Instagram Marketing: Photo or Video?
Everyone loves scrolling through their Instagram for both photos and videos. But what does that mean for brands who want to start Instagram marketing? Should they use photos or videos to attract new customers?
Like everything else in life, there are many disagreements about Instagram marketing. Many people believe that photos are easier to look at, but others argue that videos are more attractive for potential customers. Instagram marketing statistics also seem to be in disagreement: while Instagram photos have more likes, videos get more comments.
What is Instagram Marketing?
In the world of digital marketing, every brand wants to use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to grow their audience. Instagram marketing is a new tactic used by companies where they post regularly on a corporate Instagram account.
Through Instagram marketing, brands can create engaging visual content that consumers can watch before making a purchase. Companies can easily attract more customers with a popular Instagram account.
How to Use Instagram Marketing for Your Brand
Since photos and videos are equally popular, the best strategy is to use both as part of your Instagram marketing. Here’s how you can use Instagram marketing to your brand’s advantage:
1. Focus on the Grid
Everything on Instagram is focused on aesthetic. Before you compulsively start posting, consider how these posts look in rows of three. Overall, your marketing strategy should be focused on the grid. Keep your feed balanced with consistent color palettes and lighting elements.
To use both photos and videos, you can use a consistent posting strategy. For every two photos, consider posting a video or GIF in the middle. This type of marketing can provide more value to customers and encourage user engagement under every post. Here are some more do’s and don’ts of video marketing that you should keep in mind.
2. Remember the Aspect Ratio
Instagram has some strict aspect ratio rules that you should follow. While Instagram stories follow a vertical 9×16 format, every post is posted as a square on the grid. Before posting a 4×5 portrait photo on the feed, see how it looks like a square thumbnail. The same applies to posting landscape or portrait videos on your feed.
Always keep the aspect ratio in mind when developing a marketing strategy. Whether you are posting photos or videos, they will always appear as a squared box on your feed. When shooting, the best strategy is to keep multiple versions of a scene to never worry about sizing constraints during editing.
3. Preview First
Videos and images look very different on computer screens and mobile phones. Since your audience will be scrolling through Instagram on their phone, the content should be attractive on a small screen.
To ensure that your photos and videos are visually attractive, view them on a phone before posting. This way, you can check if you need to make any edits before posting.
4. Keep it Balanced
The best trick of Instagram marketing is to keep your content balanced with both videos and photos. You can use videos to encourage customers to purchase a product, and use photos for fillers. The key to having a balanced Instagram account is to test what type of content your audience prefers more.
