The truth is, video catches eyes. (You have to admit: this drizzle is pretty mesmerizing, right?) Stop-motion GIFs and animated clips are incredibly popular right now, and they’re almost a necessity if you want to step up your Instagram game. Instagram is trending toward much more video content. Having a balance of still shots and clips will stop the scroll and enhance brand awareness. Here are 5 ways to use your videos and clips on Instagram to get more engagement from your target audience:

5 Ways to Use Video on Instagram

1. Instagram Stories

Stories are one of the most popular and engaging ways people interact on Instagram. Stories often feel a bit more authentic and candid—kind of “in the moment snapshots” that disappear after 24 hours.

Plus, if you’re verified (blue checkmark) or have 10,000+ followers, you can add links to your Stories, which is a big bonus if you want clickable links to drive traffic to your site or products! As a brand or business, you have two options with Stories: create a regular Story, or create a Story Ad.

According to Instagram Business, 500 million people interact with Instagram stories every day, and “50% of people surveyed say they have visited a website to buy a product/service as a result of seeing it in Stories (Instagram Business).” Instagram Stories are another avenue for repurposing content that you already have. Since they disappear, your images or clips aren’t permanent, which means you can use them elsewhere, too, without seeming repetitive.

Some ways to make your Instagram Stories stand out:

1. Run your ads on Stories in addition to regular Instagram ads (conversion rates tend to be higher with Stories).
2. Utilize the stickers and effects. Poll stickers perform very well and encourage active engagement with your ads and brand.
3. Don’t forget your call to action! Tell your audience exactly what you want them to do.
4. Make it a game by asking them to tap, hold, or play.

2. Instagram Feed Video

If you want your video to stay a little longer as a permanent part of your “grid,” post it to your feed. It will stay permanently (unless you delete it), and you can choose to post it as a regular video or an ad like you would with Stories. If you post your video or clip to your feed, people can engage, click, comment, and view.

In addition, your video can be as short as three seconds (like a GIF or stop-motion clip) or as long as a minute (if you want to share a bit of info or play multiple clips at a time). On a video post, you can add filters, captions, location, product tags, hashtags, etc.

3. Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels are a fairly new feature brought on to keep up with TikTok. These 15-second clips are fun and entertaining, and you can add voiceovers, music, and effects. If you already have your stop-motion clips of GIFs, reels are a great place to incorporate them.

Bonus: Enable “Reel Remix” on your reels if you want viewers to be able to share your video alongside their own video for even more engagement (and more shared). It’s a new feature modeled off of TikTok’s Duet idea.

4. Instagram Live

Instagram Live is exactly as it sounds. You can record and publish live videos to your feed for in-the-moment, personalized videos. You can record your live video for up to an hour before it automatically cuts off. However, you can immediately start a new one if you need more time. In addition, you can view how many people are watching and enable commenting as well for extra engagement.

5. IGTV

If you want to start a video series, add commercials, or demonstrate product how-to’s, IGTV (Instagram TV) allows you to prerecord up to four hours of video. You can perfect your video and even add a “trailer” or cover to it if you’d like (which is a great spot to incorporate professionally branded stop-motion clips or GIFs).

Partner with Lindsay K for Product/Food Photography, Stop-Motion Clips, and Branded GIFs

Lindsay is a Los Angeles-based food, product, and commercial photographer. She specializes in Still Product & Food Photography, Lifestyle & Portrait Photography, Stop Motion, and Food Styling. Connect with her HERE for product marketing!