How can IGTV help you grow your business?
It should be considered that now, social media platforms are not only used to communicate with friends but for several other purposes as well. Different people have different purposes to use these social media platforms.
By MANAV BANSAL
For different brands and companies, the purpose is marketing and promotions and they are using Instagram as one of the vital platforms to solve this purpose. Instagram has 1 billion monthly active users. Therefore, it is actually a great place to find out a brand’s potential customers and engage with the audience of different regions.
There is no doubt that the videos on the internet attract and hold a larger audience than the pictures. That is the reason that different social media platforms including Instagram are coming up with different features that allow the users to post and edit videos as they want.
Earlier, Instagram users were not able to post videos of more than a minute. This was actually a major shortcoming of this platform. Therefore, in the year 2018, Instagram came up with an effective and powerful feature called Instagram TV which is popularly known as IGTV.
Since then, people across the world are using this feature widely. We also know that “Reels” has also been introduced on Instagram where the users can post a video of up to 30 seconds. But if we talk about the major brands, IGTV has been widely used for marketing and promotion purposes.
In this article, you will get to know several different ways you can use IGTV that can be beneficial for your business.
But first of all, you should be familiar with the basics of Instagram TV.
The basic video specs of IGTV
IGTV supports mp4 format.
A video of at least 1 minute can be posted on IGTV.
If you post a video from your mobile device, the maximum length can be 15 minutes.
If you post a video from your PC, the maximum length can be 60 minutes.
The vertical aspect ratio for IGTV is 9:16 and the horizontal aspect ratio is 16:9.
Minimum resolution supported is 720 pixels and the minimum frame rate supported is 30 fps.
The maximum file-size for the video up to 60 minutes can be 3.6GB.
Cover photo size should be 420px by 654 px. Also, you cannot change the cover photo once the video is uploaded. Therefore, be careful and check it thoroughly before uploading.
Now, as you have understood the basics of Instagram Television, let’s look at some tips to use IGTV in a way that benefits your business.
NOTE! There is a difference between IGTV and Instagram Live
Well, this needs to be understood by many creators and brands that the purpose of IG Live and IGTV is different. You will find a number of content creators who have uploaded their Instagram Live sessions on IGTV.
Of course, this would work the way the highlights work. But, do you think that the users would prefer watching a person speaking in front of the camera and having a conversation with the chat they cannot see?
A professional approach is important for the videos you post on Instagram Television. If you really want engagements that can further turn into leads, you should make high-quality content for your brand’s IGTV. In fact, this approach should be adopted for all social media platforms.
Take help from professional video creators and make videos that attract the audience. Make scripts, hire voiceover artists, anchors, cameramen, and expert video editors for your videos.
Aesthetics is the key
If your profile looks neat and clean, it leaves a great impact on the user. The similar is for the IGTV.
Let us take an example of YouTube. Most of the people click on the videos by reading the thumbnails. An attractive and intriguing thumbnail makes the person click the video.
Similarly, an attractive cover photo should be used for IGTV as well. Make sure that your cover photo matches the three dimensions where it will be previewed. 1:1 square should be used for your grid preview, 4:5 portrait for people’s feed and 9:16 for IGTV.
A clickable link is an effective tool
An Instagram user with less than 10,000 followers can add one link in their bio. The ones who have more than 10,000 followers can also add a swipe-up link to their stories. That’s it? No!
Not many people know about it but you can also add a link in the IGTV video description. Therefore, this can be used as an effective tool. You can add a link to your website and improve traffic. The clickable links can be effectively used with a call-to-action button. People always get attracted to the call-to-action buttons and it is always recommended to use them wisely.
“Behind the scenes” videos work best
The audience always wants to see the things they have never witnessed. They have never seen the working of your organization. They have never seen how your products are made.
Therefore, provide them the content they want to see. “Behind the scenes” videos work best for businesses. If you have a start-up or you are operating a multi-national company, people always want to see your work culture and such videos are a great idea to engage the audience.
Use your products on camera
This can also be a great idea for an IGTV video. You can try the products of your brand and make a video. This will surely help you improve the credibility of the brand. Other than this, you can also give a tutorial on using your products for the best results.
If your company does not deal in products, then explainer videos can be an option for you. You being an expert that knows ins and outs of your company and services, should come forward and give information to the audience.
Manav Bansal works as a creative content writer at Tabscap. He has been writing on various topics related to social media marketing, digital marketing, travel, education and health. He also loves photography and finding new eateries in his surroundings.
