By Paul Harrison
The Instagram influencer game picked up pace in mid-2019 when Instagram rolled out an update which offered exclusive accounts for users such as public figures, content producers, artists, and influencers. Further, this update acknowledged the importance of influencers and content creators on the platform. The Instagram creator account also comes with creator tools that are required to create, maintain and keep an eye on all minute details necessary to be in track.
Hobo.Video is all for Instagram influencers to do well in what they do. Hence, an article dedicated to Instagram creator accounts and its tools, if, Instagram influencers have overlooked some of the features the application offers to the users.
Image source Google
Why, Instagram creator account?
With Instagram emerging as the most used and preferred social media platform and users not just sharing what’s happening in their life and pictures were taken on vacations. Some started talking about products and services they have used in order to recommend them to others.
In the age of Instagram stories congratulating people and wishing them on their birthdays replace greeting cards, talking about products people loved using on Instagram, became the new word of mouth. Identifying and recognizing the trend prevailing amidst the people of Generation Z, many brands approached these regular and consistent users who post and have garnered some following from fellow users.
In a short span of time, Instagram influence became different from traditional advertisements.
Back when Instagram influencing became a thing amongst users, there were no other any special tools or features offered by Instagram to empower influencing. Influencers with their following growing day by day had to keep an account on the followers and the reach of their posts using the “Insights” options in Instagram business accounts.
The account whose purpose was to serve businesses and brands became a go-to place for influencers trying to pep their influencing game. Being provided with data on follower demographics, their actions and content, Instagram influencers were able to analyse and assess their post’s performances and how they are being received by their masses.
This advent of Instagram creator account gave the influencers every reason to shift from using a business account to a creator account.
Instagram business vs Creator account.
As the name goes Instagram business was meant to be used by brands and businesses with Call-to-action feature being one of the principal features offered by this account.
Some of them were-
1. Detailed insights on audience demographic and other metrics.
2. The right time to post, in order to get maximum reception and engagement.
3. Call-to-action buttons to book appointments on a single click.
4. Promoting Instagram posts as advertisements.
5. Posts containing products had a direct link to eCommerce platforms and websites making the purchase easier for users.
6. A label under the name of the business, to be easily identifiable.
In an effort to separate businesses from Influencers. The Instagram creator account gives some tools that specifically cater to the influencers who are not related to the traditional model.
Detailed growth data
1. Day to day followers data Business profile offered only weekly follower stats whereas with creator profiles the access to the data of followers and un-followers. This helps them keep a tab on how their posts impact their following.
2. Instagram Creator Studio One of the features that stood out from the pre-existing features is the Instagram creator studio.
Image source Instagram
The Instagram creator dashboard offers the following features
1. A one-stop place to check on all your video, photo, carousel, stories and IGTV content.
2. Keeping track of posts’ performance and understanding which is working and which one is not.
3. The utilisation of filters in order to make searches easier and for better organisation.
4. Analysing the followers and knowing the best time to post as to get maximum engagement.
5. Knowing the actions taken by followers after engagement with your content.
6. Access to know the reach and total impressions of your content.
The messaging feature with the Instagram creator account is the saviour for influencers.
Tab messaging
Instagram creator account comes with a new streamlined manner of messaging, as influencers are swamped with messages from friends, followers and non-followers too. Keeping your messages sorted and prioritized pays when being an influencer.
With people representing a brand that could choose you to be the influencer messaging and establishing contact with you at the same time as your friends planning a road trip and hundreds of DMs from your followers enquiring about the product endorsed in your latest post that went online a couple of hours ago, it can be overwhelming to seeing your phone buzzing incessantly with notifications.
The 2 tab inbox from Instagram gives you the luxury of categorizing the messages as Primary, General and Requests.
Image source Google
Primary Messages you want to be notified about and are important that needs an immediate reply.
General Messages from followers who you do not follow back. This section is also where most of the messages go. So, you are not perturbed by hundreds of notifications.
Request Messages from your non-followers go into the Request section. The status of the message depends on your response to the invite. So you know the drill.
Of all the features that Instagram offers to its creator account users, there are some other features that are available to every other user too. Moreover, they can be used in putting out their content to reach the masses. This may create a good impression on the influencers if they master exploiting the tools to its fullest.
IGTV
Though Instagram allows uploading video posts, it comes with time constraints of 1 minute. Or a long video can be posted in a thread of multiple 1-minute videos.
The advent of IGTV made things easier in order to engage followers by giving a platform to upload videos in longer formats. However, standard Instagram accounts can only accommodate 10 Minute IGTV content. Whereas, larger accounts such as the ones with a larger following and verified accounts can upload videos that are 60 minutes long. But they have to be uploaded through a computer.
Why, IGTV?
The existing and most used feature of Instagram is Instagram stories. The reason why it is said the most used format of video sharing is spontaneity. Instagram story-worthy moments are documented when people are on the move and come across something worthy of being shared. For instance, like a beautiful sunset or a band performing by geo-tagging the location it is performing in. Further, it is a nice way to tell people what you are up to.
Since, Instagram stories, stay only for 24 hrs it does not give people the trouble of overthinking about posting it. That is the best part of stories they give you the liberty to be spontaneous, impromptu and used to post a day to day happenings in life.
Whereas, IGTV is exactly the opposite of Stories. They are going to stay forever on your profile unless you take it off. Hence, the seriousness creeps in when producing IGTV content.
Above all, the feature can be leveraged by influencers easily.
Impact of IGTV on the Influencer marketing landscape
Instagram has become the most primary platform for influencers. Thanks to the ease with which all the followers can be reached. Be it, Direct messages, polls and Q&A on stories, etc. The influencer marketing concept was adopted by many people. But the only drawback was to communicate through a longer video format. Instagram stories offering long videos to be presented in multiple 15-sec videos. But seeing a long streak of videos following one another overwhelms the followers and makes them skip the profile.
So, Instagram influencers had to bank on apps like Youtube in order to curate and present content in video format. As a result, it demanded the audience a change of application, from Instagram to Youtube. Further, many people did not wish the transition and preferred scrolling through their feed. This need for transition from one application to another resulted in losing out of the audience severely. And only a fraction of them bothered to skip.
IGTV was one such effort to ensure the consumption of content on the very same platform. Further, people found it easy.
Reasons
One of the main reasons IGTV stood out from Youtube is the need to not search for videos. Instagram’s algorithm finds users’ areas of interests and their engagement to specific kinds of content while slipping them into their feed seamlessly, which makes users skip the video as it is within their niche.
Instagram influencers make use of IGTV to produce videos mostly on unboxing, tutorials and reviews of products they are engaging. Which gives the audience a perspective of the product being endorsed so that they can decide on whether buying the product or not.
These videos help the influencers to establish their own of presenting the content which makes them unique. Moreover, by being consistent and striving to deliver the best at what they do, IGTV helps them gain regular visitors to check out what’s new content from them and trust them and the products they endorse.
Shooting vertical IGTV videos
Shooting the video can be done by using a mobile phone’s camera or professional cameras mounted at 90 degrees. Using the grid option in the phone’s camera application helps you to position yourself better.
Some of the important things to be taken into consideration while producing IGTV content are-
Video resolution and size
Though IGTV is optimal for vertical videos, horizontally oriented videos can also be streamed using IGTV. The aspect ratio of the vertical video has to be 9: 16 and horizontal video with an aspect ratio of 16: 9.
The minimum frame rate of 30 FPS and a minimum resolution of 720 pixels.
Maximum file size of videos that are 10 minutes or less than 10 minutes is 650 MB and for videos, up to 60 minutes is 3.6GB.
Video length
The minimum requirement to be an IGTV video is 1 minute. Uploading videos up to 15 minutes can be done using mobile devices and larger videos up to 60 minutes has to be done using the web.
Editing videos for IGTV
After filming video content putting it together can be done by various applications. So that it will help you to give your videos a professional touch. Apps like Inshot, Videoleap and Videograde also help you to add stickers, text, music, remove background from videos and colour grading your videos.
Hobo.Video offers micro and nano influencers a platform to strengthen their Influencer marketing endeavours while increasing their reach to wider users.
YASH RAJ MISHRA
Taniya Santani