How to create Organic Instagram Videos that Drive Results
How to create Organic Instagram Videos that Drive Results
Statistics show that so far in 2021, UK consumers each spend an average of 1hr 49 minutes online every day. That’s around the same amount of time as a drive from London to Coventry, or enough time to watch the whole of The Matrix (with popcorn breaks!)
With TechJury.com stating that a third of this time is spent on Instagram, it’s no wonder it’s one of the most rapidly growing networks for 2021. At the time of writing, Instagram has approximately 30.57 million users in the UK- that’s almost 50% of the total UK population.
If posting on the platform isn’t part of the 2021 marketing strategy for your visitor attraction, it should be. But how can you best utilise the platform to help grow engagement and conversions? Video.
It not only receives twice the engagement of other Instagram post types, but also offers an opportunity to express your attraction’s personality, team, and narrative to both new and existing customers- it’s a win-win!
On Instagram, there are 5 video options to choose from. But don’t worry, they needn’t be overwhelming. At Agility, we believe that working smart is the key to success.
From zoos and farms to theme parks and adventure parks, read on to see how you can use the 5 different video post types on Instagram to be ahead of the game and drive results.
1. Keeping it Reel with Instagram Reels
What is a Reel?
New on the scene and inspired by the popularity of TikTok, reels are Instagram’s latest video format.
Filmed and posted in 9:16 format, a reel is a 15 to 30 seconds long video often created by combining shorter clips.
Time: 15 to 30 seconds
Ratio: 9:16
Disneyland Paris: https://www.instagram.com/disneylandparis/
How Can My Visitor Attraction Create One?
Film short clips with Instagram’s camera or upload them straight from your photo library.
How about a reel of staff at your zoo or theme park showing off a new rollercoaster, or why not combine short clips of new spring babies at your farm park?
Add captions, music, stickers and hashtags to make your reels stand out from the crowd.
As seen above, Disneyland Paris is a great example of a visitor attraction creating an engaging reel. Their reel is shot from the perspective of the customer and gives a great insight into all the activities you can experience during your visit. It almost feels like you’re there!
Why Should My Visitor Attraction Use Reels?
Instagram have put a lot of emphasis on reels: they now take center stage on the new Instagram navigation bar and are frequently shared on the ‘explore page’. Consequently, they will receive more exposure than other forms of video. Plus, you can also easily share your reel videos to your stories too.
Although reels are new to the game and are not currently as widely used as other forms of video, early adopters will be rewarded- give them a go!
2. Live & Kicking with Instagram Live
What is Instagram Live?
If you’re missing face- face interaction with customers at your visitor attraction then don’t fear, with the simple click of a button, you can go live to your audience on Instagram in real-time.
As people are spending more time online, brands are taking advantage of Instagram live to host workshops and virtual events, which can be up to 4 hours long. Plus, your followers will get a notification when you go live, resulting in more views and engagements.
Time: Up to 40 minutes
Ratio: 9:16
Buffer Library Article: https://buffer.com/library/instagram-live-video/
How Do I Go Live?
To go live on Instagram, tap the plus icon on the top right-hand corner of your screen and swipe across to the “Live” mode. It will tell you how many of your followers are currently online in the Instagram app, which is a good indicator of how many people will receive an in-app notification if you go live.
Why Should My Visitor Attraction Use Instagram Live?
Instagram live is a great way to connect with your audience in an authentic way. We recommend holding a Q&A about an exciting event you’re holding or even a live animal birth. Having a conversation with your audience and responding to their questions is a great way to connect and humanise your brand.
As you can see from the example above, those going live can see the names and profile photos of your followers whilst you’re live, which enables you to interact in real-time.
Instagram live also gives you the option to generate income, your viewers can purchase badges, which will appear next to their name during the live stream. Fans who have purchased badges will stand out in the comments and will be able to unlock additional features.
However, as you cannot pre-record your video, going live always poses human error along with technical issues that could prevent a high-quality video, so it might be worth having a little practise beforehand!
3. Story Time with Instagram Stories
What are Instagram Stories?
Instagram stories are a fun and creative way to increase your engagement!
Stories allow your zoo, theme park, farm park or museum to give a snapshot glimpse into the ins and outs of your visitor attraction. Although the video length is only 15 seconds, Instagram will automatically split a longer video into multiple video clips which can be shared as a combined story.
Time: 15 seconds
Ratio: min 9:16 and a max of 4:5
Mead Open Farm: https://www.instagram.com/meadopenfarm/
How Do I Create a Story?
To create a story on Instagram, tap the plus icon on the top right-hand corner of your screen and swipe across to ‘story’, where you can either take a video through the app or upload a video from your gallery.
On top of your video, you can add filters stickers, emojis, and even Q&As to really connect with your audience. As previewed above, we created an exciting series of stories to promote lambing for our farm park client Mead Open Farm. We included polls, GIFS, location tags and hashtags to keep the audience engaged.
Why Should My Visitor Attraction Use Stories?
If you want to grab the attention of your audience then stories are your go-to. Your story will be placed at the top of your feed in a colourful ring and is much more likely to be seen by your audience. Plus, once your visitor attraction hits 10,000 followers you can use swipe up links on your videos which lead the viewer directly to your website.
However, it is important to note that Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours, so we recommend going into your settings after your video is published and saving it as a ‘highlight’ at the top of your profile. You can even categorise the videos into different ‘highlights’ e.g. You can have a different highlight for ‘Offers’, ‘Events’, ‘Food’ and ‘Animals’.
4. Slow & Steady Wins The Race with Instagram IGTV
What is IGTV?
Instagram is encouraging long form videos through the IGTV platform which is integrated in the app.
You can watch IGTV videos in your Instagram app, in the standalone IGTV app, or by clicking the IGTV button on your Instagram profile.
Time: 1 – 60 minutes
Ratio: 9:16
The Howl Scream Park: https://www.instagram.com/thehowlscreampark/
How Do I Create an IGTV video?
To create a IGTV on Instagram, tap the plus icon on the top right-hand corner of your screen and upload a video longer than 60 seconds and select ‘share as long video.’
We created an exciting ‘clown prank’ IGTV video for our client, The Howl Scream Park and received nearly 2000 views. We also shared this video to their story and newsfeed to reach a wider range of people. When creating an IGTV we recommend that you tick the box which posts a 15 second preview of your video to your newsfeed. You can also share a preview to your story simply by clicking on the ‘paper plane’ icon.
However, IGTV is restrictive as unlike shorter newsfeed videos, IGTV must be pre-recorded in advance, vertically on a mobile, which can make it harder to repurpose the content across different social media platforms.
Why Should My Visitor Attraction Use IGTV?
IGTV gives you the chance to upload longer 1-hour videos, allowing you to be more informative and even include behind the scenes shots.
You also have the option to add the video to a series, for example you can create a series on a new event opening at your attraction and regularly add to this series to increase excitement. You can also add a cover photo to make your video visually intriguing.
Plus, your IGTV is much more likely to be seen than other forms of video as it is more likely to be shown on the explore page and your followers will receive a notification when you publish your video, resulting in more views.
5. “To Be, Or Not To Be,” with Instagram Newsfeed videos
What is Instagram Newsfeed?
Instagram newsfeed is the original video format on Instagram and is shown on your profile grid and in your newsfeed.
Time: 3 – 60 seconds
Ratio: min of 1.91:1 and a max of 4:5
Piglets Adventure Farm: https://www.instagram.com/pigletsadventurefarm/
How Do I Create an Instagram Newsfeed Video?
To create a video newsfeed post on Instagram, tap the plus icon on the top right-hand corner of your screen and upload a video under 60 seconds from Instagram’s built-in camera or from the photo gallery of your theme park, farm park, zoo or museum.
Although newsfeed videos are limited to only one minute in length you can get around this by creating a carousel post where you can upload 10 videos.
The editing features are not as advanced as other Instagram video options, but you can choose from a variety of filters to enhance your quality and style. We also recommend adding a location and relevant hashtags to appear on the Instagram ‘explore feed’ and reach new people.
Why Should My Visitor Attraction Use Instagram Newsfeed?
According to Hubspot research, newsfeed videos that are an average of 26 seconds receive the most comments and will therefore achieve a higher reach. To capture the attention of your audience, we recommend regularly uploading approx. 26 second videos. For example, as previewed above, we uploaded a cute video of guinea-pigs as the movement and sound in the video is more captivating than an image.
However, newsfeed posts often get lost when trying to compete with stories and advertisements and as a result, viewers will have to scroll far down on their newsfeed to reach your post. We therefore definitely recommend posting your videos across different platforms too, such as Instagram stories.
Are Videos Really That Important For Visitor Attractions?
YES! Uploading videos across Instagram is a great way to visually connect with your visitors, whilst also reaching new people.
The medium of video allows you to convey a lot of information about your zoo, museum, theme park, farm park or event in a short amount of time. We recommend using a mixture of long form and short form videos on Instagram to drive results. It’s time to get creative!
Has Your Visitor Attraction got a Video Challenge?
At Agility Marketing we create briefs, storyboards and concepts for new social media videos, crop and edit existing video assets and bring back to life previously posted video that hasn’t reached its full potential. We work with a variety of visitor attraction clients across the UK.
If you have a video or social media challenge we’d love to help. Email our team at hello@agility-marketing.co.uk for a chat.
Agility manage our full marketing and every year for the last 3 years, we have seen strong year-on-year growth. We’re really impressed with Agility, they understand our vision and work hard to achieve the best possible results.
Ed sykes | piglets adventure farm
This blog was written by Laura Clarke, Junior Project Manager at Agility Marketing, a boutique marketing agency specialising in Digital Marketing for Visitor Attractions.
