7 creative ways your brand can use IGTV

In June 2018, IGTV was launched. Influencers and vloggers welcomed it and saw the potential. And while the vertical format can seem a little bit odd, Instagram TV is a great new platform your brand can use to grow.

Finding the inspiration to use this format in a creative way can be tricky and for some businesses it can be difficult to motivate the time and investment. Sure, it won’t lead to instant ROI. But if you’re not using it, you’re missing out on a great way to engage with your followers. Because today, social media marketing is all about building relationships.

There are a number of ways you can use IGTV for anything from product launches to industry news, special offers and campaigns or just simply to engage with your followers.

Here’s some inspiration to kickstart your creativity and help you get started.

Share a glimpse behind the scenes

When we say “behind the scenes”, we mean it. Don’t be afraid of taking off the mask and show the real you. Whether you’re a fashion retailer or a software company, being honest and transparent is always appreciated and your followers will feel more connected and closer to your brand. Here are some ideas of angles for “behind the scenes” content:

A regular day at the officeWhat is it like to work at your company? What are your brand values? By being transparent and honest, you also become more trustworthy and build a stronger connection with your audience. Give your followers a treat for following you.

• Are you a fashion brand? Show them a day in your atelier.
• Are you a digital marketing and PR company? Share real life video footage of fun brainstorming sessions and creative idea meetings.

The more human your brand appears, the better. Your followers don’t want a perfect corporate image of your company. They want authentic and honest content that gives them an accurate picture of who you and your team members really are when the lights are off.

How it gets madeCSR is growing increasingly important and is today a crucial part of every consumer’s purchase decision. For fashion brands or any brand manufacturing something locally, IGTV is a perfect format for giving your community an idea of how the stuff they purchase actually gets made.

• Give them the real picture and don’t put on a show just for marketing purposes. Your customers will eventually see through that.
• Create a story! Show them the whole process from start to finish, from the actual idea generation and designing process to the manufacturing and packaging. Showcase all the relevant details, and be specific if you can — what materials are you using? Why do you use them? How does their product affect the environment and can your customers trust that your company takes responsibility?

These are questions that should be answered, and to answer them truthfully, you need to also live your values. And remember, show, don’t tell. Instead of talking about it, show them that they can trust you.

Your customers will love you for being transparent.

Make it your own branded news channel

IGTV is what it sounds like, TV. It’s your own channel where you can do everything and anything, so make the most out of it! Position yourself as an expert and thought-leader in your field by sharing news related to your industry.

But don’t just film yourself or your co-workers and upload it, make it look well-made and spend some time editing your video. Add colors or filters that gives your video an aesthetic that matches your brand look.

Decorate a corner of your office with your logo and paint the walls in your brand colors, so that you can easily record new material without having to spend hours preparing.

Create cliffhangers

You want your audience to come back for more. By using some classic tricks that filmmakers and authors have been using since the beginning of time, you can keep your viewers on their toes and have them wonder what’s going to come next.

• Don’t give everything away in the first episode, share previews and sneak peeks of future content to build anticipation.
• Think storytelling! To keep your viewers hooked, you need to engage them emotionally. If you’re launching a product or a new campaign, create a story around it and launch it in several episodes.

Do the opposite of what your audience expects

Does your audience expect branded, fast, snackable content? Give them unpolished, slow, chewable content. When you become predictable, you become boring and your followers will lose interest.

It’s been said before and maybe you’re getting tired of the phrase by now, but when it comes to social media marketing, it’s an advice worth following: Think outside the box!

Since IGTV hasn’t been around for very long, there’s no right or wrong. Yet. Set your own standards and be different. Look at what other companies in your industry or niche are doing and then go in a different direction.

Record shows and events

For fashion brands, IGTV is a perfect platform to showcase products and new clothing lines. But don’t stick to just ads. Here’s what you can do:

• If you’re a B2C brand, use models to show your products or even better — share clips from fashion shows and events. Use IGTV to create video content for showcasing models walking the runway, it will put your products in a more inspirational context.
• If you’re a B2B brand, you can still use the platform to share recordings from events, fairs and exhibitions.

Don’t worry if your footage isn’t perfect, the purpose in this context is to give your viewers a “live” feeling, as if they’re actually there. Your audience doesn’t want a perfect TV commercial, they want an experience.

Let influencers show it

For consumer brands and especially fashion brands, IGTV is great for involving influencers to show how they use your products and how they match different pieces from your collection. It also makes your content more varied and interesting.

Showing your products in daylight, worn by ordinary people in normal situations will give your audience a more realistic view of your products and your brand. Because you want your customers to be satisfied with their purchases, both from a return cost perspective and a brand image perspective.

Remember that you don’t have to use the biggest influencers. In fact, micro-influencers with a smaller but loyal following can have a better impact, especially if you’re in niche industry.

For more information, contact:

Helena Nordh Myhrman, Head of Content, Flowbox
070-4402523, helena.myhrman@getflowbox.com

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