HOW IGTV CAN PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS

WHY USING THIS VIDEO APP CAN BRING YOUR BRAND TO LIFE

In 2018, Instagram launched its own standalone video-based app called Instagram TV (or IGTV). On this social platform, you can share vertical videos that last between 15 seconds and 60 minutes. The great thing about IGTV is the visual storytelling aspect, along with its informal and playful format.

You can offer your audience something fresh and different – sneak previews or short tours are particularly popular. ‘Our video wine reviews have worked well for us,’ says Ben, ‘especially when we have a new release. We also did mini virtual tours and showed our audience around the bar, tasting room, restaurant and hotel rooms when they first opened.’

PLAN IGTV INTO YOUR MARKETING STRATEGY Video has proven to be one of the most popular forms of content out there and, as visual beings, we find it a memorable and enjoyable medium to watch. So, rather than it being simply a nice option for your business, it should be a key part of your marketing strategy going forward. There are so many forms it can take and so many uses it can have – from live-stream video to vlogs, interviews, customer testimonials, tutorials, webinars and presentations – the list goes on and on.

THINK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE

‘Every business has a different audience so the most important thing when you’re starting out is to make sure that the content you are creating is what your audience wants to see,’ says Rosie Clark, social media consultant at Coastal Social. ‘Testing out different types of material and alternating the length of your videos is key to finding the magic time frame and topics of interest for your unique following.’ For Ben, IGTV has definitely proved valuable to his business. ‘At first, I was nervous about doing IGTV because it’s just me in front of a camera doing all of the talking! But, the feedback on the videos has made it worth it – it’s great when I bump into someone and they say, “We just love the IGTV content – it’s brilliant.” That shows it’s worthwhile.’

HOW TO DO IGTV First, plan and shoot your video, then make any necessary edits. Once you’re happy with the result, upload the video to IGTV directly from your phone, or schedule it to go live later (not forgetting to share a preview to your Instagram grid). Write a caption that will optimise the content and remember to add relevant hashtags. Try to post your video at a time when a lot of your audience is likely to be online

– at lunchtime, for example. You can also reshare the video content through Instagram Stories in the following weeks to encourage more video views.

LOOK AT THE ANALYTICS ‘So much can be learned from the analytics,’ says Rosie. ‘Go to “View Insights” to see the engagement your video has had, as well as its audience retention, which shows the percentage of your video viewed by your audience.’ Once you’ve filmed three or four videos, you can get a good understanding of what’s working and what’s not. ‘Be consistent with your offering, just as you would when posting images on Instagram, and stick to your schedule, whether that’s once a week, bi-monthly or daily for bigger brands. Your followers will start to expect and look forward to your videos, and that’s what it’s all about,’ says Rosie.

To learn more about how social media could help your business, head to coastalsocial.co.uk or email your questions to rosie@coastalsocial.co.uk

The one lesson I’ve learnt... ❝ YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO GOOD A LISTENER ❞