As it does every year, the 'best nine' pics trend started to surface, and when I looked at my own most popular posts on Instagram a strong pattern emerged. They were all videos. I tried sorting by impressions, then by engagement, then just by likes and comments separately and the result was the same. Video for the win — every single time. 

So why is video important for you as an artist?

Video is an extremely important part of your social media strategy for several reasons. Let's go through a few of them:

1. Social video has been the hottest new thing all through 2016 and into 2017, and that's likely to continue. With so many social media platforms investing heavily in social video they want you to use it, and they'll actually float good quality examples to the top of people's feeds, getting you more eyeballs that you'll get on static images. Milk that for all it's worth before the next thing comes along!
    
2. People love to watch artists as they create, to watch the process and feel like they're getting a peek behind-the-scenes into something they wouldn't ordinarily be able to see. This can be an intimidating barrier for artists to overcome, but if you can do it you'll reap the rewards.
    
3. Building on the last point, video is a great way to build a bond with your audience, in much less time than you could do it through photos alone. People get to see you doing what you do best, and you have the opportunity to talk to them directly and tell them why you are doing something a particular way, explain your thought process and answer questions (if you're using live video). It's more intimate and feels more real than a heavily staged and curated still image. The greater the bond you can build with your audience the more loyal they are likely to be — coming back more often, buying more from you, recommending you to their friends etc. 
    
4. If you can get someone to watch a video, you have a captive audience for a much longer time than it takes to double tap a photo. More time spent on your content equals greater retention and audience connection!
    
5. You can offer greater value to your audience via video. Short 'how to' or instructional videos are hugely popular because they give your audience something they can take away with them, knowledge, ideas, or a new skill. Try doing all that in a single photo!
    
6. Video simply catches your eye better than still images. It has the ability to draw you in and make you wonder what's coming up next.

So, what next? Scroll down for a step-by-step guide on how to see which of your content is most popular on Instagram. Why not try posting a video, a series of photos, and a still photo and then seeing which performs the best!

Learn how to create time-lapse videos of your own art by clicking here!

How to Find your most popular Instagram posts

1. Click on the graph icon at the top of your account. (You'll need a business account)

2. Click on See More under Top Posts

3. Choose the timeframe you want

4. Filter through viewing options (Engagement, Impressions etc)

I'll be providing a lot more tips on social media for artists, how-to guides for easily creating good video, and much more over the next few weeks so make sure you've signed up to get the emails!

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