Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/834717
July 2017 | Boating Industry | 37 [ Organic and Authentic ] www.BoatingIndustry.com idea of who you are as a business. "We know that boat buying is an emotional decision more so than a practical one in many cases," said Shelby Kirby, director of marketing at Sea Ray Group. "Any way that we can open up the organic feeling that the brand can offer is the biggest opportunity that we see." In-between pieces In stories – either on Snapchat, Instagram or most recently Facebook – photos and video are shared through a story feed for 24 hours; after that time period, the content disappears. Users can upload photos or video they have already taken or capture content directly in the story camera. Content shared in stories, as well as the entire story itself, can be saved for later use, but if you don't make a point to grab the content within 24 hours it is gone forever. "Stories see a huge engagement spike. No matter what you're posting there, it's just where people want to be on Instagram right now. It's what they want to see, it's the next iteration of the entire channel," said Waible. Regulator Marine will post sneak peak pho- tos and videos on stories, such as a factory story the brand posted earlier this year. The manu- facturer showed viewers how the boat is built without revealing propriety information, coming back to stories the next day and showing how the next day looks in the boatbuilding process. "When we think about the content we're put- ting into stories versus our regular feed, we really want to bring people into a day in the life of a Regu- lator, wherever that Regulator may be," said Waible. This content strategy has paid off for Regu- lator, as Waible said the manufacturer has seen better engagement with stories than with many of Regulator's permanent posts. "We have seen more eyeballs, likes and en- gagement on certain stories … than we have on other posts that would seem to be in the same content silo," said Waible, "If I look at product behind the scenes and have us post a photo, if I've posted a series of photos through Instagram stories, I see higher engagement there." The stories work as a great "in-between piece" that is raw, according to Brent Veverka, director of marketing & media at Buckeye Sports Center, which is of interest to the dealership's customer base. "[We are] using that in-between piece to kind of tell people 'Yes, we are real. We have skin. We breathe. We're not just a face of a company shar- ing a bunch of pictures from around the internet. We do this 24-7, it's in our minds all day long,'" he said. "This past winter, we saw the largest impact – comments, messages sent back to us, overall views, follower count. The percentage of viewers is fantastic to see how many people are tuning into that 24-hour window." Stories also signal to your followers, particu- larly younger ones, that your brand is interested in keeping up with consumer trends and staying in constant contact with your customers. "It amps up the brand. Even though it lasts for 24 hours, people can go back to your Instagram and they could be a possible follower and follow you, and be more engaged just because you post new content that's not dated, that's timed," said Sara Fahy, digital marketing coordinator for Sea Ray Group. Teaser content is perfect to post in stories. At the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Sea Ray posted several pre-show teasers, particularly for the L-Class 550 that was debuting at the show. "We would take short clips of the helm and the captain's chair, and also of running footage, and post those, but also take still shots and post those as well with fun," said Fahy. "Most con- sumers aren't able to go to FLIBS. So if you can show still shots with scenery in the background and a beautiful picture showcasing part of the boat – like the helm or the sun pad – people want to see that." Story posts – specifi cally Instagram Stories – have been one of the more utilized social media platforms at Nautique in recent months. Content Strategist Shawn Perry said the manufacturer will often format the professional photos and videos Nautique already has specifi cally for stories. "It has a sense of urgency with people, so if they see that we're putting up those few Insta- gram stories during the day, they're more likely to interact with that content, because they know it's not going to be there forever," he said. That being said, the manufacturer still shoots plenty of content out in the fi eld, giving followers a behind-the-scenes look at the brand. "[Followers] don't necessarily always love that highly produced product-driven messag- ing. They like to see what the brand does on a day-to-day basis," said Perry. "For lack of a better term, it's a bit voyeuristic, but if somebody's re- ally in touch with your brand, they really want to know what you're doing on a regular basis." Posting on Instagram Stories shows Buckeye Sports Center customers what's going on at the dealership in a fun, engaging way. Nautique posts a combination of raw and professionally shot content on Instagram Stories.