Instagram has been growing in popularity for a few years now, and if you ask anyone, they’d agree that it has become the ‘in’ thing today. [Instagram is the new ‘in thing’ these days, and it has been for a few years now.] With younger generations flocking to the platform at an increasingly large rate, Instagram has now become one of the social media platforms that you cannot help being on. Did you know that about 70% of Instagram users are below 34 years?
If you’re a brand looking to grow awareness and leads, you guessed it – Instagram is the place to be.
According to Zippia, about 95 million photos and videos are posted on Instagram every day. While this is a huge number, believe it or not, it is still possible to stand apart from the crowd and make your brand presence known.
However, in order to get noticed as a brand, you need to create the best video content that you can.
If you’re looking to get started with posting video content on Instagram, we have put together a list of the various video types that you can explore and upload on the platform.
Types of Instagram videos
As of today, there are a few types of videos but just these few can be quite engaging. Here is the list:
- Instagram Feed Video
As the name suggests, an Instagram feed video is the video that you upload or post on your main feed. This video shows up on your followers’ feeds and stays on your profile. Although, there is an option to archive and unarchive it once uploaded. Instagram feed videos can be made and edited on Instagram video editors like illusto.
- Instagram Stories
Instagram stories can either be in the form of photos or videos. Videos can be a maximum of 15 seconds in order to be posted as a single story. Instagram stories also disappear after 24 hours of posting, but they remain in your stories archive. These videos aren’t displayed on your followers’ feeds, but appear as a circle around your profile picture, on the top of the app.
Check out our other blog- 20+ tips to grow your brand using Instagram story ads!
- Instagram Live
Similar to other social media platforms, you can go on a live stream on Instagram. Instagram Live is also displayed in the same place that your Instagram stories are. Once your live stream ends, life will vanish. However, there is also an option to add it to your story, whereas similar to stories, it will vanish after 24 hours of posting.
- IGTV
IGTV came out in 2018 and stands for Instagram TV. IGTV has a separate app and is also accessible and integrated within the main Instagram app. An IGTV video can be anywhere between 15 seconds and 10 minutes. If you have a verified account, your IGTV video can go up to 30 minutes too. Unlike Instagram Live, IGTV videos are not live but are pre-recorded. IGTV also remains on your channel unless deleted.
- Instagram Reels
Instagram reels are definitely known by one and all. Arguably the most popular video format on Instagram’s platform, reels have taken over the social world by storm. Reels were inspired by TikTok and have grown to become a huge hit. Videos and video clips anywhere between 15 to 90 seconds, recorded either directly on the Instagram camera or pre-saved in the photo gallery can be posted as reels.
- Instagram Video Ads
Instagram video ads are video advertisements that are paid for in order to be shown to a decided target audience. These videos usually have a call to action wherein your Instagram profile or website is linked for viewers to know more or buy. Some brands get ads made through an ad maker.
10 creative video ideas for Instagram
Now that you know everything there is to know about the various types of Instagram videos, here is a list of a variety of popular and interesting video ideas that you can use to bring your brand to the forefront.
- Product tutorials and demos
The kind of video content that flourishes on a platform like Instagram is short-form video content. Create video demonstrations and tutorials on your product and how your customers and potential converts can use your product in both traditional and unique ways. Get creative and use captions, music, and so on to add more to your product tutorial videos. You could either make these videos in the Instagram feed format, the reel format, or even the stories format.
- User testimonials
User testimonials are always a yes when it comes to growing your brand. Request satisfied and happy customers to speak of their experiences with your brand. Social proofing is one of the best ways to build brand trust and awareness. So, don’t shy away from getting customers to talk about your brand in front of a camera. User-generated content actually has a 4.5% higher rate of conversion.
- Topicals and moment marketing videos
As the name suggests, moment marketing videos are usually based on a particular topic that is trending or happening in the world or around you at a given moment. Making sure your topical videos are relevant to your audience as well as timely will greatly increase your chances of getting noticed. These can be turned into fun reels, stories, video ads, and so on. You could even get on a live stream and discuss a topic and how your brand is doing in regards to it.
- Sneak peeks
Sneak peeks or teasing your products is a great way to get your customers and followers excited about something. Simply showing a glimpse of a design or a part of the product will keep your audience interested and on their toes. Adding a “coming soon” along with a potential date or time will keep your audience waiting in anticipation and might even help your new product get a better turnout.
- Influencer collaborations
Get higher engagement and more views by collaborating with influencers in your niche. Influencers already have a platform of their own and fans and followers who adore and appreciate them. By collaborating with them, you are giving your brand a chance to get noticed by a whole new audience and potentially bring in more sales and customers you.
- Brand videos
Brand videos are a nice way to put your brand out there – your core values, your motivations, current products and services, your plans for the future, and everything else about your brand. Painting a picture of what your brand is all about and where it plans to go with its customers is a good way to build awareness and interest in it.
- Behind-the-scenes videos
Behind-the-scenes videos are a great way to harness customer support and trust. Showing a not-so-perfect but more human side to your business and your work will always help customers trust what you do more. Footage of your brand’s culture, various processes, and the team can be shared in various video formats and in different ways such as a time-lapse or a transition video.
- Trending video ideas
Hopping on the latest Instagram trends is a sure-shot way to jump on the bandwagon and get yourself in there. While some trends last a few months, others are there for a season, and others are universal and can be done all year long. Instagram trends are pretty addictive and always fun, so even though it’s similar videos using the same songs or the same transitions, audiences actually seem to enjoy it nonetheless. Get illusto as your personal video ads editor today.
- A run-through of your products/services
A product tour is a great idea to showcase your line of products and different themes, all put into a single video. Your audience will get a bird’s eye view of your product range, which will in turn help them to gain more awareness as well as engage more. This run-through can either permanently stay on your profile in the form of a feed video, or it can only be there for a shorter duration of 24 hours through stories. With the highlights feature, it’s also possible to organize your stories and leave them on your profile for more than a day.
- Limited time offers
Introducing limited-time offers and discounts through fun videos will keep your audience on its toes. Done well through videos and various features like music, GIFs, stickers, and so on, your audience will know that they need to hurry up and grab a product before it’s too late. Build excitement, urgency, and engagement through these videos.
Finally, a few helpful tips that we would suggest to grow your brand on Instagram is to keep it simple but keep it trendy. Keep up with the latest trends and features entering the Insta-space and adapt accordingly. Using hashtags and captions are some ways to boost engagement too. Just remember, Instagram is catering to younger audiences, and what they want is quick, fun, and easy to digest, so, just give them that!
