By now, your audience is used to scrolling through the Instagram feed and somewhat mindlessly tapping through Instagram stories but in June of 2018, the widely used platform began to roll out a new way for them to enjoy content from your brand: IGTV.
Designed with your phone in mind, IGTV is a standalone app with native integrations in Instagram for watching long-form, verticle video (and as of this month, long-form horizontal video). With stories being mere seconds long and the upper limit on in-feed videos maxing out at one minute, IGTV enables you to share video content that is up to an hour long. As the app settles into its second year of existence, let’s take a look and how some high profile brands have successfully utilized the platform and answer the all-important question:
Should I be producing IGTV content? If yes, what does that look like?
When IGTV was launched many brands were slow to catch on. After all, this was yet another item for content creators to tack onto their punch list, and an expensive one at that. Long-form video content inherently comes with certain quality expectations. Couple that with the time associated with maintaining a consistent production schedule to keep your social audience engaged and you have a recipe for a budgetary nightmare. And add all that to the fact IGTV is a new platform without a proven track record of good ROI and, well…you get the picture.
As time went on, and as Instagram made improvements, such as the ability to showcase in-feed and Insta-story IGTV previews and included the addition of IGTV content in the discover tab, it became clear that this could become a worthy extension of a brand’s social content strategy – if the brand can commit to doing it right.
Who is Doing IGTV Right?
One industry utilizing IGTV to its fullest is high fashion. Brands like Balmain, Givenchy, and Saint Laurent have long understood that, while the masses may not be able to afford their product, there is still value in being unattainably admired and desired by those same masses. They have utilized IGTV as a way to showcase everything from full runway shows, product highlights, design breakdowns, and exclusive behind-the-scenes moments.
Another industry fully taking advantage of IGTV is the beauty industry. With the makeup artist (MUA) obsession in full swing, IGTV has been yet another way to get tutorials and product reviews right in front of consumers. Brands like MAC and Sephora have no shortage of content to help aspiring beauty gurus learn how to create the perfect cut-crease and use the right foundation for their skin type.
What to Take Away for Your Brand
So what do these two industry examples tell you about how you should be utilizing IGTV? Give what the most loyal members of your audience what they crave: Valuable and exclusive insight into your brand and the products you offer. Showcase what you do best and remind your audience why they love you. IGTV is the perfect vehicle to do just that.
Content for IGTV is less about gaining new audience members as it about reminding the most loyal why they follow you in the first place. If you can commit to producing high-quality and consistent video content, then there is no question that you should be producing that content for IGTV. As a new facet of the behemoth that is Instagram, there is only going up from here for brands who start early and commit.