10 Awesome Ways for Your Business to Leverage Instagram Stories.

 

Are you leveraging Instagram Stories to attract and retain new customers? If not you SHOULD be! You’re missing out on putting your product or service or brand in front of thousands of possible fans.

One of the most popular Instagram features today is Instagram Stories. according to social media scheduling platform Hootsuite, more than 500 million Instagram users open the app every day, and 300 million of them are watching Stories daily. Instagram skews young—60 percent of users are under 30—BUT also includes older users as well, with one-third of 30-49 year olds using the app. This can be a sweet spot demographic for your business as they likely have more buying dollars.

I have been recommending Instagram Stories to all of the companies I consult with because they are fantastic for driving engagement. I also like to think of them as almost “free” banner type mini ads that stream across a user’s feed! Think about sitting on the beach and seeing a plane fly overhead with an advertising banner. Your Instagram audience is captive and they are intrigued by Stories already, so utilize this to your brand’s advantage! However, do put strategic thought into how you will use Instagram Stories.

Instagram Stories are sorted according to an algorithm. In other words, Instagram Stories from people and brands that users follow show up in a row at the top of the Home feed, and are sorted algorithmically.  Instagram Stories also offer a few special features that set it apart. For instance, brands with more than 1,000 followers can add hyperlinks to their Stories, which direct users to an external URL after they swipe up. This is a fantastic opportunity to drive traffic and engagement.

Now Instagram Stories (just 15 seconds long unless you use an app like CutStory to edit them into smaller clips) disappear after 24 hours, however Story Highlights  allow users to pin Instagram Stories to the top of their feed. These are perennial features that stay at the top of your feed for as long as you like. Lots of brands are getting creative in using these because you can title them with succinct labels for different categories such as product announcements, highlights from a special event, etc.

So, you’re ready to incorporate Instagram Stories into your social media marketing strategy. Good for you!

Here are 10 awesome ways for your business to leverage Instagram Stories:

Event coverage – Hosting an open house or have a vendor booth at a local event? Share a story and be sure to use a location sticker. This is a searchable feature and many users love to search by location to see what’s happening in their city!

Product announcement – Show off a new product or inventory shipment!

Celebrate company milestones – Use Instagram Stories to give a shout out about your company (perhaps you just had a ribbon cutting) and do mini interviews of team members.

Meet the team – If you have a very customer-facing centric business, utilize Instagram Stories to spotlight one of your team members.

Holiday fun– Get fun and a little silly on holidays by posting photos from your business of decorations or even employees who are celebrating by decorating their workspace or even dressing up themselves!

Sale promotion – Are you running a sale? Use Instagram Stories to help build awareness.

Live video – You can use Instagram Stories to publish a live video from an event/conference. Be sure to use the affiliated hashtag so that people searching for news of the event can find your post.

Product demonstration – Utilize Instagram Stories to educate customers via a quick product demonstration. Ideally these are brief, but if you need more time you can use an app such as CutStory (pay a minimal fee to remove their watermark) and post a series of videos.

Virtual tour – Do you want to give viewers a mini tour of a workspace or a room you have remodeled? Perhaps you are a realtor and you want to do a sweeping video of the front of a new property listing. Instagram Stories is perfect for generating interest!

New blog announcement – Have you added a new blog to your website? Use Instagram Stories to promote your latest content.

If you need help setting up your account and need guidance on how this newer platform fits into your marketing strategy, contact Little Black Dress Marketing today!

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RELATED POST

Communicating During COVID19

I love reading New Year forecasts from industry leaders and NO one could have predicted how strangely 2020 would have…

Reach Influential “Deciders” in Every Household: Leverage Pinterest!

It's small business marketing 101 to focus on Facebook and Instagram, but Pinterest is definitely worth adding to your digital…

3 Reasons Your Brand Needs an Influencer Holiday Campaign Strategy Now

It may be 80 degrees out, but you have probably noticed that retailers are already stocking fall and Halloween seasonal…

New Year, New Strategy: 3 Ways to Declutter Your Social Media Effort

Happy New Year! January is the perfect time to audit your social media and communications efforts across the board to…