Instagram stories have become the newest way to share content on social media. Stories debuted in August of 2016, and since then, they have evolved into an effective marketing tool for businesses and brands. At first, critics complained that Instagram was simply copying Snapchat, but Instagram’s Stories have transformed into something much more than just sharing pictures or videos. Features include being able to “Swipe Up” on an image and be taken to an external site. Instagram set themselves apart with their Stories and became a highly utilized tool for marketing. In this blog post, we will give you 5 tips for using Instagram stories to your advantage.
Boost Engagement
One of the main goals of social media is to engage with your customers online. Instagram stories provide many options to engage; one of those is using calls to action. A call to action can come in many different forms, whether it be asking your followers to to like or comment on a post, or even asking them to make a purchase. These CTAs encourage followers to engage with your content, and these can be easily implemented into your Instagram story. For example, you can let your followers know you have a new post, and ask them to “like” it. You can also include a “Swipe Up” feature in your story to encourage your followers to visit your site, make a purchase, engage with a featured profile, or any other action you may want them to take.
Plan Ahead
Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours, so you want to be sure you are putting out the right and most effective content. The best practice here is to create your content ahead of time instead of on the go; that way you can put out exactly what you want your followers to see and make sure it is completely polished before it goes out. The final product will be the most engaging and compelling for your audience.
Be Creative
Don’t let your stories become stale. Be creative and stay on-brand. Instagram offers many ways to do this on your stories. You can add stickers, GIFs, text, geo-tags and other customizable features to your videos or pictures to create engaging and fun content. Your followers will look forward to your content, and keep them coming back and engaging.
Deliver Value
Your followers need a reason to follow and engage with you. Create value with your stories in order to give them that reason. Create how-to videos for your product, give discounts to followers, or simply provide your followers with a daily dose of inspiring content. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes to determine what content they would find most valuable to keep them coming back for more.
Use Hashtags
Hashtags continue to be one of the most effective ways to use almost every social media platform. Instagram stories are no different. Add hashtags to your stories to foster engagement and to stay relevant. Take a look at the trending hashtags, find one that is relevant to your business, and use it. Using hashtags keeps you at the top of your business community and encourages followers to use that hashtag as well.
Are you ready to use Instagram stories to your advantage and to promote your business or brand? We are here to do that with you. Let’s work together and use stories to get the most out of your social media efforts.
