Instagram has more than 800 million users per month and is a key platform for influencer marketing. Instagram is a popular platform for influencer marketing. Businesses of all sizes can use it to connect to influential people to promote and grow their brand awareness. Instagram TV (IGTV), a new chapter in influencer marketing via Instagram, provides companies and influencers with a range of tools that allow them to engage with users with original content and encourage purchases.

Continue reading to find out more about IGTV and influencer marketing.

What is IGTV?

IGTV is a long-form platform for a video that can be accessed through Instagram as well as a separate app for Android or iOS. Videos on IGTV are available in 15-second increments to 60 minutes and can contain a call-to-action (CTA), via the “swipe-up” feature.

You can comment on, like, and share IGTV videos.

7 ways IGTV has changed influencer marketing on Instagram

Instagram’s IGTV continues to be a strong competitor to YouTube and Snapchat. While YouTube, and Snapchat all play a part in marketing, Instagram TV makes it even more competitive. IGTV is changing influencer marketing.

These seven features can be introduced:

1. Videos in long-form

Long-form video is the most popular IGTV feature. These videos can be up to 60 minutes in length — unverified accounts are limited to 10 minutes. Before IGTV, users were limited to posting 15-second videos on Instagram Stories and one-minute videos on their Instagram feeds.

This meant that Instagram influencers had the opportunity to speak with users via video. Many users responded by sharing their thoughts via photo captions. Instagram allows influencers to connect, share and communicate via video by adding IGTV.

Influencers and businesses can increase conversions by more than 85 percent. After users view a video, brand association is increased by nearly 140 percent

2. Creator channels

IGTV introduced creator channels that link to your Instagram account. A link will be displayed above your profile’s image grid when you upload a video or influencer to your IGTV channel creator channel. This feature makes it easy to point users to your IGTV channel.

Users don’t even need to download the IGTV App to view a video. You can view an influencer’s review about your product or service in the Instagram app. This makes it easier for you to get views and engagement. Users only need to view your video.

In contrast, if Instagram demanded the IGTV App, you would have to convince users first.

3. Calls-to-action

Instagram TV allows you to add a call to action, similar to Instagram Stories. This feature is beneficial because users already know it from their Instagram Stories experience. They are familiar with the feature and know how to swipe up to find out more.

You can include multiple CTAs throughout your video with a running time of at least an hour. However, you may aim for a shorter duration. For example, an influencer might direct viewers to their blog to read about your product, before inviting them to visit your site. You can create multiple videos with different calls to action depending on the partnership.

One person may ask for users to read about your product via an influencer’s site, while another might suggest that they follow your Instagram account. This approach allows you to create content for each stage of the buying process.

4. Direct share

Sharing is a feature of every social media platform, and IGTV continues this trend. You can share, like, comment and comment on your video or that of your influencer. This is a better option than Facebook because users can only share the video with another user and not to their feed.

Direct sharing often means that the recipient of the message has a greater interest in it. Because the video is related to something they are interested in or would like to learn more about, they will be more inclined to watch it. A user with a greater interest is more likely to be in your target audience.

This can help you achieve your influencer marketing goals such as brand awareness, followership, and social media mentions.

5. Channel monetization

IGTV’s initial launch did not offer a monetization option. Instagram plans to offer monetization options in the future. Instagram is following the same path as YouTube by introducing monetization. This allows content creators to make money from their content.

This could result in more influencers being active on Instagram. For example, a YouTube content creator might start creating content for their IGTV channel. This could help bring in new audiences to Instagram. Your company may partner with influencers that have multiple social media profiles to facilitate this migration.

An influencer might promote your product to their Instagram followers instead of just YouTube.

6. Integration of Facebook Watch

Instagram is an exclusive property of Facebook. It makes sense that Instagram TV supports Facebook Watch, Facebook’s video-on-demand service. This function is similar to an existing feature that allows users to automatically share their Instagram posts on their Facebook accounts. The only difference is that you are sharing your IGTV content on your Facebook Watch channel.

Facebook boasts more users than 1.4 million per day, which is a huge advantage for companies using influencer marketing. You’re not limited to the 500,000,000 daily users of Instagram. Instead, you can reach a wider audience. You can get more engagement for your video content if you have a wider audience.

Consumers are 10x more likely to interact with videos than with articles. Your comments can give you valuable insights into your customers’ preferences, needs, and pain points. This information can be used to develop future content. 

Handbag customers may complain about the lack of pockets in handbags if you are selling them. You respond by designing the next line of bags that have several pockets.

7. Continue watching and auto-play

Autoplay is available on IGTV, just like Instagram Stories. Your videos will automatically play when a user visits your channel. Videos from other accounts that the user follows will also play once they are done. This feature keeps users on your channel. 

They can also swipe to navigate between videos. This is a great tool for influencers who post frequently to their channel. Users can also pause videos and resume where they left off using the “Continue Watching” tab. The “Following tab can be used to quickly find the content of influencers.

This design is a great addition to Instagram Stories’ time-sensitive nature. In the past, Instagram Stories would include additional information about companies, but many of their followers wouldn’t be able to see them in time. IGTV allows influencers to promote your product via their stories and channels.

There is three chances for your target audience to see your product or services. It’s a huge opportunity when you consider that 90% of consumers credit videos with helping them decide to buy.

Are you ready to create an Instagram IGTV channel?

Start your IGTV marketing campaign with a quick overview of Instagram. Learn more about Instagram as a platform for marketing by calling or contacting us today!