CHANGING HOW HOSPITALITY DOES SOCIAL
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IGTV Changes the Way Users Interact With Visual Content

In less than a decade, Instagram has grown into a global community of one billion with its average user spending 53 minutes per day on the app. Understanding the ever-evolving nature of social, one can’t help but attribute this Insta-success story to its ability to quickly adapt to the latest trends, the most recent being vertical video.

Instagram predicts that mobile video will account for 78% of total mobile data traffic by 2021. While video content is currently thriving on Instagram Stories, users are limited to 60 seconds per video. So, what’s next? As it turns out, it’s already here—join us as we tune into the world of IGTV.

What is IGTV?

As of now, a lot of users simply know IGTV as the button they accidentally tapped in the upper-righthand corner of Instagram. If you fall into this category, we hope the following insight will provide further clarification.

IGTV is an optimized mobile video platform that brings users closer to the Insta-icons they love. What distinguishes this streaming platform from others of its kind is its vertical formatting.

Instagram cracked the code: if users are going to spend more time watching videos on their phones, the media should accommodate the technology’s intended upright position.

So, how is this different than Instagram Stories? We’re glad you asked. What sets IGTV apart is  the ability to upload longform content—up to one hour of video for verified accounts. Better yet, your videos will not disappear after 24 hours. While it’s easy to access within Instagram app, a separate IGTV app is available as well.

Just like your classic cable television, IGTV begins playing as soon as you open the app. It’s easy to flip through channels, browse for content, and multitask. The best part? There are no commercial breaks.

At first this may sound overwhelming, especially since a whopping one billion people can contribute to this new medium. But don’t fret, Instagram knows us better than that. The content that populates to each user’s screen is carefully curated based on accounts you already follow.

What opportunities does IGTV offer for businesses?

It probably comes as no surprise that the social media fanatics at BCV are jazzed about Instagram’s new extension. Now, individuals and businesses have the opportunity to showcase longform video content with a global community—especially those users with whom they have already established an online following.

In consideration of BCV’s area of expertise, the hospitality industry, 60 minutes of uninterrupted content will allow our clients to delve deeper into the discovery and storytelling aspects of travel.

Need a visual? Let’s look at how other travel and hospitality businesses are using IGTV:

Where to Start?

First thing’s first, start by expanding your business’s vertical video library. For those who are eager to test out IGTV, try experimenting with recycled, high-performing assets from past Instagram Stories.

With discovery at the core of travel, IGTV offers a unique platform for hotels to connect with target audiences. Whether it’s a behind-the-scenes look into your executive chef preparing a lavish meal or an influencer spotlight—the opportunities are endless.

Final Thoughts

Vertical video is taking over and we’re loving it. Your friends at BCV are eager to see how IGTV continues to emerge as a social sharing platform, further allowing brands to form lasting connections with users.

Over the past five years, the use of video in digital marketing has increased exponentially, officially crowning video as the king of digital marketing.

The rapid rise in the popularity of video can be attributed to its array of potential benefits – from increased engagement and social shares to elevated SEO and ROI. But, leveraging video doesn’t guarantee success. Social media users are exposed to a large volume of video content in their news feeds every day, so only the very best and most creative content will survive.

At BCV, we consistently recommend incorporating digital video into our hospitality clients’ social media strategies. Recently, BCV was awarded by Hotels Magazine for creative use of video for two of our clients – Waldorf Astoria and Fontainebleau.

Waldorf Astoria’s goal was to increase their Facebook audience. Based on this objective, BCV recommended the launch of a video campaign that would be shared exclusively on the brand’s Facebook Page.

BCV created a series of high-quality feature videos that engaged users by highlighting two unique Waldorf brand offerings – Waldorf Drive and Waldorf Golf. To supplement the main video content, we also created 30 additional video shorts which significantly increased shares and overall engagement.

The campaign was wildly successful. The brand’s Facebook fan base increased by 60,100, achieving 103% of goal, engagement rate quadrupled and on-page impressions grew by a whopping 265%, all because of the creative and audience-appropriate video content.

Fontainebleau Miami Beach came to BCV with a different objective – they sought to create a cohesive aesthetic on their Facebook page. Although the objective for Fontainebleau and Waldorf Astoria differed, we still recommended the use of innovative video content to achieve both of their goals.

For Fontainebleau, we created a series of unique stop motion videos, cinemographs and time-lapse videos, which were strategically integrated into the hotel’s Facebook content calendar.

One of the most successful videos in the campaign was a 14-second video of a hand holding a Fontainebleau water bottle. The simple creativity of this one piece of content generated an impressive 29,000 views.

All of the videos shared on Fontainebleau’s Facebook page were watched a combined 1.5 million times, received over 300,000 engagements (an all-time high), and generated over $200,000 in revenue from room bookings that were directly attributed to the video posts.

These two examples of award-winning video campaigns are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to illustrating the power and versatility of video. It is clear that these days, social media users are engaging with brands that tailor their content to audience preferences. And, since video is the king, brands that don’t integrate video into their digital strategies will be left behind.