IGTV for Brands: How to Get Your Brand Further on Instagram
If you’re looking for new, fun, and engaging ways to help your brand stand out on social media then look no further, IGTV is the place you want to be.
IGTV is an extension of Instagram that has its own app while still being accessible through the Instagram app. IGTV lets you post long form videos, but it’s different from YouTube because IGTV is mobile first, helping you get further with those digitally-focused Millennials and Gen Z consumers.
Both audiences are looking for transparency & authenticity from your brand, which can be confusing or daunting, but don’t worry, IGTV is a great way to speak their language.
So now that you know what it is, let’s talk about how to use it and can get started. Then, when you fall in love and are ready for more, get even more info on unlocking the Gen Z audience on new, emerging social platforms in this free ebook.
Why It’s Relevant For Your Brand
While this platform might seem irrelevant to your brand, it’s important to not downplay its capabilities and potential for growth. Due to its specific, unique content style, you have plenty of opportunities to create fun, authentic, engaging, relevant long-form, mobile-first content for your audience where they’re looking for and consuming it.
Video should play a key part in your content strategy, especially since 83% of marketers say they received a great ROI with their video content. With the average person watching 1.5 hours-a-day of video content, it’s no wonder that 85% of consumers say they want more video content from brands. (Hint: be that brand!)
The Algorithm
IGTV follows the same algorithm as Instagram, meaning the more users engage with your posts, the more likely it is they appear at the top of people’s feeds. Legend has it that only 10% of your followers see your posts in their feed. Engagement builds engagement, so make sure you respond authentically and timely to all of your comments and DMs (direct messages).
The Algorithm keeps tabs on what people like, so the more engagements with a user, the more likely it is for your brand to be filtered to their “favorites” category.
Instagram is looking for content specifically created for IGTV, which means you’ll have to put in more thought than posting the same video across all your social channels. Think vertical, not horizontal.
Lastly, make sure you know which times are the best for your brand to post. You can check this in your “Audience Insights” tab on your profile.
Your Content
You can post a one-minute preview to your regular IG feed.
With this, keep in mind that it will appear on your profile, so you want to make sure your cover photo fits in with the rest of your profile’s aesthetic. When posting to your feed, your TITLE becomes the caption. You have 75 characters to make it catchy, and, remember, you cannot search emojis.
Linking In Captions
It should be noted that links will not work on your regular IG feed, so it’s important to move your audience over to IGTV.
“Keep Watching”
Once your one-minute preview ends, users are given the option to keep watching your video. To encourage that, try to make your preview either entertaining or informative. In other words, tell your audience what they’ll get when they watch the full video.
Editing Captions
Unlike on your regular IG feed, you’re not able to edit your captions after your video is posted.
Share to Stories
Since Stories post in chronological order, it’s important you’re sharing your IGTV content to let your audience know you’ve posted. While this isn’t a mandatory step, it will definitely help get eyes on your content.
Sharing to Facebook and Feed
Decide before you post if you want to share your video to Facebook or to your feed because once it goes live, you no longer have this option.
Success Story: Lush
To say this brand is successful is an understatement. Lush is popular amongst Gen Z for many reasons, but amongst those reasons is its transparency. On each product, there is a sticker telling you where your product was made and who made it. They succeed on IGTV because they utilize this platform to show off their product, introduce some of their employees, and continuously understand and build on the fact that their audience loves their transparency.
Now that you understand how it works, you can get started on your videos. But if you’re left with the lingering question of why this platform is relevant, we can answer that for you in our FREE ebook.
Don’t feel like reading? No worries! You can also schedule a free digital marketing consultation where one of our experts will help solve some of your unique challenges.
Download your handy-dandy ebook now or reach out to chat to see why your brand should target Gen Z and how to do it in new & engaging ways to build your brand with new audiences fast.
