Facebook Announcement: Instagram Video | Provides Features Marketers Have Been Waiting For

Not much to everyone’s surprise, the focus of today’s much-hyped Facebook announcement was Instagram. After a brief introduction by Mark Zuckerberg, Instagram CEO and Co-founder Kevin Systrom took the floor to discuss just how far Instagram has come. It seems after acquiring 130 million users and 16 billion shared photos (and maybe after the rise in popularity of a certain video-sharing app purchased by one of Facebook’s main competitors), it was a good time to launch Instagram Video.

How it Works

Instagram users will still have the same interface they’ve come to know and love, now with a new video icon and the ability to record 15-second videos.

Instagram Video Interface

Much like Vine, all you have to do is press and hold down on the button to record. Then let go when you’re finished or want to record another scene.

Instagram Video Button

One substantial advantage Instagram video has over Vine is the ability to edit the video while you’re making it. If you don’t like a clip, all you have to do is click the delete button and it will erase it from the timeline.

Instagram Video Editing

Filters

Instagram partnered with an artist that specializes in video filters to create 13 brand new custom filters designed specifically for video.

Instagram Video Filters

Publishing

Another advantage over Vine is the ability to choose the thumbnail or cover frame from any clip in the video.

Instagram Video Cover Frame

Just like with a photo, you can fill out a description, include #hashtags (which will now work for Twitter and Facebook), add a location, and simultaneously share on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Instagram Video Publish

When you scroll through the stream, videos are marked by an icon in the top right. When you come across a video it will autoplay once if you pause in the stream, but unlike Vine it will not loop.

Instagram Video Stream

But wait… there’s more! Instagram “wants to help users produce videos like the pros.” So they created a cinematic stabilization for your videos called Cinema. And it makes quite the difference.

So What Does This Mean For Brands?

Access and Reach

Instagram video provides another avenue for brands to access an active and creative user base with almost 10x the number of Vine users.

More Time to Tell a Story

The 15-second time allowance gives brands more time to get a message across and tell more of a story than the six-second Vine video.

Easier to Fix Mistakes

The ability to edit the video as you’re making it is a huge plus. Frustrated community managers who have to take a video – over and over and over – just to get one good take see this feature as a godsend.

More Room to Be Creative

More time, more filters, and features like Cinema and cover frame options are all ingredients of a recipe that enables users and brands to produce compelling content. The Instagram community also embraces creativity. So brands that are more artistic, humorous, original, and sometimes weird will get much more attention than those that stick to a standard brand message.

Wait… Something’s Missing

This is pretty awesome for both users and brands. However, Instagram didn’t address the two major pain points when it comes to these video sharing apps: the ability to upload existing video or save drafts. These are two issues Vine may address very soon.

How will your brand use Instagram video?



Ignite Social Media