Instagram has become one of the largest and most successful platforms for marketers to attract new customers. According to sprout social, video posts on Instagram receive 49% more engagement than photo posts. Consumers today crave video content like never before, and between platforms like Youtube and TikTok it’s never been easier to watch. So what makes Instagram video so compelling for businesses to use and audiences to consume? 

Formatting

  • Instagram gives brands a ton of flexibility when it comes to formatting. In-feed video has a time length of 60 seconds, which is perfect for commercials, infomercials and short tutorials. Keeping in mind that business related videos should be less than two minutes long, the automatic 60 second format works well for most things you want to post. 
  • Instagram stories offer a 15 second time slot for brief snippets of video and take little production time (and cost). These are great for previewing a new product, promoting a sale or event, or directing people to view the full length post in your feed.
  • Looking to upload a lengthy video? IGTV offers the option to upload a video up to 15 min in length from a mobile device or an hour from a computer. It displays them in a different part of your profile as well, with the option of “previewing” the video on your main feed. 

Whether you upload a 10 second video, an hour long seminar or something in-between, Instagram’s video options have you covered. This makes it easy for companies who already create video content for YouTube or Facebook; repurposing your videos for the platform is simple and there are plenty of opportunities to cross-post your videos onto Instagram.

Accessibility

  • All you need to create engaging videos on Instagram is a great idea and a smartphone. 
  • Some of the biggest brands on Instagram use simple shots and minimalist editing to create engaging content. 

Helpful tips for posting your videos on Instagram:

  1. Use simple language: make sure people watch your entire video by using simple language in your video and in your caption. The shorter and simpler your speech/caption is, the more people will watch/read it. 
  2. Optimize the video for mobile: most people access Instagram on their mobile devices. A lot of the apps functions are also not available for desktop, keep that in mind when you post your content. 
  3. Use hashtags: Find the most relevant hashtags and add them to your caption. Content that generates a lot of engagement using popular hashtags will appear on Instagram’s explore page and will be shown to a larger audience. 
  4. Keep your eye on analytics: If you have a business account on Instagram you can take an in-depth look at how your post is performing. What demographics are you reaching, when are they engaging with it and how is it doing compared to your previous posts? You can make adjustments accordingly. 
  5. Determine how video fits into your content calendar: Don’t create video “just because” consider the goals you want to achieve by creating your video. At Creative Copilot we will help you plan a year’s worth of video content, and how it fits into your marketing calendar for optimal delivery and results.