Are you ready to embrace video for Instagram?
Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram recently posted a video to Twitter revealing that Instagram will be focusing predominantly on video-based features going forward.
What once started as a photo sharing app for us all to share photos of our breakfast with heavily edited retro filters (…just us?) will now transition to being a video sharing app.
This move towards being a video-first app is partly to compete with the other social media video giants out there such as YouTube and TikTok.
With this news comes more changes for Instagram – Mosseri has confirmed that Instagram will focus on full-screen, immersive mobile-first video content. They will also be developing a new feature called “Exclusive Stories” which is believed to be a way for Instagram users to access exclusive content from their favourite creators – likely under a paid subscription.
So, what do these Instagram changes mean for you as a business? And how can you make sure your business continues to shine on social media?
The power of video marketing
Video marketing is a powerful tool to have in your marketing arsenal. 80% of businesses use video as a marketing tool – according to the Hubspot 2021 State of Video Marketing report. An increase of 41% since 2016.
With Instagram’s latest announcement, we expect that figure to rise even more this year.
Video marketing is an impressive way to connect with your target audience. From creating explainer videos to educate users and improve customer support to creating persuasive videos that generate leads and directly increase sales.
If you aren’t already investing in video marketing, you could be missing out on some valuable ROI for your business.
One way you can incorporate more video content into your marketing strategy is through your social media strategy, such as Instagram videos.
Why should you create Instagram Videos
If Mosseri’s announcement that Instagram is going to start prioritising video content doesn’t sway you to create Instagram videos, maybe these next few sentences will…
When asked what type of content people tend to skim and what they tend to consume thoroughly, 55% of people said they pay close attention to videos over any other type of content.
People are twice as likely to share video content with their friends than any other type of content including social media posts, blog posts and product pages. 86% of people would also like to see more videos from brands.
If you still don’t feel compelled to create videos, maybe knowing your competitors are compelled will change your opinion. Research by Wyzowl revealed that 69% of non-video marketers expect to start using video as a marketing tool in 2021.
In short, incorporating video content into your social media strategy will help your business connect with your target audience and compete with other companies within your industry. It’s a sure-fire way to make sure your brand doesn’t get left behind in this new era of social media consumption and marketing.
Types of video content you can share on Instagram
Thankfully, videos for Instagram come in all shapes and sizes. This means that you’ve got plenty of opportunities to weave videos into your social media strategy and find a method that works for your business.
The types of videos you can share on Instagram are:
- Video posts for feed
- Reels
- Stories
- IGTV
- Live Videos
This choice means you have freedom to produce high-quality and captivating videos for your social media followers. The best part? You don’t need a fancy DSLR or studio set-up to do so.
You can develop beautiful branded videos with your phone. Along with being able to upload pre-recorded videos, Instagram gives you the option to record videos directly in the app which suggests that they are team-phone when it comes to shooting Instagram videos.
Creating videos for Instagram doesn’t have to be intimidating or expensive. As mentioned, you can shoot jaw-dropping videos from your phone.
By knowing what type of content to post and what tools to use to optimise your videos, you can easily level up your social media strategy with Instagram videos.
Coming up with video ideas for Instagram
When creating content for social media, you should always focus on creating content that resonates with your audience. This same rule applies to creating videos for Instagram.
Knowing what your audience wants to see from your brand is the number one secret to succeeding with social media.
With this in mind, it is important that your video content strategy aligns with the content pillars of your business. You will also want to make sure that you choose the right video format for your video idea.
Instagram Stories are only 10 seconds long and, therefore, are best suited for short, snappy, instantaneous, and interactive videos. Meanwhile, IGTV videos can be a maximum of 60 minutes long and so would be best used for in-depth video content.
From here, you will be able to develop a bank of content ideas for Instagram videos.
Here are some Instagram video ideas that you could adapt for your brand:
- Teaser videos to promote your content, products and services
- Explainer videos to provide followers with helpful and educational information
- Behind-the-scenes videos to show your followers the less polished and more human side of your business
- Q&A videos – either on Instagram Stories or Live
- Account takeover videos to collaborate with other Instagram users, businesses or creators
- Interview videos to share in-depth stories with your audience
- User-generated videos to celebrate your community and build positive brand sentiment on social media
- Talking head videos to show who you are and add a human-face and voice to your business
This list doesn’t stop there. There are endless video ideas for Instagram so spend time to sit and curate a list of ideas that work for your business.
Creating videos for Instagram
You don’t need to rush out and spend thousands of pounds on fancy video production equipment. While working with a dedicated social media videographer will likely harness the best results for your business, it is also an incredibly niche and potentially expensive route to go down.
If you are just getting started with creating videos for Instagram, you’ll be pleased to know that you can create amazing videos on the cheap.
Video creation and editing doesn’t have to be complicated. Thanks to the rise of technology, there are many (free and paid) video editing tools on the market for you to choose from.
At Fika Digital, we love the mobile video editing app InShot for creating Instagram videos that look incredible. This easy-to-use app is designed to be used to quickly edit videos on the go. This means you can easily choose your frame size and polish up your video content to make sure it’s optimised for Instagram before you hit post.
If you want to create fun Boomerang videos for Instagram Stories then you can use the Boomerang from Instagram app. This app helps you to create captivating mini video gifs (boomerangs in Instagram-speak!) in just the tap of a button. You can then share your videos directly to Instagram, or you can save them for later.
If you are an Apple-user then you are in luck. Apple users can use iMovie to seamlessly edit video content and produce high-quality videos. As it is a free video editing tool, iMovie is quite limited in it’s features. In which case, you may want to up the antics by opting for a paid video editing tool such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro.
Adobe Premiere Pro is also available for Microsoft users, so the world of high quality video production isn’t limited to just Apple users. However, it can be expensive so you may first want to explore the free tools or make sure that it’s a cost that produces a positive ROI for your business.
How to build an effective Instagram video marketing strategy
Now that you know why you should create Instagram videos and how to do so effectively, it’s time to explore how to build an Instagram video marketing strategy.
Although you can publish videos on a whim, you will be more likely to generate positive results from your Instagram videos if you plan them in advance. By analysing what performs well for your business and taking time to carefully curate your Instagram video marketing strategy, you will be able to create Instagram videos that attract, engage and convert your target audience.
First, you need to determine what video content you want to create. Remember to refer to your content pillars when doing this.
You should also consider the following things when planning each individual video:
- Who is this video intended for
- What is the objective of the video
- What action do you want people to take after they have watched the video
- Can this video be repurposed for other marketing formats (e.g. blog article, email marketing, etc)
- How does this video align with your wider marketing strategy
Your answers to the above questions will help ensure that you are creating high-quality and purposeful content for your business.
Once you have planned, created, and posted your Instagram videos. You should also make sure that you are analysing the performance of your videos. This will help you determine what changes you need to make in the future to further improve your Instagram videos.
Everything you need to know about creating videos for Instagram: In Summary
As you can see, creating videos for Instagram doesn’t have to be scary, complex or costly. There are many ways that you cane easily and effectively work Instagram videos into your existing social media strategy.
The changes coming into effect on Instagram also don’t mean that you have to wave goodbye to photo content forever. Many people have expressed their dismay at Instagram moving to a video-first model which means that even though Instagram may favour videos, its users will still want to see photo-based content. You just need to make sure that your Instagram content strategy includes a blend of both video and photo content.
If you need help developing an Instagram-focused social media strategy for your business, get in touch to find out how our team can support you. We can help businesses create purposeful videos that align with their wider marketing strategies, resonate with their target audience, and deliver powerful results for their business.
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