With 500 million active users on Instagram every day, the launch of IGTV in June 2018 represents a clear threat to the well-established video platforms such as YouTube and Vimeo. Here’s everything you need to know about IGTV.
What is IGTV?
IGTV is a stand-alone video streaming app which can also be accessed through the Instagram platform. It shows vertical videos so is perfect for mobile viewing, with plenty of trails for it popping up on your Instagram feed.
Creators can upload videos up to sixty minutes long, which is a huge progression from the previous one-minute limit for Instagram video. Users can interact with the videos through likes and comments and can send videos and video suggestions to others through direct messaging. It seems like a pretty smart move for Instagram, with an estimate of 78% of total mobile data traffic being motion-based content by 2021.
How will IGTV be used?
Currently, IGTV does not feature any form of advertising, so brands wishing to harness the benefits of the new platform will have to think creatively. Uploading content from individual creators and influencers seems to be the obvious answer and so far, the response from the public has been been positive.
A sixty-minute video by Netflix featuring Disney Channel superstar Cole Sprouse eating a cheeseburger garnered over 650,000 views on IGTV and nearly 5,000 comments. Big name brands such as Vogue, TVF, BBC, Bloomberg and Bacardi have also jumped on the IGTV bandwagon.
How can it benefit brands?
Brands will need to think strategically about how to utilise IGTV for their benefit. They must carefully review the content they want to provide via IGTV and the impact that this will have on potential consumers. In comparison to starting with a completely new platform, the hard work of building a following has already been done, leaving brands free to concentrate on content.
Videos must provide value to users in order to encourage repeat traffic, without being seen as just long-form adverts. IGTV is a more polished platform than Instagram Stories so brands can maximise both avenues, with higher quality videos on IGTV and the more raw, spontaneous content on Instagram Stories.
IGTV represents another outlet for brands to harness the power of influencer marketing, which can be beneficial for both parties. The nature of IGTV being advertising-free gives rise to more opportunity to build real engagement with users.
As IGTV is a vertical viewing platform, this forces brands to develop content to fit this medium, as opposed to the horizontal format normally favoured in video formats. By embracing this, brands stand in good stead for other vertical platforms that may launch in the future.
When asked about the launch of IGTV, Verb’s Social Media Account Director Sarah Keeble said: “IGTV is a fantastic opportunity to share longer form video with an already engaged audience. The platform is still in its infancy and brands should look to influencers to understand how best to use the platform as they are willing to take more risks with the content they share. Watch this space.”
In only a few short weeks, IGTV has had a huge impact on the video streaming landscape and looks set to become a new favourite for users and brands alike. It is clear that brands must embrace IGTV and all it provides, in order to remain competitive in a rapidly changing marketing environment.
