With the huge popularity of TikTok, Facebook-owned Instagram has publicly stated that it plans to focus more on video content. According to CNBC’s interview with Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, “We’re no longer a photo-sharing app or a square photo-sharing app.” Read that full article here.
So what does this mean? After receiving numerous messages from panicking business-owners, here’s my two cents…
Is this really different from what we already knew? We knew that Instagram was favoring video content. In fact, the phrase “video is king” has been common social media knowledge for years.
For general consumers, or those who use Instagram for personal life only, absolutely nothing will change. They will continue to use the platform to share photos, carousels, life snapshots, etc. Video takes much more effort and for those who don’t care about making sales or growing an audience, they aren’t going to make the effort.
For business, I expect a couple things to happen.
- People will still post both photo and video like they do now. Perhaps the ratio will change to 80% video and 20% photo. Either way, people are always going to share photos as long as it’s an option.
- People will shy away from posting at all. They figure, “I’m bad at video so what’s the point of even trying?”
- Those who rise up to the challenge will see the results they hope for.
What can you do now to prepare for the future?
The time is NOW to learn video. I’m not saying you have to learn Adobe Premiere or anything like that, but you need to buckle up and accept the challenge. Learn Splice, iMovie, InShot, whatever editor you want to use. Learn what makes good content that makes people stick (quick cuts, get right to the point, aesthetically pleasing, etc.) Upgrade your iPhone and get a good camera. If you have an Android, get an iPhone.
Because video is so much more time consuming, you might want to consider two things: outsource help and dedicate certain days or half days to recording content. Coming up with video content on the fly is stressful! It takes more planning and you don’t want to rush it.
Progress is impossible without change.
Walt Disney