What is IGTV and how brands can use it
Miguel Nicolás
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Here is Instagram Television. Do you know what IGTV is and how your brand can make the best of it? Continue reading!
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There is a fight around online video and a new oponent has just arrived. However, it is not just another one. We are going to tell you what IGTV (or Instagram TV) is and how brands like yours can make use of it. Should YouTube worry about it, or that is not a big deal?
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The strategy of video on Instagram
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There is, to a certain extent, a logic development in the integration of video with Instagram . We must recognize that this network is one of the most peculiar as it has its own pace and works in a very own way.It began to allow play and create videos in the usersĀ“feeds 5 years ago. This was a feature demanded by users which opened new possibilities to corporate accounts. However, videos must last between 3 and 60 seconds (15 at the beginning) and, of course, they have to be in vertical format (which is an anathema for many).Despite the restrictions, the video won immediately, reaching up to 5 million videos uploaded, or what is the same: 40 hours per minute within the first 24 hours of life of the new star feature of this social network.Afterwards Instagram Stories arrived, the short-lived format that shook up Instagram. This function that allows us to upload and edit videos which are only available for 24 hours is,on the one hand, a consequence of the very high engagement of videos on IG, and on the other, a maneuver defense movement.Snapchat was making use of a new type of content and Facebook could not allow not to have their own piece of the pie. Therefore, they launched this option on all their networks, being Instagram which cracked the market reaching out game to Snapchat. According to Recode, mid-2017 it had 255 million users while the network of the ghost had 166.All this is lame regarding a clear trend: users consume less and longer videos on their mobiles as it can be seen on this study by Ooyala, a video analytics company.
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What is IGTV?
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I think that this introduction was necessary to understand how and why Instagram TV starts. Being video absolutely on fire in all the social platforms, YouTube expanding its payment and video version, on-demand redefining consumption, it might seem that Facebook was left behind in a race that began far away from Google.Of course, live video streaming is interesting, 360 videos have many possibilities, users like and brands are using them to sell more , growing the creative possibilities, but they still have to take a step beyond.
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This little step is what we are talking about in this post. It is a native application that allows to upload vertical. videos You may be wondering what is the difference between IGTV and Stories?Well, basically two:
- The length of the videos allows up to 10 minutes to all users and 60 to those who have profiles with many followers.
- These videos do not disappear within 24 hours being stored on a channel in the style of YouTube.
Besides, I insist on the fact that its integration with Instagram is partial because it is an independent application, although it grants access from the photos network interface. You can see the icon in the top right of the app, in a bright orange color. -
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Once inside, users have access to videos of:
- Recommendations based on your interests.
- Accounts already following on Instagram.
- Popular videos within IGTV.
- The option to keep watching (keep in mind that we can find up to an hour videos).
Isn't there a search engine? Yes, of course, that it is, but is significantly different from what you would expect if you are thinking about YouTube. Searches based on topics or keywords cannot be made, only profiles can be searched.In terms of interaction options, I will not expand on this too much, they are basically the same as in Instagram Stories: like, comment and share. -
IGTV for brands
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This is a very interesting concept because we are talking about a clear mobile video aimed positioning and, moreover, it is based somehow on what television was always because you can choose the channel, but not the content, hence the TV fits that well.For brands this will be more an engagement tool... not yet. Keep in mind that it still does not accept advertising, ok, but we do know how Facebook works and as soon as they reach enough critical mass, they will begin to make use of it through advertising.To this I would add the effect it will have on video influencers who are quite disappointed with the movements YouTube has recently been doing. It is true that without a direct monetization system as that of Google network may be less attractive, but as it begins from the community it already has on Instagram, it does not start from scratch. This makes them be relevant to attract investment from brands.For the moment, we can already find the first to try to take advantage of IGTV. Some stands out like Chipotle which always bets on video as part of its strategy, Netflix what can I say about video and Netflix? And one of thosebrands that we have talked about many times due to its ability to tell stories: the online Optical store Warby Parker.The content, at least at the moment, does not make use of the new video duration. They all exceed 60 seconds, but except Netflix and one video in which Cole Sprouse spends an hour to eat a hamburger, and that somehow is disturbing. However, it works very well to pave the way and stand out as a pioneer.
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After all, the greatest possibilities of IGTV for brands go through branding while a business model gets consolidated, which, sooner than later, should pass through monetization via advertising.If Instagram is a featured part of your brand strategy, you should start creating your profile, it is almost automatic (you just have to click on the gearwheel, choose the option Create channel and upload your first video, that is all).
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Do you see it clear? Will you use IGTV as a brand? Which use comes to mind? Let us know about it!
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Images | Instagram, Statista and Unsplash.