A Primer on IGTV for B2C eCommerce Brands

For eCommerce brands, keeping up with social media trends and tools is a never-ending job. New to the lineup as of June 20th is IGTV, otherwise known as Instagram TV, which allows content creators and brands to post 15-second to 60-minute videos.

In this primer on IGTV, we’ll dive into how this new medium is relevant to eCommerce brands. We’ll also outline how to set up an IGTV channel and other ways to use this medium to grow awareness of your eCommerce store.  

So, I know what you may be thinking. Should I wait this one out or jump on the bandwagon? In my opinion, IGTV is primed to succeed for two reasons:

1. Instagram has more than 1 billion users, so the audience is already there.  

2. Video delivered in short snippets, or micro-content, is one of the fastest growing segments of socially-shared content.

In the meantime, IGTV — which is owned by Facebook — does prove to be an easy way for eCommerce brands to:

• Create and share vertical, mobile-first video content with an already massive audience

• Find influencers to connect with to promote your brand (this is where the biggest bang for brands is, in my opinion)

• Get in front of an audience that’s consuming less cable TV and more micro-content

What about advertising? Can you skip out on content creation and go straight to that? IGTV has not yet enabled advertising or the seamless shopping experience users can find on their Instagram timeline. Nor can you search by hashtag or for your brand mentions within IGTV, but it’s possible all of these features will be pushed out in the not-so-distant future after we’re all warmed up and addicted to the new platform.

However, if you’re ready to give it a try, you can get started setting it up within your brand’s Instagram account by clicking on the TV icon in the top, right corner of the app as seen below and create your branded channel from there.

Alternatively, you can download the IGTV app from the Google Play or iTunes store, which will help you link your Instagram business account to the channel you set up from within the app. Whichever option you choose, remember that IGTV is for mobile devices only and displays video in the vertical position within the app.

Big fashion brands like Nike and Adidas have already created IGTV channels in order to create a more interesting way to see products in action by adding in music and cool scenery to create a whole vibe around their brand. To me, this is likely to help drive interest in your products and eventually to your site, where IGTV users will then want to visit your product detail page.
 

So, what would be a good idea — or a bad idea — to share on IGTV? This audience craves humor, authenticity and a way to see products in action.  

For example, if your eCommerce site is for the kitchen-gadget obsessed foodie, show a video featuring a chef using your product to make a tasty recipe. For now, until brands can tell IGTV users to swipe up to go to your site, tell them the link to that product is in your profile or remind them of your site URL at the end of the video.

For fashion brands, show your audience a complete look versus individual pieces. This might inspire them to share their own videos featuring your products. Or better yet, those consumers may decide to purchase both pieces when they visit your store online because they loved the entire look so much.

If you want the complete guide to getting started on IGTV, you can find Instagram’s 48-page guide here.