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Instagram has announced a new stand alone video platform

IGTV announced

Instagram TV is here!

With little notice, many did not even know it was coming. Now that it is here, we here at Zilker Marketing have done all the hard work for you in getting you all the information you need.

First, Instagram Television is not appearing to be the single-handed game changer Facebook may have been hoping to gain. One thing IGTV is for the industry is proof that the future of social media is video. Facebook has invested considerable resources into this new platform that is video based. This would not be the case if it were not considered the future.

Eventually, we are going to reach a point where typing is almost non-existent in social media.

Many are asking if Instagram thinks they are going to try to compete with YouTube. That answer is a solid no. Facebook does not seem to have an interest in taking on competitors that large head on. Their strategy to this point has been to either try to coexist with the other big dogs and devour the young who may grow to be a threat. Yet, Facebook does not take on Twitter or YouTube head to head.

What Instagram does seem to be doing, is immediately going after the Influencers.  It is a smart move as this has been where platforms gain popularity celebrities and influencers encourage their fans to migrate over. This has the profiles grow the audience for the platform, a trick that has been used since the days of Myspace. Younger crowds are turning to such people for even things such as news besides entertainment and consumer advice.

“Creators are what bring the eyeballs to platforms, and vice versa. Sort of a chicken-and-egg thing, because you can’t have creators and no platform. You can’t have a platform and no creators. You have to work with each other, but it’s a important reason why a platform can become successful.”

~Marcus Brownlee

Some brands have immediately taken to the new platform. National Geographic immediately re-edited its show “One Strange Rock.” One area that seems to be crushing it on the new platform is the food niche. TasteMade and Food Network are excellent examples of what to do with IGTV. The new vertical platform is worth exploring and has its uses.

In short, Instagram is looking to compliment, rather than overtake the video market specializing in influencer content. YouTube will continue to be the go-to place for the majority of video content across the spectrum. While the success or failure is still too early to say for sure, it adds a new focus to specific markets.

What is an influencer?

Kris Jenner with a makeup box

Influencers are the latest big thing in marketing.

DEFINITION

Social Media Influencer:

(noun)

A Social Media Influencer is a user of social media who have established credibility in a specific industry. A social media influencer has access to a large audience. They can persuade others by virtue of their authenticity and reach.”

(Definition courtesy of Pixelee)

While the days of organic reach are declining (Some ad ‘gurus’ will even try to tell you organic reach is dead), this is not always the case. if you post quality content, your scope is not dead. Zilker Marketing takes great pains to provide quality content over spam in our work. When spreading the word about your product or service, you have several avenues of distribution. Social media being one, there are also several methods within social media. You can post your original content, place ads and hire influencers are among the top means.

An influencer is often an excellent choice for business. A regional influencer is known in a city, especially a large city such as Austin, Texas, Chicago, Ill or Los Angeles. Even many smaller towns have influencers. Local influencers promote sports teams, restaurants hotels, salons and retail outlets to a regional audience. Austin, Texas has several influencers marketing people should get to know

Then there are national and international influencers. Most countries have their own local national influencers who are usually models. It is possible one can claim ET was one of the first brand influencers for M&M’s!

Top Influencers

Kylie Jenner is in the top /001% top influencers

Top influencers in social media today are names you know- Celebrities. The Kardashian family have pretty much mastered the influencer game. Kevin Hart has lends his profiles out to companies. With a campaign with a celebrity, you are sure to reach an audience of millions all around the world.

PewDiePie art sketch

Kiwiebird – DeviantArt

But, the real influencers are people known on their channels. The benefit to an influencer is they have built an audience in social media. A celebrity has their audience elsewhere and they use social media to promote what they know. When you use an influencer, you can hire a fashion blogger such as Chiara Ferragni to develop your clothing line. Lindsay and Morgan can help you with your restaurant. Charles Reagan is your go-to guy for music and entertainment. PewDiePie has a YouTube audience larger than most celebrities with 62 million. If he promotes a gaming product, you can be sure it will sell. With an influencer, you reach a smaller audience, but often the audience is a much more targeted audience tailored to your needs. The celebrity is a shotgun blast to the influencers sniper precision.

 

How To Get One

tacos in front of an Austin sign

Lyndsay and Morgan Instagram @eatingATX

Making use of influencers is quite easy. If you are looking for a local influencer, you may want to start with some good old-fashioned hashtag research for Austin, Texas. Next, narrow it down to your niche, food, fashion, makeup, etc.  Once you choose a few people you would like to promote your brand, look at their profiles. Do they post lazy photos of the brand, or do they provide helpful information as well? Is their brand trusted? If all they do is promote brands with no original content, you may want to shy away. You want to choose an influencer who is trusted for their content who recommends products they believe in. You do not want anyone willing to just throw money at them.

Finally, you will want to look at their engagement. Do they have an engaged audience of fans, or are they nothing but paid bot followers?

Once you have selected a few possible matches, send them a message on their social media profile asking for necessary information. If they seem to meet your needs, you will want to move the conversation over to email to finalize details and close the deal.

Influencers are a tremendous and fast-growing addition to the social media marketing mix. We at Zilker Marketing believe they will be a continued presence in the future.