How to Choose the Right Video Option on Instagram

Since its launch, Instagram has exploded from a personal photo-sharing app to one of the top social platforms for Influencers. While it’s still full of filtered selfies and food pics, Instagram has also become one of the most powerful online mediums for companies to increase brand engagement, promote products, and drive sales with videos.

With over 1.32 billion monthly active accounts and 70% of shoppers turning to Instagram for their next download or purchase, it is a vital platform for Influencers to utilize. So, the question is not if, but how to effectively leverage Instagram to its full potential.

The desire for video content, especially among Millennials and Gen Z, grows every year. And Instagram has responded accordingly with a wide array of different video options and formats to engage your audience. Below outlines the different video options on Instagram and the best uses.

Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are up to 60-second videos that disappear after 24 hours.  They also appear in a queue at the top of your followers’ feeds. They are a great way to share:

·         Giveaways, shoutouts, and contests

·         Polls and quizzes

·         New launches

Instagram Highlights

When you choose to save an Instagram Story, it becomes a “Highlight” that is featured at the top of your account profile. Since Highlights remain on your profile, you can use them to share:

·         Tips, FAQs, and quick tutorials

·         App promotions

·         ‘Evergreen’ branded promotions

Instagram Live

As the name suggests, these are live videos that appear on your Instagram Stories. Live video is an excellent way to drive conversions. It also allows you to interact with your followers in real-time using the chat feature. Use Live to create a sense of urgency to engage with what you are promoting.

Reels

Reels allow you to create videos between 15 and 90 seconds long and add sound, filters, and other effects. One of the best things about Reels is that they can be viewed by users who don’t follow your brand in the ‘Explore’ or ‘Reels’ section. Use Reels to create entertaining videos that will attract NEW followers.

Overall, you should use Instagram’s numerous video formats (e.g. Stories, Reels, etc.) to reach and engage with your audience in different ways and increase conversions for your campaigns.