IGTV is still a relatively new feature of Instagram. This social media TV channel can be found within the Instagram app itself and it can be downloaded as a standalone app. According to this article by Digital Trends, currently there isn’t that much of a need to have both apps, but potential updates in the future could change that. Since it’s release, I have heard people wondering how to use IGTV in their marketing strategy.
If you’re looking for ways to use IGTV effectively for your business, then read on!
How To Use IGTV Effectively For Your Business
The fact that is still in its infancy means that it is not a saturated channel like YouTube. Many people watch YouTube (I rarely use it), but they most likely don’t have a YouTube channel. Whereas many people use Instagram and have Instagram accounts (unlike my mom, who checks out my Instagram account all the time but refuses to get her own account). Using this feature could be a great opportunity to build your Instagram community even more and discover new accounts to connect and collaborate with.
As long as they were filmed vertically, you can upload videos from your Instagram feed to your IGTV channel. It’s a great way to have all of your videos in one place. Not only that, they give you more time to say something/show something than an IG story. With that being said, even the maximum length of 10 minutes seems long for IGTV. It’s in your business’ best interest to keep videos short and to the point. Many short videos are better than one very long video. It enables you to give people information and entertain them in bite-sized pieces.
Promote Your Blog Posts, Events, Behind the Scenes
Do you blog for your business? Use key points from your blog post and talk about them in an IGTV episode. Perhaps the blog post could be broken up into a series of episodes.
Have an upcoming event? Create episodes that promote/talk about the event and an episode that shares highlights of the event.
Want to show behind the scenes? Use IGTV and you won’t have to pan so fast like you are creating an IG story (Don’t you hate it when that happens?).
Related: How to Promote Your Blog on Social Media
Get Comfortable Being on Camera
If the thought of live streaming seems terrifying (For some reason, to me, IG Live seems scarier than Facebook Live. Although I recommend trying it at least a couple of times), this channel can help you take baby steps toward incorporating video as part of your content strategy. Another thing to keep in mind – even though you might not be a big fan of doing video (I actually prefer to read blog posts to consume content vs watching videos), your followers and potential customers may prefer video and want to see more of you. Use it so they can get to know you better. Remember it doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be a reflection of your brand.
Create a Strategy
In order to make using IGTV seem less daunting, it can help to have a general plan or a rough schedule as to when you want to film and upload a video. Video can take a bit more time and effort so don’t feel you need to post an episode several times a week. It’s the same idea as blogging, so it can take a bit of time to get into the groove and consistency is different for everyone.
While Instagram stories are meant to be more fun, impromptu, and don’t always have to be about your business, in my professional opinion, IGTV should have more focus and purpose.
Create purpose by including:
- A short, catchy title and a brief description of the video so people know what it’s about
- Relevant hashtags to make the videos searchable
- A clickable link in the description. This is perfect if you want them to visit your site, register for an event or sign up for your newsletter. Provide a call to action at the end of the video and mention the link is in the description. Or better yet, mention it at the beginning of your video because not everyone will watch the video to completion (including myself).
When it comes to using social media for your business, it’s important to create a strategy. Having a strategy ensures you are using IGTV effectively for your business and not posting just for the sake of posting. Don’t forget to promote your IGTV channel on your feed and stories, especially when there is a new episode. You can include a link to your episode in an IG story.
Related: How to Get Clients by Marketing on Instagram
Just like with your posts, Live videos and stories, analytics are also available for IGTV. You can see the number of views, likes, and comments. Another metric is to check is the average percentage of your video being watched. Monitor these metrics over time to see what types of episodes receive the most engagement or to determine the ideal video length for viewing.
Do you feel you are using IGTV effectively for your business? Why or why not?
