5 Reasons to Use Video Marketing on Instagram

Did you know that there are 1 billion monthly active accounts on Instagram? And half of these accounts are active on a daily basis! With consumers spending more time on Instagram, you’re likely seeing more businesses, including your competitors, starting to put serious effort into Instagram.

And what you might not realize is that video is becoming increasingly important on Instagram as well. Instagram Stories, IGTV, and video ads have led to a rise in video on Instagram.

Why your business needs video marketing on Instagram

Trying to decide whether to add video marketing to your Instagram strategy? The time is ripe for brands to tell their stories with video, and here are 5 reasons why Instagram is the place to do it.

1. Instagram Is the Place to Get Discovered

In January 2018, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg shared that two-thirds of visitors a business’s Instagram profile aren’t yet following the brand. Just a few months ago, Facebook shared that about 20% of the time spent on Instagram is in the Explore tab. It’s undeniable that Instagram is a place for brands to get discovered and the place that consumers are scoping out brands.

With a photo being worth a 1000 words, video can help convey even more. Video offers an opportunity to showcase your personality, team, and stories in a compelling manner. One example that comes to mind is this video from The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI).

After testing square videos in the Facebook Feed and realizing they received more likes and shares than landscape videos, JGI took square videos to Instagram. Telling the story of a chimp named George, who was rescued thanks to JGI’s efforts, this Animoto video received over 800k views. This is an incredible feat, given JGI has about 550k Instagram followers. This video, honing in on one story in 60 seconds, helped JGI’s account get discovered by animal-loving Instagram users the world over.

2. Consumers Love Video On Instagram

Every year in our annual survey, we ask whether consumers have recently made a purchase due to a brand’s video on various social platforms. Our October 2018 study revealed that Instagram was the platform that saw the largest increase in purchases thanks to video., year over year.

To boot, in the same survey, consumers were clear about what their favorite form of content from brands is on social media. Video was the clear winner. If you’re looking to stand out, video marketing is a great tool to have in your Instagram toolbelt to win over the hearts and minds of consumers.

3. The Instagram Feed is Ripe for Video

In this same survey, we discovered that 73% of consumers state that they’re impacted by a brand’s social media presence when making a purchase decision, and 32% look at a brand’s social media accounts before their website.

Knowing that the majority of people discovering your business on Instagram aren’t following you yet, the feed is a great place to showcase who you are as a brand—and video offers you a wonderful opportunity to stand out from other types of content in the feed.

Plus, using hashtags within your captions, leveraging the geolocation features, and tagging people and profiles in your videos can help help get you in front of new customers in the feed, even if they aren’t visiting your Instagram profile specifically.

Video makes a lot of sense for visual brands that can demonstrate a before and after, or a multitude of products. Real estate, fashion and beauty, photography, and other industries that have strong visuals should look to video.

Stylist Jessica M Reese of Pynk Butterfly creates square videos with Animoto in order to showcase all the different looks they are able to achieve. Using hashtags, they are able to have their video show-up far beyond just their followers’ feeds.

Brands that might not have a lot of visuals can take a more text-based approach to Instagram videos. Pair text with the collection of over 1 million Getty Images, included with an Animoto subscription, to educate and inspire.

4. Instagram Stories Provide Opportunities to Connect and Convert

1 in 3 self-reported daily active Instagrammers in the US, Brazil, Indonesia, and the UK indicated that they had become “more interested in a brand or product after seeing it on Instagram Stories.” It’s clear that Stories is a place where consumers are thinking about purchase decisions.

Our survey also showed that 47% of users on Instagram actually enjoy video ads in Stories.

It’s clear that Instagram is a key place for consumers to decide if a product or brand interests them. Your customers are heading to Instagram to decide what products or brands interest them. Being there with content that helps them get to know you will give you a leg up when it comes time for them to buy.

5. Video Drives The Most Engagement

Still not sure if video is right for your Instagram marketing? Check out this recent study.

Social media analytics tool Quinty did an exhaustive Instagram research. Analyzing over 9 million posts, they uncovered that video receives up to 21% more interactions than images on Instagram—yet photos are still the most popular post type.

There’s a unique opportunity for you and your business to stand out with video—a form of content that drives more interactions and that your competitors might not be leveraging.

Getting Started with Instagram Video Marketing

Instagram is going to continue to capture consumer’s attention throughout 2019, so there’s no time like the present to get started. Here are a few tips:

• Think mobile first. Since Instagram is a mobile platform, using square or vertical videos is key.
• **Consider feed vs. Stories. **Understand the nuanced differences between the Feed and Stories. For instance, about 65% of Instagram Stories are watched with sound-on, but the Feed is still primarily sound-off.
• Use hashtags. Including relevant hashtags, as well as locations and tagging of other relevant Instagram accounts, can help you get your content in front of more people.
• Use targeted advertising. Use ads to reach a targeted audience in Instagram Stories, as well as the Feed.

Ready to dive in? We’ve made it easy, with an array of customizable video templates designed for performance on social media. Try making your first video or join the Animoto Social Video Marketing Community on Facebook for more ideas and inspiration.