Instagram is one of the most popular social networks available. It has attracted many businesses to it and customers love it equally. Engaging with a brand on Instagram is easy and simple and everything looks better in that beautiful simple design.
It has also changed a lot in the past year when it comes to the algorithm and this means that you need to change your strategy. Brands and publishers are already very good at refining the strategy that they have on Instagram and trying out different elements of video versus images to get the optimum engagement.
So, what should you do? Both mediums are very popular with users and they can both work equally well. However, you need to figure out what is the best mix for you. You need to understand the benefits of both mediums and then see what would work where and how. This is the beauty and drawbacks of social media, but you have to stay on top of trends if you want to keep on promoting your brand and reaping the benefits.
Video vs. Image
While it may be disappointing to hear, there is no conclusive answer in this area. You can’t go to video completely and you can’t rely on images completely. You have to make a healthy mix if you want to have a successful Instagram strategy. Instagram was based on images. But the world is much more inclined to watch videos nowadays. And yet, there is a certain charm of images that you just can’t forget.
So, you need to make a strong mix of both, just like most big brands do on instagram. The studies show that this strategy is working pretty well for them, which is good to hear when you’re not sure what to do.
There are some expectations – television brands will naturally post more videos, much more than photos. Fashion brands might be more inclined to post images. Your niche will be able to show you what’s the best combination to help you achieve the best results.
Another factor to keep in mind is that videos and pictures are used for different things and to get different results. You need to consider targets and goals of the brand and the business in general.
Picture Content
If you are looking at the stats, you will discover that picture content works better than video content if you are looking for something quick and effective way to get a lot of engagement. Posts with pictures get more likes than videos simply because they are easier to interact with, you don’t have to spend too much time with them and you can easily see what the message is. But the engagement that they generate isn’t that long term so you can only use it to a certain point. You need to post high quality images and you need to post a lot of them to get the most engagement, enough to lead to a conversion.
Video Content
Video works differently because it’s hard to use for engagement, especially if you want something quick. It takes a lot of resources and more effort as well as money to make a good video, much more than to take a simple picture. The users are more likely to like a picture they like than to watch a video and then interact with it. The short term engagement is thus much lower and may annoy you, especially with all the effort that goes into making a good video. But the short term stats shouldn’t fool you into using just one or the other. Videos don’t get many likes but they get a lot more comments which, in this algorithm, can be a lot more valuable. Less users watch a video and like a video but the ones that do watch it are more likely to engage in a meaningful way, share it with others and share their thoughts. These people are also more likely to turn into customers.
The key takeaway here is that you should make a healthy mix of videos and images to get the most beneficial effects. Pictures will give you likes and engagement but you need to post them often to maintain that engagement. Videos are harder to get that quick engagement on but the engagement is much higher in the long term and it can be really valuable to your audience.
Author Bio
Angela J. Bryant is a successful writer and editor at Luckyassignments.com. She specializes in topics related to social media, business and job seeking and helped hundreds of people. Her motto is “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger”.
