Instagram has been experimenting with the product leaving the users perplexed lately. Soon after announcing the change in sorting algorithms, they have now increased the maximum length of videos to 60 seconds. Instagram recently opened up to advertising and then came the one minute videos for advertisers. With this update however, everyone will be able to post the one minute videos.
Videos are clearly an important medium for Instagram and according to them, the time people spent watching videos increased by 40 percent. YouTube sees very high usage rate and Facebook videos have also started to pick up well. This update indicates that Instagram is also serious about the same and is trying to increase its appeal as a video sharing platform.
Travel brands and influencers have been using Instagram videos for a while now but if they choose to use longer videos, more efforts will be needed. Instagram says that it wants to offer more flexibility to the users, some claim that the higher limit would give Instagram more opportunities for video ads. The higher limit would allow brands to create a wider variety of content which means the platform might see increased usage by them.
It is certain that the change will force brands to go back to the drawing board to rethink the strategy, doing so might not be very easy. The fact that they are able to post longer videos doesn’t mean that the audience will watch. Attention spans are small and quality of content will continue to determine the success of brands of Instagram.
Marketers and brands who have got enthralling stories to tell and can make good use of anything above 15 seconds, this change can be a blessing. Many brands will be eager to make the best out of this new opportunity. However they shouldn’t consider it to be an announcement for repurposing their content. If you can do great with 7-8 second videos, don’t try to force a longer video or start reposting your YouTube videos on Instagram. Unless you have story worthy of taking up the 60 seconds, keep it sweet and short and focus on grabbing the attention of viewers. The recent algorithm changes will kick out a drab video anyway.
What do you think of this recent change in Instagram? How do you plan to leverage it for your brand? Do share with us.
