A recent article on Marketing Magazine has described the new Instagram sensation that is video.

It has only been around for three days, but excited marketers have jumped on the Instagram video bandwagon. After some pretty accurate rumours, Instagram confirmed on Friday that it was adding video capabilities to its popular photo-sharing app. 

Instagram allows up to 15 seconds of video (is it a coincidence that’s a unit of time advertisers are used to working in?). Uploading the videos is also fairly straightforward, as users are able to record multiple clips in succession, apply one of 13 filters, choose a cover frame and publish. 

For now, all users, including brands, are able to upload videos for free. There are no options for paid promotion at this stage, but it’s likely adding video is a move by Instagram’s owner, Facebook, to monetise the popular service (as well as take a swipe at rival Twitter’s blooming Vine). 

Click here http://tinyurl.com/lfuv93j to see what a few brands have come up with so far.

As marketing consultants for small business, we can see the positivity that can come out of some free video ads and would definitely work for brands that focus on imagery such as clothing boutiques.