Boomerang and Instagram Video in Social Media Marketing for Jewelry
One of the most difficult aspects of photographing jewelry is capturing its “sparkle,” especially the brilliance, fire, and scintillation of a beautiful diamond. In the jewelry industry, sharing a beautiful product photo on your website or via your social media accounts is the most effective way to entice a customer who isn’t able to see your jewelry in person.
Product photography could well be the single most important design aspect of any e-commerce website. – Smashing Magazine
If you’re a jewelry designer or jewelry business owner who has ever tried photographing your jewelry yourself, without outsourcing it to a professional, you probably know that producing the perfect product photo requires ideal light, proper equipment, lots of trial and error, and more than a basic knowledge of Photoshop.
If you don’t have time to learn how to photograph jewelry, or you can’t afford to hire a jewelry photographer, don’t worry: you do have other options, especially when it comes to posting on Instagram.
What most people know about Instagram is that it’s a social media platform where users can share square-shaped photos altered with filters. Many jewelry brands have been very successful with sharing still photos on Instagram.
Check out #showmeyourrings for some examples of rings on Instagram.
But lately, I’ve been noticing that many jewelry brands are incorporating Boomerang and video into their regular, still Instagram postings. What are Boomerang and Instagram video, you ask? First, you should be aware that Instagram will, by default, display video “views” rather than “likes.” To see actual likes, just click the number of views for more information.
Boomerang: In late 2015, Instagram announced the launch of Boomerang, an app that allows users to create a one-second mini video from a quick burst of photos.
Below is an example of a Boomerang for a double-halo diamond engagement ring.
Instagram video: In 2013, Instagram launched a video feature that allows users to post 15-second videos, which can then be altered with one of Instagram’s filters.
Below is an example of an Instagram video featuring multiple ring stacks.
A video posted by Jewels by Grace | Los Angeles (@jewelsbygrace) on
Boomerang vs. Instagram Video
You might think that not much can happen in a second, but one second could be just the right amount of time to showcase a moment of sparkle.
Boomerang is a perfect choice when you want to capture polish, fire, or scintillation, and a still image isn’t doing your jewelry justice. When using Boomerang, you’ll find that the app’s photo bursts happen quickly, and you might need to do a few takes in order to achieve your desired effect.
What I like most about Instagram video is that 15 seconds can offer a potential customer a brief glance into how it might look and feel to wear your jewelry. Few people are likely to get bored in 15 seconds, so you’ll be able to pique viewers’ interest without losing their attention.
In one of my favorite examples of Instagram video used for jewelry marketing, jewelry brand Mark Broumand enlisted a hand model wearing a 3.56 carat double-halo oval engagement ring to visit Los Angeles restaurant and gourmet market Bottega Louie.
In the video below, you can see the model admiring a window display full of cakes and colorful macarons while wearing her show-stopping ring. To date, the video has received more than 55,000 views.
Do you already utilize Boomerang and Instagram video? If so, how do you decide when to use a still image or a video? If not, do you think your Instagram account would benefit from some moving images?