"10 Minute highlight of IGTV" 


Last post I dove into the realm of how Influencers are categorized in different tiers. As such, traditional incentives listed in the article : “No Celebrities Required: How to Create Great Influencer Content” are a bit of a stretch. But to really pull the trigger on my argument, some aiming is involved, So please watch the video above before reading to give you better insight on some of the material I discuss in this post. Follow my cross-hairs and bare with me, this will be longer than my previous posts. 

You see, as the social media world begins to expand, one might also begin to notice that the center of gravity has also begun to appraise platforms like Instagram and facebook for better demand generation. Even more so, they have created a swelling size of 1 billion viewers ready and ripe for conversion. Conflict of opinion? Lets dive deeper by taking a look at the chart from Business Insider below:



According to a recent article from Business Insider that touched basis on Instagram’s newest update called Instagram TV, they mentioned that “IGTV can draw from Instagram's user base of 1 billion monthly active users. Although not all of these users will watch IGTV content, Instagramers have consumed 60% more video over the past year, according to Systrom, indicating there's a growing demand for video on the platform. Even if just 10% of Instagram's monthly users (100 million) end up regularly using IGTV, the maximum audience of the section would still be sizable. Media companies could use IGTV to distribute mini-series as a way of generating interest and driving viewership to their programming on linear TV.”

The significance of this is that when pitted up against another claim from Content Marketing Institute that “content marketing’s website-based center of gravity enables it to focus more on demand generation. As quality content brings prospects to a brand’s site, brands can develop a relationship with the prospects and nurture them towards a lead conversion,” it becomes hard to recognize this as a solid claim.

Social Media Marketing is a specialized niche of content marketing, but focus has been shifted towards Social Media being the main mediums for demand generation.



For example: Most noticeably, the article released by CNBC news took a nod at how powerful Instagram is as a demand generating medium. Not only did the plethora of swimsuit pictures that were posted on Instagram get a lot of views, but it also doubled the sales of mentioned brands like American eagle outfitters, and even Fran Horowitz, CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch claimed that “Instagram has created a dialogue between the company and its customers.”

Claims such as this are hard to ignore. Content Marketing Institute claims that web platforms develop relationships and can nurture to lead generation becomes archaic at best.
Today, Instagram has become a vital staple in todays content marketing world. All companies push native ads through it via paid advertising platforms like Facebook. It also allows businesses and brands to have dialogue between consumers based on content provided on the platform.

My argument is simple:

Instagram is the new hub for consumer engagement, audience dialogue, and relationship building. Certain Content catered on this platform allows its viewers to envision themselves as being apart of any movement or product, even more so, it is here that demand generation is heavily obtained; As seen through the case of American Eagle's recent increase in sales for swimsuits just because so many people were posting pictures of them.

Let this sink in: It has become such that, in this case, product websites are only visited once the audience is ready to be converted. I would go so far as to say that web based platforms are there to “look pretty,” and provide a medium in which transactions can take place once being converted from Instagram.

That being said, I’m not as ignorant to ignore cases like Red Bull, where their content on their website and re-branding to an Entertainment Content company has lead to a better boost in sales. My main point is that the Center of gravity has shifted towards Platforms like Instagram, and with this amount of users on it, Influencers have become the “Celebrities” of it. Because of this, enticing them with offers like exposure or reaching a new audience are likely to be shrugged off. So you might actually need Celebrities.

Influencers have begun to achieve different tiers. Yes, They have obtained sizable differences in worth and in a today's meta, become celebrities.


Let's refer to Gary Vaynerchuk and Gerard Adams for the sole purpose that I previously touched basis on them in my previous articles.

If you were to approach Gary with that kind of offer, he likely wouldn’t accept it unless it aligned with his Brand objectives, or it was in some way ROI positive. He has easily amassed over 3 million followers so clearly he already has his set of loyal viewers, or his “Super Consumers.” Amassing anything above a million easily identifies you as Diamond Tier.


Pitting him up against Gerard Adams, which arguably studied the same methods and forms to take Gary’s methods and make them his own, he’s been able to amass a respectable 318k following. Since his goal is to go out there and reach as many people as possible, he is likely to consider it since it aligns with his Brand identity and objectives. Anything between 100k to 400k would likely be Bronze Tier. With 500k to 900k being Silver.

Convincing different Tiers would require more or less incentives. It would also be wise to take note of their brand and objectives to see if both properly align with whatever you're trying to accomplish. Be sure to offer something of equal or greater value. Most Influencers nowadays seek collaborations with other like minded individuals to create content that cater to both of their audiences, seeing as sharing of audiences build co-existing relationships and have a tendency to retain better in the long run.

That being said, completely writing off Content Marketing Institutes claims would be a bad move, as a matter of fact, a lot of what they have said holds true and I would recommend adding them to your current strategies and executing. My only quarrel is how their techniques and advice are pitted up in today's Marketing Meta. Failure to elaborate could lead to its readers only partially implementing what they have learned and falling short of what the were trying to do. A one time conversion obtained from google ads web traffic wouldn't benefit you in the long run. Remember, earned media is more lucrative and cost effective than paid media. Acknowledging Kevin Kelly's 1000 true fans paradigm holds its long standing merit in this aspect. If you haven't heard of it, I strongly suggest taking a look.

So there you have it: You can’t win a shoot out if your gun doesn’t have any bullets. That’s my two shells, take it or leave it.


Our verdict: 2 / 3 Shells


CMI's content is almost up to Caliber.



Curious about the material listed in this blog post?
Check out the links below:

https://www.garyvaynerchuk.com/
https://www.instagram.com/garyvee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqZW_RFVUAw
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/06/24/swimwear-industry-on-fire-thanks-to-instagram.html
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2012/02/content-marketing-vs-social-media-marketing/
https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2018/08/create-influencer-content/
https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/

or easily spot related content by searching for hashtags on Instagram:

#garyvee
#60secclub
#teamgaryvee
#gerardadams
#fownders
#swimsuit
#swimwear
#cnbc
#IGTV