Instagram unveiled IGTV, its platform for long-form videos, on June 20th, 2018. IGTV, which was dubbed “the next generation’s TV” and was made available on both the original Instagram app and its own standalone app, was meant to compete with YouTube for mobile users’ attention.

Nearly two years later, IGTV has not achieved the enormous success it aimed for, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t made a significant impact.

In 2020, it may or may not be worthwhile for marketers and business owners to download the IGTV app. We won’t beat around the bush: It’s not appropriate for all types of businesses, but you should give it serious consideration if:

• Your Instagram Stories already get a lot of engagement.
• You’re curious about influencer marketing.

You operate a business-to-consumer (B2C) brand and market items like apparel, food, and fitness classes that are appealing to the eye or simple to flaunt.

You Want to Connect with The Gen Z and Millennial Crowd.

Here are 5 ways your company can profit from Instagram’s long-form video platform in 2022 and beyond if you believe IGTV might be a good fit for you.

1. No Need for Money or Equipment

The fact that IGTV has a low entry barrier is arguably its biggest benefit for small businesses. Really, all you require is a smartphone with a respectable camera.

No one is disputing the fact that creating engaging content and conducting audience research take time. However, if you post a few IGTV videos over the course of a month, you can see how things go.

2. Mobile Is Where Video Is Heading

Cisco’s Annual Internet Report predicts that by 2021, video will account for 82% of all internet traffic. Additionally, a growing portion of those video plays occurs on mobile devices each year.

There is no denying that mobile is the way of the future, so businesses must stop treating smartphones like a secondary screen and begin creating video content with mobile users in mind.

Businesses can experiment with mobile video strategies and produce smartphone-friendly content on IGTV. IGTV was designed for vertical videos like TikTok and Snapchat, but it now supports horizontal videos. Since the next popular video-sharing app will likely be vertical, get used to it now.

3. You Can Easily Increase Your Reach.

Re-uploading content from your company’s Facebook or YouTube page to IGTV can boost viewership.

You can cross-promote your IGTV original content on Twitter, email, and other marketing channels.

Since February 2019, you can share a 1-minute preview of your IGTV videos on your feed. Allowing viewers to tap “Keep Watching” to watch the full video can attract viewers who wouldn’t otherwise watch IGTV videos.

4. IGTV Viewers Show Greater Engagement

People frequently scroll past Facebook videos and watch YouTube videos in the background while engaging in other activities, but IGTV viewers are a much more attentive group of people.

Although only a small portion of Instagram users have the separate IGTV app downloaded, that smaller audience is very interested and content-hungry.

In conclusion? On YouTube, you might get more views, but on Instagram, you’ll probably get more likes, comments, and shares.

5. Market to Millennials and Generation Z

Currently in their prime years for purchasing, the millennial generation is predicted to spend $1.4 trillion (that’s trillion with a “T”) in 2020.

Gen Z isn’t just a group of young adults without jobs anymore. It’s nothing to sneeze at that this upcoming generation will spend about $140 billion in 2020!How can one win over these generations? by, to use an analogy, “fishing where the fish are.” Since more than half of Instagram users are under 34, it is reasonable to assume that the audience for IGTV is at least as young.

Tips for Businesses to Make the Most of IGTV

Be dependable! The most watched videos on IGTV are series. Give your audience something to anticipate by updating that series weekly or monthly. Try a monthly success story, interview, or how-to video, but be creative!

An expert touch is helpful. Yes, IGTV’s low entry barrier is one of its most appealing features, but a professional touch can add a lot. Working with the best video production companies will give your content that extra polish if your business already has a significant Instagram following and you want to make a good first impression with them on IGTV.

Put a call to action in there. Always include a compelling call to action in your videos to ensure that viewers have somewhere to go after watching them. This is made simpler by IGTV, which lets you link to products in the descriptions of your videos (something you can’t do on a regular Instagram post).

Consider the Silent Viewers. That is, the rising number of individuals who favor silent mobile video viewing. Consider adding clear and simple-to-read subtitles to your IGTV videos to make them more suitable for silent viewing.

The Lesson

With a low entry barrier, IGTV is a fantastic platform for video marketing for brands.

You might struggle to gain traction with IGTV if your Instagram profile isn’t established or you don’t get a lot of engagement.

As smartphones continue to dominate the world, learning to make great mobile-friendly, vertical video content will give you an edge on the next big mobile video platform.

Before you invest heavily, give IGTV a try. Make two to four videos, then evaluate the results.

Although it’s not a “must-have” in your arsenal of digital marketing tools, IGTV is something to think about, particularly if your company is B2C.