Since Instagram was purchased by Facebook, business owners’ interest in using the social media outlet for promotional purposes has skyrocketed. Besides, marketers have also started to integrate the app with their campaigns, which seems to bring success, views, and sales when it comes to advertising brands, products, and services.
Creating compelling Instagram video content has shortly become one of the biggest goals of both marketers and companies in different industries. And, today, if you’re not using the social media platform’s functionality to its fullest, you’re losing all the fun! Although photos also work for reaching part of your marketing goals, video content is proven to help brands reach significantly larger portions of the audience. To maximize the success of your video content on Instagram, learn how to create great video content, first. Here is some advice.
Although the aesthetics matter when creating video content, most of it fails to stir the waters of Instagram because they don’t have a clear goal or objective. Just like any type of digital content, your Instagram videos should be designed with a key objective.
Although this is an important point you should follow in all your Instagram videos, you don’t have to have a big announcement to make with each of your videos. Businesses can’t launch new products and services every day, after all.
Not every Instagram video is a press release. But, still, you have to use images and videos to emphasize and exaggerate the message you want to send through your videos. If you can’t decide which of your key-objectives to focus on in your video content, try to make separate videos for each of them. Avoid cluttering your videos with a ton of ideas.
Your videos should have emotion. Whether they’re beautiful, moving or just funny, make sure they move viewers. This will help you create more impactful and meaningful connections with your audience.
Think of the feelings you want to evoke to users when they think of your brand. This tip is tightly related to the previous one. To evoke emotion through your video content, you have to think of your key objectives.
For example, if you want your audience to feel joy after watching your content, use bright colours, pastels, and a series of playful motifs. Confetti, balloons, flowers, anything that helps you create a jolly context for your message.
Regardless of the emotion, you want to send, make sure you take the time to think about motifs. Be creative about it, have a unique approach, and use vivid imagery.
Pro Instagram marketers have solid advice to offer. To make your Instagram video content successful, include one call-to-action phrase. This will make your viewer more likely to do what you want them to, once they finish watching your content.
Please, remember that you don’t have to yell at your audience what step they should take next. You can just suggest it. For instance, if you promote a product or discount, tell your audience in the video description they can find a direct link to the product/promotion in your company’s profile bio.
If you just aim to boost your follower base, use the video caption to remind users to follow your official Instagram profile.
“Marketers should be creative and use the type of language and expressions their audience is more likely to react to. You may have already seen call-to-action phrases like “tag a friend who needs this” and so forth. Use your inner voice and creativity to achieve the desired results” says Angela Richards, the head of the digital marketing team at Supreme Dissertations.
Although you have 60 seconds to use your creativity and send the right message to your audience, it’s best if you can keep it short and sweet. Video content between 15 and 60 seconds seems to work best. Focus on promoting a single product, event, or idea. Don’t cram a ton of topics into a 90-seconds video, or else you’ll lose your audiences’ interest and attention.
If you fail to raise users’ interest in the first 2 seconds of your video, you lose them. This is how little time you have to make them watch more of your video. The key to success here is front-loading video content. Pack it with rich, colourful and visually-pleasing imagery and you’re all set.
However, choosing which frame should be displayed first is no easy job. You have two options. To show the default first frame of the video or to choose the middle frame of your video. Marketers find the middle frame segment to be more engaging and entertaining, so you can go with the safest option.
Topical and snappy video content is the king on Instagram. This is why you want to remain hyper-aware of future national events, releases, and celebrations. For example, if you have a retail business and the next series of Stranger Things is about to start soon, stock on branded T-shirts with the show or characters. Aggressively market the products. With all the hype around that show, people will love your approach. The same goes for big holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.
Do you know what platforms like Forbes, WowGrade, and Grammarly have in common? They all use important events to make their message stand out and connect with their audience. Pop culture and national events are your best friends when trying to create compelling Instagram video content.
You won’t be able to constantly feed your audience fresh content, and you know it. Shooting original pieces for every video you post is virtually impossible. But there is a secret to keeping video content fresh, no matter how hungry your audience is. Just invest in a handful of stock footage library and your own footage library. You can always reuse and recycle old content if you have the necessary vision.
However, the best advice we can offer here is to have a simple set up for your on-the-go footage studio. Every time you visit new places or attend events in the niche, bring your smartphone with you. Other elements like small lighting solutions and a tripod are always great investments.
Spice your video content a little to break users’ scrolling habit and grab their attention. Use techniques such as the jarring effect or other effects that mimic technical problems sparingly and you’re all set.
Although in the past audio didn’t play a huge role in Instagram video content, recently it has grown in importance. Today's users can turn the sound on for their videos, but as we all know it, most choose not to. It’s not a deal-maker or breaker, but it’s good to have some audio in your videos.
Creating great Instagram video content depends on a lot of elements and variables. But as long as you analyse and learn from the channels you admire, you are one step closer to achieving perfection.
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