Housing Development Finance Corporation

To promote its new service, HDFC launched “InstaBranch,” a vigorous marketing campaign enabling customers to connect with the assistant through Ads that click to Instagram Direct Message, as well as cross-promotion on other platforms. When a customer clicks on Instagram ads with specific calls to action, like calculating EMI, they activate the conversational assistant to start a conversation on that topic. With Instagram Direct, HDFC can proactively respond to potential customers who leave comments, tags, and questions on Instagram posts and stories by moving the conversation to direct message.

“The versatility of Instagram Direct allows HDFC to turn social media users into customers,” says Akanksha Sudan, Marketing Head, Amplify.ai “HDFC can provide faster, more personalized service based on actionable insights about what inspires people to apply for a loan.”

Conversations with the assistant remain in customers’ direct messages, allowing them to re-engage with HDFC at any point and as often as they need “When customers engage with us over Instagram Direct, they are more knowledgeable and excited about moving forward with the loan application process. The leads we generate through Instagram Direct have conversion rates that are 10.45 percent higher than rates from other social media channels,” says Aditya Rao, Assistant General Manager - Communications, HDFC.

The company’s success with its InstaBranch campaign earned recognition from The Advertising Club through its highly prestigious Abby Awards, one of the top honors for creative excellence in advertising across India. HDFC received the Bronze distinctions in Best in Platform Innovation and Digital Craft – UI/UX Design at the Goafest, the most prominent festival in the South Asian advertising, design, and digital marketing industry.

“Receiving this high industry recognition is a testament to the creativity of our approach, using the popularity of Instagram as a foundation for customer engagement in the digital age, where customers want the convenience of working online with the one-on-one feeling of connecting with a representative in-person,” says Manoj Malhotra, CTO, Amplify.ai. “Working with HDFC, we’ve built a sophisticated communications channel that ensures speed, accuracy, efficiency in helping customers initiate the home buying process while demonstrating our care for the quality of their experiences.”

HDFC is exploring new ways of making the consultation process even faster and more convenient, including features that enable live agents to chat directly with customers over Instagram Direct messages.

“When a customer applies for a home loan, they’re taking the first step toward a major life purchase. Through Instagram Direct, we’re able to sustain longer, more personal relationships that help guide people to the right loan,” says Rao.