reposted from www.abcfinancial.com
By: ABC Financial
Instagram is exploding in popularity as a platform for your members and for health club marketers. Half of over 1 billion Instagram users are scrolling through their feeds every day. 80% of those users follow businesses. Here are some even more interesting stats which should help you strongly consider sharing content and advertising on the Instagram platform. The latest updates and what to expect in the near future from Instagram are outlined here as well.
One of the biggest shifts for Instagram last year was IGTV (Instagram TV) which really changed the Instagram platform. This addition to the Instagram app transformed Instagram from just sharing photos to a more advanced video platform. Facebook is clearly trying to compete more with YouTube via IGTV. This was a huge transition, and health club marketers are still trying to figure out what it means and how to use it best.
What Is IGTV
Simply put IGTV is a long-form vertical video channel that is accessible from Instagram and as a standalone app. It came out in June of 2018. IGTV videos are designed to be longer than Instagram Stories. Regular users can make videos up to 10 minutes long and verified users can make videos up to an hour long.
While mentioning the merits of IGTV you might be wondering how it and Instagram Live are different. While on the surface they seem similar they are not: like regular TV, IGTV has channels that you can tune into. These channels are connected to specific Instagram accounts and can be accessed from the IGTV app at any time. Essentially, like YouTube, IGTV is a television like video platform where video content can be kept for future reference.
Many health clubs have been slow to adopt IGTV as a video content and marketing platform for a lot of reasons; the main one being the perceived high cost and time investment required to produce long-form social videos. However, in early 2019 Instagram allowed content creators to share one-minute previews of their channels in their Instagram feeds. This greatly improved discoverability. Now, health clubs have a chance to catch their followers’ attention without requiring them to leave the Instagram app and earn views and engagement as a result. Instagram’s algorithm is also favoring these IGTV previews on Instagram to get users to adopt the platform. That means if you participate in IGTV and share previews your organic reach should be higher than ordinary content. So if you are using Instagram for your health club marketing you should really consider IGTV.
Setting Up Your IGTV Account For Your Health Club
If you haven’t tried to leverage IGTV you first need to setup an IGTV channel. Your channel will have the same privacy settings and bio as your Instagram account. To understand exactly how to setup your IGTV account read this.
What A Health Club IGTV Content Plan Should Be
What should you be posting on IGTV? Like any form of marketing, you should refer to your health club content calendar to identify what content is relevant. Based on the time of year, what is going on at your club, in your community, promotions, events, and more should form the basis of the types of content you might look to post on IGTV. Some additional ideas are shared below.
If you already have video content on Youtube or elsewhere there are tools you can use to post that content in the proper format on IGTV. Here are the details and dimensions to keep in mind when creating the video from your phone or other video recording devices for IGTV.
The ideal combination of IGTV content should be around 80% branding and valuable information for prospects and members with the remaining 20% at most being promotional. You want to deliver value not just sell and promote. Here are some ideas on IGTV content for you to create for your health club marketing efforts.
Share Valuable Tips With Your Prospects And Members With IGTV
You can get started with shorter videos on your IGTV channel and monitor engagement. Short, two-minute videos are usually the length most people will watch. Offer quick tip videos that engage your audience and deliver valuable information. Users are far more likely to watch something that gives them something in return. Share workout tips, weight loss plans, community news, or nutritional advice with your own branded twist.
Teach Club Members And Prospects Something New Using IGTV
Sometimes people are willing to watch for longer periods of time if ideas or challenges are broken down and taught to them. Create longer videos from 5–10 minutes that teach your audience something new about your product or industry or about a problem you can help them solve. Don’t be afraid to get personal. Perhaps you show people how your latest equipment or program is done or used. Your audience is looking for information but also looking for a connection.
Share Your Health Club’s Unique Culture On IGTV
IGTV video allows you to pre-record and edit videos to be clean, which is perfect for honing out the most useful content for your audience. If you’re having a special event at your club or outreach in your community you can record the event for however long you need to and put together clips that energize and appeal to the community. Showing who you and your brand are adds to your brand personality and lets your audience know that you’re doing more than selling them.
Interview Your Staff On IGTV
Your health club has some incredible fitness experts who have an insight or story your audience would love to know. Personal stories can have a big impact on your viewers and help them feel more connected to your content. Remember, your brand is more than just what you provide or sell. It’s a relationship with your target market. There has to be an emotional thread tied to your content that continues to pull your loyal customers toward you.
Cross Promote Your IGTV Content
You should really cross-promote your IGTV video. Whenever you start posting to a new channel, it’s best practice to inform your followers on other channels what you’re up to, in case they want to follow you there too. This is really true for IGTV, as some people will have to download a new app to view your content. IGTV offers a few different cross-promotion options:
- You can preview and link to an IGTV video from your Instagram Stories if you’re a verified user.
- You should share one-minute previews of your IGTV videos to your Instagram feed and profile.
- You should share IGTV videos to a connected Facebook page.
- In addition to Instagram, consider including callouts to your IGTV channel from your other accounts like twitter, and your email newsletter.
Make sure you optimize your video for silent viewing because most of what people watch have the sound muted. So make sure your video either makes sense without sound or has easily visible subtitles.
Include the most important info up front
People scroll through their feeds quickly. You only have a small window of time to grab their attention — up to a minute if you’re lucky, but 15 seconds is probably a more realistic target.
Make sure your IGTV video hooks your viewers as soon as possible. Don’t let their attention slip or give them a reason to swipe through to the next thing.
Marketing your gym is really important to your business success particularly with increasing competition in the marketplace. Be it inbound marketing, content marketing through IGTV and other platforms or email marketing you need a content strategy for each significant platform which is garnering the attention of your prospects and members. IGTV is no exception.
To learn more about ABC Financial’s Preferred Vendor Partners that specialize in marketing and helping your health club adopt IGTV and other content platforms for marketing and community building purposes visit our website here.
About ABC Financial Services
We are the nation’s leading software and payment processing provider for health clubs, gyms, and fitness facilities of all kinds. Our experience and insights continue to support the growth of leading fitness industry operators. Our seamless integrations and relationships with the world’s most advanced technology solution partners enhance member experience and improve retention and profitability. Your fitness business deserves a proven reliable technology and billing solutions provider. Call us at 800–551–9733 or visit our website www.abcfinancial.com to learn more. Subscribe to our newsletter here (link) or Contact us today to learn more.
An Outsourced CEO, Jim Thomas is the founder and president of Fitness Management USA Inc., a management consulting, turnaround and brokerage firm specializing in the gym and sports industry. With more than 25 years of experience owning, operating and managing clubs of all sizes, Thomas lectures and delivers seminars, webinars and workshops across the globe on the practical skills required to successfully to overcome obscurity, improve sales, build teamwork and market fitness programs and products. In addition, his company will buy gym equipment from gyms liquidating or closing. Visit his Web site at:www.fmconsulting.net orwww.jimthomasondemand.com.
