My 15 Minutes of Fame: Instagram Video and What It Means For Your Business

Video marketing is definitely a hot topic. In fact, it always has been—but it might just be about to take off in a whole new way. In the past there have been sites like Youtube (the giant for search and users), Vimeo (for the more professional user) and, more recently, Vine.

There's been quite a lot of buzz generated from the release of Vine earlier this year. Vine is Twitter's attempt at making video easy to create and share. The problem with Vine, for me, is that it requires a lot of creativity with little return.

Facebook and Instagram might have a new solution for marketers to get into the video game. Facebook unveiled that Instagram will now also allow users to take and share short videos.

Some Stats About Video Marketing

About 46% of people say they’d be more likely to seek out information about a product or service after seeing it in an online video. (Source: Eloqua)
The average user spends 88% more time on a website with video. (Source: Mist Media)
Video and e-mail marketing can increase click-through rates by more than 90%.(Source: Mist Media)
Video equals higher viewer retention. The information retained in one minute of online video is equal to about 1.8 million written words. (Source: Brainshark)
Video attracts two to three times as many monthly visitors, doubles their time spent on the site and has a 157% increase in organic traffic from search engines. (Source: MarketingSherpa)
Of the 80% of internet users who watched a video ad, 46% took some sort of action after viewing the ad. (Source: Video Brewery)

Why Instagram Video Could Be Huge

As Vine was a brand new tool, users had to create their followings from the ground, up. Instagram's video platform might have the upper hand due to the previously existing Instagram networks in place. If your brand is already on Instagram with a following, you'll be able to skip the part where you have to put a ton of effort into growing your network.

Video provides an excellent way to share what's happening with your brand, not to mention it also gives more personality to your brand by projecting a moving image with the addition of sound, instead of just a basic photo.

Another benefit of using a service like Instagram, as opposed to Youtube, is that the users are a bit more forgiving. They're used to the point-and-click format with little editing. You don't have to produce something top quality in order to see results. However, if you want to succeed on Youtube, you're better off having a professional or semi-professional video.