Taking Advantage of Video Marketing on Instagram
Social media has made video marketing accessible and affordable for businesses. The days of paying for expensive TV slots are over.
Your customers are already on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram, so these are some of the best places to reach out to them.
When it comes to video-friendly platforms, Facebook takes the lead. Instagram isn’t far behind, however, and they’re definitely a contender. According to a study done by Brand Networks, ad impressions on Instagram have made an impressive jump recently, from 30% in December of 2015 to 65% the next March.
Instagram is even encouraging advertisers and marketers by extending their video limit to 60 seconds, and showing the number of times a video was played. Instagram also has ad features that allow brands to post videos that users can swipe through easily.
Instagram's new features give marketers valuable information they need to really make use of video in their campaigns. In addition to these tactics, you can also kick-start your very own Instagram ad campaign by buying some followers, likes, or other social signals. Check out our reviewed list of safe, trusted providers to learn more.
You have 60 seconds (or less) to capture the attention of your audience. Here are some strategies you can use to make attractive, engaging Instagram videos.
1. Give a Peek Behind the Scenes
Give your consumers a look at some of the behind-the-scenes of your business. You can show them how you make your products, what you’re currently working on, a backstage look during your event, or what a day in the office is like.
Do you work somewhere fun and interesting? Show them!
Behind-the-scenes video provides some transparency, and people like seeing how the things they’re into are made. Make your audience feel like insiders, and they’ll feel more connected to your brand.
2. Promote Your Products
There’s a fine line between promoting your company and spamming your marketing. It’s a mistake to use social media to push your products into people’s faces.
Since Instagram is mostly made up of regular users rather than marketers, people don’t expect to be bombarded with ads every time they take a look. This means you can attract attention by creating ads that actually add some value to their lives, rather than just trying to make a sale.
Get creative instead of just showing your product and price. Coca-Cola has great examples of videos that don’t exactly focus on their product, but still keep it in the back of the mind of the viewer.
3. How-To Videos
Create a short video showcasing how to solve a problem, how to do something new, or how to create something. It’s where video marketing and content marketing meet, and it’s yet another way to add value while promoting yourself.
This is also a great way to advertise your products by using them in the videos you create. You can showcase them with quick instructional clips on how to use them, or show people enjoying the benefits they’ll bring. Since it’s just a 60 second video, people are pretty likely to stop, watch, and finish it.
4. Tease with a Sneak Peak
If you are launching a new product, you have to be creative and think outside the box. Thanks to social media, a new product launch can go beyond a press release and can even turn into an event. Instagram videos are easy to share, and they’re even faster if you make a captivating video.
Track your video campaign by adding a relevant and catchy hashtag to your post. You can add even more suspense by launching teasers first to build momentum and interest for the official launch.
Dwayne Johnson (aka The Rock) used short preview clips of upcoming episodes of his series, Ballers. They’re interesting enough to make you want to see what’s going to happen next, enticing you to eventually watch the whole episode.
5. Create User-Generated Content
User-generated content refers to anything your customers and followers on social media create that ends up helping your brand. This is a great way to expand your reach and claim a bit more territory on the internet without having to go to the trouble of creating content yourself.
It also helps you build a stronger connection between your brand and your market, giving you a shared experience you can both relate to.
Costa Coffee used user-generated content to promote its new iced coffee drinks. The company asked its customers to post an Instagram video with the drink using the hashtag #ShakeupSummer, and people loved it.
6. Do Something Amazing and Memorable
What do you do when you watch an amazing video? You tweet about it, you share it on Facebook, and you send it to your friends.
Remember the Jean-Claude Van Damme Split video? This epic video was talked about for weeks and went viral on different social media platforms.
Why? Because it’s amazing, so amazing that today it has more than 85 million views.
You have an incredible amount of competition on the internet, with more content being uploaded every day. Create amazing and memorable videos, so interesting that your viewers feel obligated to share them. If you can manage to do it, this is one of the best ways to can raise brand awareness through social video marketing.
7. Be Funny and Entertaining
Your viewers will enjoy your videos more if you’re having fun too. Most people don’t go on Instagram to look for stuff to buy but to be entertained, so break free and have a little fun.
Show off your personality and don’t be afraid to have a sense of humor. Get some inspiration from how Virgin America’s promoted their newly designed website, in a pretty hilarious way.
Quick Tips for Instagram Video Marketing Success
- Make videos specifically for Instagram: Create 60-second elevator pitches as your Instagram video strategy. Try to create a video that will make it hard for the viewers to scroll away from.
- Make an impact immediately: Make sure the first seconds of your video will capture the viewer’s curiosity, or you risk losing them. Using quick and interesting movement is a great way to make their eyes stick.
- Don’t always rely on sounds: Instagram doesn’t automatically play your video sounds. Your viewers even have the option of watching it with sound turned off if they want. Create videos that will make sense and will let your audience understand the whole concept, even if it’s on mute.
- Capitalize on special occasions: The perfect opportunity to make themed videos are during major holidays like Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, or the Fourth of July. Look for major events too, like major sports games, Presidential elections, and even just trending topics.
READY, SET, PLAY!
Having a regular flow of videos going up on Instagram gives you the opportunity to communicate with your audience, rather than at your audience. Compelling, fun videos let you engage with your audience, connecting with them in new ways.
It’s also a creative way to stand out from your competition. Don’t you want to be known as that brand with the awesome Instagram account that everyone wants to share?
If you want to attract even more attention to your account, speeding up the process of getting your videos noticed, consider purchasing some followers or likes. This will quickly give you more authority on Instagram, attracting more people to come see what all the fuss is about.
Unlike the other social media platforms, Instagram is dedicated to sharing photos and videos. You may think that only highly visual businesses like food and fashion can succeed. With a little effort and creativity, however, you can definitely find ways to make this work for your brand.
Image credit: Giphy
Date: January 23, 2017 / Categories: Buy Instagram Followers, Buy Instagram Likes, Marketing, / Author: Pamela
