If you use Instagram for your business, Instagram video views has likely become an important metric you keep tabs on.
Everyone knows how important video content can be for building your brand. Customers want to see your product or thought leadership in action. And thanks in large part to social media, short-form video is a super easy way for people to consume your content without having to invest so much time reading a longer form caption or blog post. From explainers, to video blogs (vlogs), tutorials, webinars, paid ads, customer testimonials, interviews, live streams, product videos, live video…there are many kinds of video content that can help boost your overall content marketing plan and drive more engagement and conversion.
Now, people were saying this about video years ago. And video continues to be one of the most effective elements in a digital marketing strategy. If you don’t create a ton of video content, there are still a lot of reasons to begin right now.
For starters, Biteable reports that:
- 81% of businesses use video as a marketing tool — up from 63% over the last year. (Hubspot)
- Mobile video consumption rises by 100% every year. (Insivia)
- By 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times higher than it was in 2017. (Cisco)
- 78% of people watch online videos every week, and 55% view online videos every day. (HubSpot)
- A Facebook executive predicted that their platform will be all video and no text by 2021. (Quartz)
Feel behind? Don’t. Trust me when I say that there are plenty of people who still aren’t prioritizing video either. In the words of Neil Patel,
You have a unique opportunity to take advantage of things like live video before some of your competitors do. Click To Tweet
If creating more video content is on your list, don’t get bogged down researching for the best camera for vlogging or what lav mic to use just yet.
You’re likely already using the perfect platform to start your video content creation journey. Instagram makes it incredibly easy to learn how to master different kinds of video content marketing. You can post pre-recorded videos to your regular feed, post more transient footage to your IG Stories, and live video with Instagram Live. And since Facebook owns the social media platform, when you’re ready to go big with cross-promoting or sharing, all it takes is a tap of a button.
But the biggest reason why I think Instagram is a great place to start creating video content on is because of the stats. And that brings us back to Instagram video views. This is why you should care.
Decoding Instagram Video Views
Let’s say you’re on vacation in Maui witnessing one of the most magical sunsets you’ve ever seen. It’s the end of a long but full day of adventuring and exploring. You reach for your phone, tap on the Instagram app, and start recording a story. Then you share it with your followers.
Later that night, you re-watch your story again and check who has viewed your sunset video. You check it again later and the list has grown but you notice something – the order of who has viewed your sunset video keeps changing slightly. You always assumed that everyone was listed in chronological order of when they viewed your video but you realize now that’s not the case.
What does it all mean?
Well, for one thing, Instagram is not telling you who is checking out your profile the most by putting them at the top of your Instagram Stories viewers list.
Instead, algorithm recognizes who you are regularly engaging and interacting with and will then place them at the top of your Instagram Stories viewers list. In other words, it knows those are the accounts you care about (or should I say…stalk (wink)) the most.
So simply put: the Instagram algorithm ranks your Instagram Stories viewers “based on your activity and the people you’re closest to,” in the words of Julian Gutman, product lead for Instagram Home.
Later spoke with Gutman who revealed that when you look at who has watched your Instagram Stories, the people that you see at the top of your list are determined by two things:
- Your interactions with other accounts
- How often you check in to see who viewed your story.
So why do we care?
Instagram Video Views Are The Secret Sauce To More…Everything
There is so much opportunity here that people aren’t taking advantage of. It’s practically low-hanging fruit dangling right in front of your face.
Since Instagram shares who views your stories and regular in-feed video posts, you already know the people who are going out of their way to check your profile, engage with your content, and most importantly, seeking out anything new that you produce.
So, engage with them! Reward them with VIP perks. Make them an ambassador. Find out what’s resonating with them. Send them a quick message asking them what they’re enjoying or what they would like to see more of. (If you can’t wait to get started, go ahead and grab my swipe copy now so you know exactly what to say when you reach out to these accounts!)
If any of these accounts are brands as well, what opportunities can you partner up or collaborate on together? If joining forces is too close for comfort (especially if any of those accounts are competitors. And hey, how flattering is that by the way? Your competitors are keeping tabs on your account!), keep your eye on them; whether or not you want to follow them is your choice. If you love their video content marketing strategies – to the point where it almost makes you jealous because what they are posting is so damn good – then that means they are successful and it’s smart to study them.
Connect with these valuable followers and turn them into raving fans because that’s free marketing and advertising for you. And doing so will help you outsmart Instagram’s algorithm – if you treat them well and provide a great experience in your interaction, they will be more than happy to spread the word. It only takes one person to tell their friends (who will tell their friends and so on and so forth). And I’m telling you- this will result in more real and targeted followers, increased traffic, and a growing community in the end.
Reaching out to people on Instagram can be intimidating but I promise you it’s easier than you think. If you’re worried that you’ll come across as weird, get over it right now. I’ve met a ton of people through Instagram that I consider dear friends today and I’m so glad we all connected.
To make things easy, I’m sharing my personal swipe copy of 3 different email templates to help you start the conversation for you to download and use. Feel free to tweak and create your own messaging so long as you start reaching out to these MVAs (most valuable accounts) and start the conversation today. It’s such an easy way to keep your brand moving in the right direction!
Were you already using Instagram video views like this? Do you have any other social media tips that have been working for you recently? Let me know in the comments below, would love to hear them all!
