Instagram update: Upcoming feature to show number of views on videos

A new feature on Instagram will be coming in the next few weeks. The Facebook-owned social media and photo sharing site has announced that people will be getting "views" instead of "likes" on their videos.

According to their blog, sharing moments will now be more than just a 15-second clip, and this is just the beginning of what's to unfold this year when it comes to its new features.

With the recent hype about sharing videos to the community, this upcoming feature can become an effective advertisement platform to those wanting to create their own brands. More videos means more advertisement that could lead to more sales.

Richard Broughton, research director at Ampere Analysis, told CNBC by phone, "If you want to attract branded content, having a view count is essential."

Videos are becoming a tool for businesses who are either just starting or those who want to expand their audience. Through this added feature on Instagram, they will know how many are reached through their content. The people who viewed the video can still be seen by tapping views.

As of September last year, Instagram announced that it had 400 million users, much higher compared to the 305 million active users of Twitter. The photo sharing site drew the attention of 100 million new users in just nine months, from December 2014 to September 2015.

With this increase in the number of people using Instagram, it is not only a great platform to advertise branded content but is also a great medium for users to share their moments with the world.

In a study by the Facebook Marketing Science team commissioning Nielsen, they analyzed how video advertisements affect branding. They found out that seeing the video alone creates awareness for the viewers.

According to the post by Facebook for Business, "That data shows that people who watched under three seconds of the video ad created up to 47 percent of the total campaign value, and people who watched for fewer than 10 seconds created up to 74 percent, depending on the metric."