I often catch myself wondering what the heck is going to be the next big wave in the digital landscape – specifically social. Well, fam, here it is. And it’s IG TV. OH EM GEE there’s a new social platform!!

So what exactly is IGTV?

It’s basically a mobile TV platform that takes pieces of other platforms such as YouTube and Snapchat and puts them all in one place. Personally, a little upset that I have to leave the IG platform to use it because if it were up to me I’d use IG only, but since it’s related, I have to give it a shot.

It’s like TV meets your favorite influencer meets long form video meets podcasts YOUR PHONE SCREEN. Up to a flippin’ hour of content – right in your hands. Well geez, this is certainly going to compete with YouTube – and I’d say that this can also compete with iTunes podcasts given the ‘channel’ capability. First impression: similar to the Discovery section in SnapChat, but 10x easier to navigate. IT’S SO COOL AND SO FUN! Seriously! Have you ever gone down a rabbit hole of YouTube vids? This is about to step up your rabbit-holing game.

Disclaimer: creators with large following are the only ones able to create 1 hour long vids at the moment, but I bet it won’t be long until the lower-count followers can go past the 10 min limit.

OK SO THE JUICY STUFF.

How the heck can you, a business, use this to sell your STUFF??

If you’re in retail, this one’s a no brainer. Use your channels to showcase your products. Fashion? Showcase outfit inspo with the latest clothing drops. Grocery? RECIPES!

Are you service based? This is a great opportunity to expand on your business offerings with short videos.. ex: words of affirmation, 10 minute at-home workout videos, best stretch techniques for post-workout, or (generalizing) industry-related tips (that would make people want to know more AKA work with you).

Take community-active car brands for example. This is going to be the BEST platform to showcase their participation in festivals, races, new car releases and auto shows.

Music artists like Shania Twain are already using the platform to share ‘singalong’ vertical-video versions of her new releases.

My personal favorite way of using this…. Turning BLOG POSTS into animated videos – flying zig-zags and all. What the heck do I mean by that? Why write write write when you can get in front of a camera to speak about trending topics, ideas, tips & tricks and so much more (which is funny because this is a blog post).

But who has the biggest leg up?

Influencers. This platform is going to move mountains for influencers to make a living by partnering with other brands to showcase those products & their lifestyle. For starters, any influencer who has a large following as of right now can use that 1 hour timeframe for videos. Possibilities are endless.

So when should you start using this? NOW RIGHT NOW!!! As of this very second, there are no ads in IGTV yet. Take advantage now, capture your audience, and just have some stinkin’ fun!

xo – Lauren | LBMG Marketing