Instagram is a massive social media platform engaging millions of customers every day.
Although it is massively populated, very few brands are successful in utilizing the platform in a way it should be. What’s worst? Only a few have actually learned how to base their business on a system that favors IGTV for business. It is becoming quite the trend & it is high-time businesses should consider using it.
Today, I am going to help you understand why IGTV is important for your modern-day business. And I will share six powerful hacks that will allow you to reach thousands and thousands of customers.
So without further ado, let’s dig in.
What is IGTV for Business and how is it Benefiting Future Marketers?
It all started back in 2018 when Instagram announced that it will favor long-form video content (possibly hour-long videos) to get published on their platform. They called it the Instagram TV.
It was introduced in the market as a stand-alone app that you can easily integrate with Instagram.
As Instagram puts it, IGTV is a great place to connect with such individuals who inspire, entertain and educate students at the same time. IGTV is a feature that brings people closer to what they love.
It offers users an easy-to-navigate interface and the moment you log into the app, long-form video content will automatically start playing. You will also find a set of cards underneath the video to choose one and watch new video content. It has various tabs such as “for you, following and popular.”
Okay, so how your brand can benefit from Instagram TV?
- It boosts visibility for your product and services
- It creates an opportunity for building your own community
- It allows you to educate and entertain audiences
- It creates opportunities for engagement & conversions
- IGTV is the hip and the trend for many modern-day businesses.
With so many benefits outlined, are you still hanging around the fence? You are… Don’t be afraid, it’s okay because we’ve all been there. In fact, some of us are still there and aren’t getting creative ideas.
Stuck in a rut, aren’t you?
Here are five powerful hacks to help you grow your business through the IGTV feature of Instagram.
Hack # 1: Use Instagram TV to Serve People
The whole idea of marketing through Instagram TV is to serve people. And the only way you can best serve them is to give them what they want. Believe it or not, as Gary V terms it,
“It’s all about the end-consumer.”
If you are able to provide your end consumer with value-adding, unique and informative content, you’re actually hitting the mark. To produce video content with the following three traits, you’ve to data-mine.
There is no place more effective to learn about your product/service better than the people you wish to serve. Yes, your end-consumers can provide you with plentiful information on how the brand serves.
Start by learning about how your consumer feels about the product/service from review based platforms. If you’re just starting out with your business, select a bunch of users and acquire feedback.
Other than that, see what your competitors are doing in the digital market.
You can do so by searching them out on Quora, Buzzsumo, and Google Trends. Find the topics that relate to your brand (product/service) and then do vertical videos to inspire and motivate audiences.
Tip: Make short stories of your data-mined content first and then publish it on Instagram Stories. It will give you insight into which content is effectively performing. Then, create an IGTV session on it.
Hack # 2: Repurposing Your Existing Social Media Content for IGTV
The second hack on our list today is the act of repurposing your existing social media content. Go on a spree, go through your YouTube videos, Facebook videos, Instagram stories, SnapChat stories, etc.
Repurposing content will help you save up your time on producing more original content. Plus, it will get you started with IGTV somewhere. By posting what you already have, you can help viewers remind about your brand. It can explain what your brand was about and consequently rekindle connections.
Not only are you able to tap into your customer market’s soft spot, but you will also be able to make an emotional connection with them. This connection is everything that will allow you to sell them on IG.
Tip: Instagram TV is more focused on vertical viewing so make sure all your videos are re-edited to offer vertical viewing. If your video is optimized horizontally, it will stop users from getting engaged.
It means no comments, no likes, no exposure, no traffic, and utter waste of your time and effort.
Hack # 3: Educate the Audience on Your Brand
If you want to create an emotional connection with your audience, all you ever have to do is show them what you’re doing and how it is changing lives and businesses. So show them what you’re doing.
You can start by explaining,
- What your company is about?
- How it is helping the end-consumer?
- How it is adding value to their lives?
- What is your end-goal or vision?
You can create a vertical video easily by using a smartphone and then upload that video on IGTV.
By adding to your consumer knowledge, and giving them something of value or awareness can help your brand stand ahead for the rest of your competition. IGTV is in the process of populating, and something that adds value to people or educates them in an entertaining way scores all the attention.
Does your brand hold enough potential to give the audience what they seek? You must know your USPs as you’ve already been marketing your product around the Internet for quite some time.
Hack # 4: Create Recurring Content and Publish it on Regular Intervals
To survive long-term on Instagram, make recurring content and keep publishing it at regular intervals. It’s like running your own show with proper production going live at an appropriate time for viewers.
If you’re a successful brand or treading the same path towards earning success, your audience will simply love what you are creating and offering them so why not strike some consistency within it?
Publish a small 20-minute video at least every single day of the week at the same time as you did publish it during the previous one. If you are successful, you will find yourself a loyal followers’ club.
Search up interesting topics that closely relate to your business. Put together all the content that you think is best for your show. Now, take 1-2 days off and put together that show with a definitive twist.
Edit your work and segment it into different episodes and then post your work on IGTV.
Not only will your business go a step beyond success, but it will also give it a boost to a new level.
Tip: Modern-day people have become smart. And they love predictability because things turn out just the way they expect them. A recurring content episode after episode will give them the ability to predict what your future show will be all about. And that will only add more value to them exclusively.
Hack # 5: Host Q&A Sessions, Engage with Your Followers
One really simple way to increase engagement on your IGTV brand videos is to host a question and answer session using your Instagram account. Here, you can make use of your Instagram Stories.
Host a small question such as,
“Do you want to learn the trick behind reaching 10,000 followers in ten days?” and leave it with a voting option for YES and NO. It will allow you to measure how many are interested in learning.
Make sure that none of the questions which you post are open-ended questions as they can lead your audience astray. Now, you don’t want them to ponder and get stuck in everlasting theories, do you?
Ask a question where they feel interested in responding to you back with an answer. For instance, the above question asked can return back many other questions in the form of answers like,
- “How should I increase engagement?”
- “What is the best strategy to convert a lead?”
- “Where should I begin or what should I do, I am so confused?”
All of such questions can carve the perfect path forward for running a 5 episode IGTV show for the audience. In this way, they can stay hooked with you and would very much like to learn from you.
For example, if you’re a weight loss business and want to sell your brand among people, you can start with something very simple such as, “Do you want to drop 30 pounds in the next 60 days?” and then create a complete guide to educate your audience on how to do it through your IGTV by marketing your weight loss product within the content, why in the world wouldn’t your audience feel like buying?
You’ve asked them a question they always wanted to ask themselves, you’ve provided them with value and you’ve also educated them on how to do it with your product! There’s no point not to purchase.
Tip: Those who do purchase product/service from you, never forget to ask them to write testimonials. These words of appreciation will later come in handy when you will publish them on your website.
In the End…
I would like to conclude this article by just saying that Instagram is the future of marketing. And if you aren’t cashing the tools that take you beyond Instagram, then you’re definitely missing out a chunk. IGTV is the new buzz in town, and it’s where the future audience is going to be. As a brand, if you fail to cash this budding moment, you might fail to create an opportunity for your business and yourself.
Have you considered introducing IGTV as a part of your social media campaign? Now is the time.
