brand’s visibility on IGTV before everyone else starts doing it.
Try the three tactics discussed above to create your own IGTV videos and reach out to a whole new audience.
This blog post was originally published Startup Cafe's digital marketing blog on Dec 16, 2018.
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