There are two types of video content: traditional and vertical.

You watch the former as you would on a TV, while the latter on your mobile via IGTV, a standalone app on the Instagram platform that allows users to watch and upload hour-long videos.

Instagram’s answer to YouTube was designed with mobile in mind, as virtually everyone today relies on their mobile phones for everything from shopping and paying bills to following friends and celebrities on social sites, so every video playing on it is in portrait. Format.

After all, who doesn’t naturally hold their phone upright? They all do unless of course they’re on a platform where the videos are designed to look like typical TV shows.

Although Kevin Systrom, co-founder and CEO of the popular photo-sharing platform, did not directly attack YouTube during the IGTV launch, he commented:

“The tools we use to watch video are old and outdated. Think about it. Today we still watch video formatted for a TV on a vertical screen, which means we have to awkwardly turn our phone around or watch a smaller version. And That doesn’t make much sense, does it?”

Who would have thought 10 years ago that we would be treating our cell phones like televisions, if not more?

Built on three principles, namely mobile first, simple and quality, the new video platform addresses how people consume video content these days.

“Everything is made for the natural way you hold your phone. Videos play full screen with no wasted space and aren’t restricted to the same minute limit you’re used to on Instagram,” said Ashley Yuki, manager of the company’s product.

Target billion users

It seems that Instagram has the best interests of e-commerce companies in mind with its latest initiatives.

First, they introduced ‘shoppable posts’, which allow online sellers to tag their products and direct users to their online store, and now IGTV, which can potentially turn followers into paying customers and increase your sales.

At least the company is aware that its is a platform leveraged by businesses of varied interests and markets.

Traditional media can still be effective in growing your customer base, but only up to a point.

The strong influence of the videos cannot be denied; teens watch 40% less TV now than they did five years ago because they’re glued to online video, according to Systrom.

Although YouTube is a more established platform for video content, Instagram said its new offering focuses not only on what and how people watch online these days, but basically how they manipulate their mobile devices.

According to the Facebook-owned company, netizens rely less on desktop computers as they can keep up with their favorite social media influencers even while on the go.

Systrom said the public has been watching 60% more video in the last year, so video marketing is definitely a route worth taking to expand your market reach.

With Instagram reaching 1 billion monthly users, you definitely want to consider it as a vital aspect of your business strategy.

Do you think IGTV is worth a try or would you rather stick with YouTube?