What are the benefits of Instagram Stories & IGTV?

Instagram Stories and IGTV: How These Features are Revolutionising Marketing

With marketing, staying ahead of the curve and keeping up to date with the latest trends and social media platforms is an absolute must. So, it may come as a surprise to learn that many businesses are not taking advantage of Instagram stories or Instagram TV (IGTV), two of the biggest communication and advertising formats around. In fact, Instagram stories are so popular that they have surpassed Snapchat – and that says a lot. If you aren’t using them already, you should be, and here is some advice for getting started, as well as how they are revolutionising marketing.

According to Instagram, 1 in 3 of the most viewed stories on their platform come from businesses, and this means that there is a massive audience out there waiting to see what you have to offer. You can use your Instagram story to upload images and videos that will be visible for 24 hours after they have been uploaded (although you can keep some permanently on your profile as highlights), and many businesses use them to advertise new products and even link to their online stores.

One thing that Instagram stories lets you do well is post as much as you like. The content is all added to the story, so followers and other users can click on the image and watch as much of it as they want. It allowed for more publication without pestering your customers or posting way too much in a day. Plus, because they are stories and only live for a certain period of time, they do not need to be as polished as a permanent Instagram post. In fact, many followers enjoy stories as they let them see a more personal and human side of a company.

It gives you the chance to really tell a story and show people what your brand stands for, as well as the amazing products that you are offering. Have your items helped to change the lives of others, have they received incredible reviews? Take the opportunity to use stories to show your followers all of these things. This will help to engage them and create a personal tie between them and your business.

You can create videos as well for your story, but bear in mind that these are capped at 15 seconds. Many companies use them for short and interactive ad campaigns or customer testimonials, and you can create a really artistic and exciting experience for your followers to get involved in. 15 seconds is actually a lot of time when you think about it. You can also opt to go live for a while, and businesses often use this to give a tour of the office or showcase some really exciting news.

In many ways, IGTV is like the Instagram version of YouTube, and it lets you create your own channel where you can broadcast videos to people around the world as well as your followers. You will have to download a separate app in order to get started, but the IGTV app links up perfectly with Instagram so that uploads are seamless and free from hassle.

Once you have made the video on your phone or computer, you can upload it to the app (and your channel), but what should you be creating for your IGTV channel? You can use it to create some advertising content, but make sure that you are not flooding your channel with it and follow the 80/20 rule – 80% engaging content, 20% advertising.

A good example would be Netflix’s IGTV upload where we see Cole Sprouse eating a cheeseburger for a whole hour. It might sound a little silly, but the engagement was through the roof, and they received around 700k viewers when it was first uploaded (and the number has since surpassed the million mark). Similarly, Gucci uploaded every runway presentation since 2015, and that received an amazing reception.

It’s all about staying relevant to your brand while also creating interesting content that will grip both your followers and potential ones. Take some time to think about who your audience is and what you are marketing to them, as well as the things they are interested in and the way in which your video ideas link with your brand. It’s a lot to consider, but it is also essential.

Social media is always growing, and the number of platforms out there can seem quite dizzying. However, you don’t need to worry about being on all of them – just the ones that have the most engagement. Right now, Instagram is the hottest platform around, and it’s not going to change anytime soon. Strike while the iron is hot and get to work creating your IGTV channel as well as planning out your stories.