It’s no secret that Vine has exploded to become one of the hottest social media video darlings of late—attracting 13 million users in just a few months. But Facebook-owned Instagram is no wallflower and the favorite photo-sharing platform among many smartphone users now offers video as another way to capture, personalize and share happenings from your world.
CNET.com posted a comprehensive review and brief video tutorial regarding this major Instagram enhancement. So, as an Instagram junkie (one of many here at GFM), why is this announcement exciting?
- Let the smartphone video wars begin! Instagram’s addition will surely make Vine (and others…we’ve also developed an early crush on Tout) push forward with new enhancements, maybe even sooner than originally planned. For example, Vine founders teased a series of upgrades last week.
- More fun, same app. I can’t tell you how many clients we talk to about Vine who are intrigued with the technology but feel it’s just one more platform app to download, learn, attract followers and maintain. I don’t blame them since we caution everyone to be realistic about the number of social media platforms they can manage well. But Instagram, like Pinterest, is a platform many of us used personally long before integrating it into social media strategies at work. Therefore, there is a built-in level of comfort with the technology and the way for which you go about finding/attracting followers, cross-promoting on other social media networks, etc. Need proof? According to PCMag.com, 5 million videos were uploaded to Instagram in the first 24 hours following the announcement.
- Just a bit longer. Instagram videos are a lengthy 15 seconds compared to the hyper-fast pace of Vine’s six second limit. Many people, myself included, are intimidated by how fast six seconds goes by and find it hard to self edit. Those extra nine seconds, combined with already understanding how to apply filters, add a caption and share within the Instagram app, will probably make the video function very appealing to those who felt Vine was intimidating.
- And a little cleaner. The video technology on Instagram includes a feature called “Cinema.” Cinema offers image stabilization so the finished product looks more professional, a win win for brands that are historically nervous to publicly post anything that comes across as too rough or unpolished.
The GFM Digital team expects to observe more benefits, and drawbacks, of Instagram’s video addition in the weeks to come and looks forward to watching how other video technologies respond.
What do you think this announcement means for individuals and brands who have yet to dive into video creation and sharing on social media?
