Step aside, Facebook…there’s a new social network in town.
Instagram is quickly becoming one of the most powerful social media marketing channels on the web for two very good reasons. One, millennials prefer it to Facebook, and the millennial generation now occupies the throne in terms of consumerism, business, and economic trends. And two, Instagram has been paying close attention to what millennials want. In response, they’ve made a couple adjustments to improve their social network experience for both advertisers and users.
Ready to crush Instagram success with video marketing? First, you need to know what’s new in the Instagram world and how to leverage these improvements to your advantage. Here’s the scoop:
1. Instagram is Changing the Way Your Newsfeed is Organized
Traditionally, users see stories on their newsfeed in chronological order according to when each story was published. The roll-out date hasn’t been released yet, but Instagram is planning to alter their algorithm so that instead, users will receive stories based on engagement. In other words, Instagram will serve up stories based on what will most likely interest each individual user. Who the user is connected with and the timeliness of the content will also play a factor.
Note: Instagram is not deleting stories. They are simply rearranging how stories appear on each users feed.
Why change things now? Because the social network did some research and found that about 70% of posts are getting missed. Chronological order might make sense based on how our brains are hard wired — but it doesn’t help the right content find the right audience. Instagram is hoping to change that.
What does this mean for video marketers? For one, marketers will be able to pay to play. More importantly, the size of your audience won’t matter as much as their engagement with your video content. The more a user engages, the higher up your content will climb on their newsfeed. This should help marketers, but it’s important to keep in mind that content frequency won’t matter nearly as much as content quality and its ability to engage audiences.
Users will receive an alert when this change goes into effect.
2. Instagram Extended Their Video Time Allotment
Traditionally, Instagram’s video format allowed for 30-second spots. Recently, they extended their format to 60-second spots for a couple reasons:
The amount of time viewers spend watching online videos has increased by more than 40 percent.
Longer video formats are more similar to TV and pre-roll ads, with which marketers are still more comfortable.
60-second spots give advertisers the opportunity to be more creative with their storytelling and include a call-to-action in the video marketing content.
3. Video is Now Included In Instagram’s Carousel Ad Format
Instagram’s swipe-able Carousel ad format proved to be hugely successful, reportedly outperforming single static images and increasing conversions by 58-percent. Just last month the social network announced that advertisers can now use 60-second video spots within the Carousel ad format.
Advertisers can choose to display five, 60-second video spots (though it’s hard to imagine viewers sitting through 5 full minutes of video). Or they can use a combination of video and static images to engage audiences and more creatively tell their story.
Tips for Instagram Video Marketing
Now you know what’s new. How do you leverage these adaptations to your advantage?
Encourage followers to turn on notifications to receive exclusive alerts
Make consistently awesome content that helps your brand rise to the top of your audience’s feeds
Pay for sponsored ads
Include a CTA to help drive engagement and improve content performance
Test drive different video lengths and consider easing your audience up to 60-second ads
Focus on telling your brand story
Having trouble getting your organization on board with video marketing? Is Instagram not even on their radar? Check out this article for tips on how to win their support so you can start creating awesome video content to dominate the Instagram-sphere!
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