IGTV: What It Is and How It Can Help Your Business

With the announcement that Instagram has reached one billion global users, it’s clear that the app is no longer the “new kid on the block”. As the fastest growing social network of the 20-teens, the app is showing no signs of growing pains. Now, the Facebook-owned company has deepened the connection between its users and brands 15-60 seconds at a time, with Instagram video, or IGTV.

Year-over-year the time spent watching video on Instagram has grown by 80% and much of this video consumption is B2C content that’s proving to drive strong ROI.

· Marketing through entertainment-focused content is a direct way to reach millennials

· Older or cross-generational brands see success with informative video content

· Customer Sales Match is proving video to be up to 10x as effective at closing sales

· Used with in-market targeting, brands have a more interactive way to connect

IGTV is both its own app, as well as an integrated feature into the Instagram app, both of which provide long-form, vertical videos from other Instagram users. It varies from other video apps in a few ways; IGTV videos are full-screen and vertical (eliminating the need to stop what you’re currently browsing and turn your phone horizontally to watch videos; they look similar to Instagram stories). Second, relevant content begins playing when the app is launched. The content is curated automatically from a user’s followed accounts, deemed ‘channels’ – if you follow a user, their channel shows up in your IGTV. And, Instagram users receive numerous alerts reminding them to check out the newest additions to IGTV. Lastly, the videos can be much longer than those posted as stories, and they don’t disappear after a given amount of time.

So, how can we use IGTV to drive shoppers into a car dealership?

Gone are the days when video had to be over-produced and professionally polished – users want raw, real footage. Given all the tools and tips that Facebook/Instagram provides, it’s easier than ever to produce video content. A reported 72% of Instagram users have made purchase decisions based on videos they saw on the app/site, making it apparent that IGTV is an effective, inexpensive resource for car dealers. Some ideas we recommended include:

· Going behind the scenes or giving sneak peaks into your business using Instagram stories: building a client-base of individuals that know you as more than just another car dealer forms connections and leads to brand/business loyalty.

· Giving a virtual tour or test drive of a featured vehicle for sale: if you receive similar questions about a particular vehicle or feature, highlight it in a virtual tour. It’s a more interactive and engagement way to answer questions. Plus, you can show rather than simply tell.

· Using captions vs. voice-overs (or both!) to increase consumption: the more ways you get your message out, the more that consumers will receive it. Captions gather the audience who may be browsing where sound isn’t acceptable, while voiceover captures the attention of users who are looking for a more traditional video experience.

Here at Search Optics, we have produced social media-optimized video for our clients for quite some time, and we focus each video on those clients’ individual business objectives. Whether it’s an awareness-focused campaign to grow familiarity with a new vehicle or a lower-funnel campaign to highlight popular model features, when we pair it with Smart Targeting and option for Customer Sales Match, it’s easy to prove the ROI of social video.

Learn more about how we can utilize social media video content for your business with a quick email.

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Celebrating 20 years of business in 2018, Search Optics has earned its status as a leader in global digital marketing. Using an uncommon blend of class-leading technology backed by real people, the company specializes in custom, integrated solutions with an emphasis on outstanding measurable results. With a client base of over 3,000 customers worldwide, Search Optics has offices in the North American, EMEA and LATAM regions.

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