• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle

  • 🔥 Free Newsletter
  • 🎙️ Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • AI Explored Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • 🌟 AI Society
  • 🗓️ Marketing Conference
  • đź‘‹ About Us
    • Marketing Events
  • Search
  • Embrace AI & MarketingGet Ongoing Training & SupportBEGIN YOUR JOURNEY NOW

    How to Use Instagram Video for Marketing

    by Mike Gingerich / July 8, 2013

    social media how toDo you want to share short visual stories with your fans?

    Have you experimented with Instagram video?

    They recently unveiled a video feature for their mobile app that transforms their already-powerful photo sharing network into a multimedia dynamo!

    Combine that with the fact that Instagram offers ease of sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr, and the future looks bright for marketers who take advantage of the new format to reach their online community.

    In this article, we’ll explore 6 ways that you can use the new video feature to create visually compelling stories and promote your brand and marketing message online.

    instagram intro
    Instagram video has some interesting features for social media marketers.

    What Instagram Has to Offer

    While potentially viewed by outsiders simply as Facebook “catching up” to Twitter’s Vine app, the new Instagram video feature actually offers capabilities that social media marketers will want to note. Here’s a look at what Instagram has to offer.

    • Length: Instagram Video offers up to 15 seconds of video recording. Vine offers a maximum of 6 seconds.
    • Editing: Instagram offers users the ability to delete a segment from their video. With Vine, users must delete the entire video and start over.
    • Filters: Instagram brings their unique set of custom photo filters to their video tool, enabling users to add a filter to their video. Vine offers no filters at this time.
    • Audience: Instagram is currently used by over 130 million people. Vine’s audience is counted at 13 million users.
    • Integration: The Instagram video feature is housed within the existing Instagram app, making it immediately accessible to all users who update the app. Vine is a stand-alone app.
    • Cover Image Selection: Instagram lets you scroll through stills from the video and easily select the best cover photo for your video. This is important because the first impression can entice your audience to click through to view the video. Vine does not offer this feature.
    • Facebook In-Line Viewing: One of the most important differences is that Instagram videos play in-line on Facebook for desktop users. Like YouTube and Facebook videos, a Facebook user can click and watch the clip right within Facebook. Vine videos must be viewed by clicking out of Facebook. Conversely, it’s worth noting that Instagram videos must be viewed on Twitter by clicking out of Twitter.

      instagram in facebook
      Instagram videos play in-line on Facebook.

    Six Ways Marketers Can Use Instagram’s New Video Tool

    With its photo features, Instagram already had significant uses for digital marketers. But with the addition of video, that value just grew exponentially!

    Here’s an outline of ways you can capitalize on Instagram’s video feature for business.

    #1: Shoot a Product Demo and Answer FAQs

    Sometimes, a simple how-to video can answer your customers’ questions quickly and efficiently. Make a list of the most-asked questions your customer service department gets and use Instagram shorts to answer them.

    For example, show how simple your product is to set up. Shoot step-by-step installation video segments and add narrations to give your viewers additional helpful information about your product.

    Discover Proven Marketing Strategies and Tips

    Want to go even deeper with your marketing? Check out the Social Media Marketing Podcast! Publishing weekly since 2012, the Social Media Marketing Podcast helps you navigate the constantly changing marketing jungle, with expert interviews from marketing pros.

    But don’t let the name fool you. This show is about a lot more than just social media marketing. With over 600 episodes and millions of downloads each year, this show has been a trusted source for marketers for well over a decade.

    CHECK OUT THE SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING PODCAST NOW
    product demo
    Product demonstration videos can be easily created.

    Answering your customers’ questions with a short how-to video is a great way to add value for your community.

    #2: Create a Visual Portfolio of Your Work

    If a picture of your work is worth a thousand words, imagine what 15 seconds of video communicates.

    Shoot videos of the work you’ve done for recent clients to create a video look-book for potential customers to browse through.

    AI Business Society

    Ready to Unlock AI Marketing Breakthroughs?

    If you’re like most of us, you are trying to figure out how to use AI in your marketing. Here's the solution: The AI Business Society—a new AI marketing community from your friends at Social Media Examiner.

    The AI Business Society is the place to discover how to apply AI in your work. When you join, you'll boost your productivity, unlock your creativity, and make connections with other marketers on a similar journey.

    I'M READY TO BECOME AN AI-POWERED MARKETER

    From a coffee shop showcasing the skill of their barista, to a salon showcasing client makeovers, the uses are unlimited!

    verve on instagram
    Capturing creativity can inspire in-store visits.

    A short video portfolio is a great way to highlight your work and stand out.

    #3: Highlight Special Offers and Events

    Fifteen seconds is a significant amount of time to promote your special offer or event with video. Flip the camera view mode to add a personal message to the footage of your product special.

    Use the description field to emphasize and reinforce the video message and add a hashtag to track conversions or extend your reach.

    event promotion
    Example of event promotion with Instagram video.

    A short video of what you have to offer might be just the type of content you need to reach certain audiences.

    #4: Invite Fan and Follower Submissions via Hashtags

    Invite your audience to submit Instagram video with a hashtag to enter a contest, submit a hiring pitch or promote your live event.

    Comedian Louie Anderson asked people to compete for a spot as his opening act in Las Vegas by submitting an audition video with the hashtag #Open4Louie. Louie’s team tracked the hashtag to review each video and reach out to the creators of those they liked.

    louie anderson invitation
    Louie Anderson audition invitation.

    Is your audience on Instagram? If so, this might be a great way to engage with them.

    #5: Humanize Your Brand

    We often hear about how brands “need to become human.” Social media has blurred the lines with real-time, real-life engagement between companies and customers, creating a need for companies to be transparent and more open.

    Instagram videos offer an opportunity for brands to do this in bite-sized, easily digestible nuggets that showcase their culture and style. They can help differentiate your company from its competitors.

    hubspot
    HubSpot sharing a video of their new office space.

    #6: Increase Engagement on Facebook

    Videos and photos inspire the most engagement (comments, likes and shares) on Facebook. With Facebook integrating Instagram videos from inception, this can be a tool smart marketers use to boost community interaction on Facebook.

    post to facebook profile
    Facebook users can easily post videos to their Facebook profiles.
    fan page sharing
    You can also simply use Instagram to copy the video URL and use the Instagram video in a Facebook Page post.

    Instagram videos provide another tool for savvy Facebook marketers to use to build engagement with their community.

    Conclusion

    While the new Instagram video feature was only recently launched, the potential uses are vast! With Instagram already having an active user base of over 130 million users, this new tool offers some rich possibilities for marketers.

    What do you think? Have you created any Instagram videos for your company? What results have you seen? Please share your ideas and examples below!

    AI EXPLORED

    Curious About How to Use AI?

    Our newest show, AI Explored, might be just what you're looking for. It's for marketers, creators, and entrepreneurs who want to understand how to use AI in their business.

    It's hosted by Michael Stelzner and explores this exciting new frontier in easy-to-understand terms.

    Pull up your favorite podcast app and search for AI Explored. Or click the button below for more information.

    I WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AI

    Tags: Instagram, Instagram Video

    About the authorMike Gingerich

    Mike Gingerich is co-founder of TabSite, a leading Facebook page management software for contests and promotions. He leads the Product Development Team. Follow Mike on Twitter @Mike_Gingerich.
    Other posts by Mike Gingerich »

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (43 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    AI

    Next Frontier Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Discover how marketers plan to change their social activities in the 17th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. It reveals what marketers have planned for their social activities, content marketing, and more! Get this free report now and never miss another great article from us. Join more than 385,000 marketers!

    Simply click the button below to get the free report:

    Footer

    Your Guide to the Marketing Jungle
    Copyright © 2025 Social Media Examiner®
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our social media marketing industry report
    • Our generative AI marketing industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS