On June 20, 2013 the landscape for social marketing changed. You could probably say that about everyday but let’s just stay with today and discuss the announcement from Facebook and Instagram.

You haven’t heard? Instagram has announced that you can now shoot Instagram video with their application and post it to your account, just like you would any photo. Right away you may be thinking to yourself: ‘Great just another Vine application,’ but it isn’t.

In my opinion it is better than Vine, and I will get into that more in detail, but trust me when I say that you will enjoy the features that Instagram video is incorporating.

First off, do you use Instagram? If not, you should be because the cliche’ that a picture tells 1,000 words is beyond true. More than that though, Instagram allows you to tag users in your photos, provide a caption and utilize Hashtags (Welcome to this world Facebook) so that your photos can be found by anybody anywhere, that is if your account is public.

So what makes the Instagram video different from Vine? There are 6 reasons to believe that Insta-Video (I’m just going to use this from now on) is going to be a stronger application for businesses than Vine and I’ll spell them out below along with my opinion:

1.) 15 Seconds Of Video

Currently Vine only allows you 6 seconds of video and has a constant loop back feature which can be somewhat annoying depending on the quality of the Vine you are watching. What Instagram has done with Insta-Video is allow you to ‘produce’ a 15 second clip thus allowing you 9 more seconds of creativity. There is a lot that can be done in 6 seconds but clearly even more can be done in 15.

Similar to Vine you can record clip by clip to develop your 15 second video but that isn’t all that is different because with Insta-Video you –>

2.) Delete Frames

Let’s say that you recorded a clip and afterwards you decided the position of the camera wasn’t right or the person/image you were videoing made a sudden movement away and the shot was ruined. Do not worry because what Insta-Video allows you to do is delete. Unlike Vine where once you record the clip your option is to either start over, not always feasible, or post a Vine that you don’t really care for.

With Insta-Video that unwanted clip is one tap of a button away from being deleted for good so that you can start over again. More than that though you can go back multiple clips. For example, you are taking an Insta-Video of a toy soldier marching across a table. After you have moved said soldier 25 times you realize that there is a shadow being cast in the background. Don’t worry you don’t have to post the Insta-Video as is. All you need to do is press the delete button until you get to the point where you like the clip, make your adjustments and then start over again. That is where the next feature comes in and that feature is –>

3.) The Ability To Filter Clips

You have shot the clip but the lighting is still a bit off. Again, do not go into a panic mode. You can use the 13 custom designed filters that Instagram has provided for you and adjust the clip so that it provides you the images that you desire. The functionality is similar to what Instagram currently provides for their photo sharing so you can be your own director and producer. The possibilities are endless as you can stream together different filters to create a bunch of different looks for your Insta-Video which are sure the capture your audience.

Well that leads me to the next point and that is how do you capture your audience with the video. –>

4.) By Choosing Your Cover Photo

We all know about the cover photos of videos being the first segment of a clip and how horrible they can look. The camera is out of focus or the picture that is being used just doesn’t do the video justice. Imagine how many additional views you could generate if you had the ability to choose your cover photo. With Insta-Video that ability is present.

Scroll through your clips and when you come across the clip that you have shot and filtered and decided is the one picture that is going to tell 1,000 words that leads to 1,000,000 views just tap a button. Now you have the imagination of your audience captured and they are going to be more than happy to press the picture to watch what you have produced for the next 15 seconds. That cover photo is paramount to captivating your audience because –>

5.) Your Instagram Video Shows Up Just Like A Picture In Your Instagram Feed

There will be very little that seperates your Insta-Video from your Instagram when a follower comes to your feed. They will see all the pictures that you have taken and the clips that you have designated as your cover photo. A tiny little video camera will alert them to the fact that there is a 15 second video waiting for them but all in all there is no discernible difference between your pics and your videos.

But how does somebody who is going through there feed see the video if it doesn’t look any different than a picture you may be asking yourself. Simple as they are scrolling through their feed as they are tapping the screen the video will play and once they lift their finger off the screen the video will stop. It will not be a continuous loop like Vine which makes this feature all the more appealing.

Oh that shaky video you see on Vine is not going to be seen on Insta-Video as you scroll because they have worked with video scientists and developed Cinema. This feature takes away the bumpy videos we see not only on Vine but also on YouTube. Now imagine a clean 15 second video that your customers and friends/family can watch. But wait a minute can they see it anywhere besides an iPhone or iPad? Read on –>

6.) Available on iPhone, iPad, Android And Web

Amazing isn’t it? In this world of let’s get this out the door before anybody else does it seems that Instagram waited until they had developed the App so that it could reach the masses all on the same day. My biggest problem with Vine right now is that they released their app too soon in my opinion. They left the door open for Instagram and anybody else with the programming chops to come in and steal market share without a fight.

Insta-Video has the ability to reach the masses and they are doing so. In their video release of Insta-Video they commented that the ability to shoot and post videos to Instagram would be available today (June 20, 2013) to 130 million users. That is devouring market share in my mind.

I don’t believe that Vine is going to go away but I do believe they will hit a plateau sooner than they expected too. The ability for Instagram to do all of these things gives them a leg up and since they already have the users it is going to be difficult for Vine to steal them back. I have a Vine account but once I upgrade my Instagram account I cannot see how I would use Vine for any purpose. Maybe it’s their and I’m not thinking hard enough but Instagram has just given me the ability to not have to think about and that is power.

What Do You Think Of The Instagram Video Announcement?

Meet Jason Bahamundi

About the Author >> Jason Bahamundi is a marketing specialist with Sonix Studio, a web development, design, SEO and hosting firm with offices in Green Bay, Wisconsin and Dallas, Texas. An MBA graduate from Iona College in New Rochelle, NY with a BS in Marketing from SUNY-Oswego Jason started his career in marketing in the television industry creating marketing plans for Fortune 500 companies including Pfizer, Clorox, Kraft and Darden Restaurants to name a few.

Original Article >> VIDEO-STAGRAM? INSTA-VIDEO? WHATEVER YOU CALL IT, IT'S HERE!