As a direct challenge to Snapchat’s vanishing multimedia feature, Instagram Stories debuted that same year (2016). The transient nature of the service was instantly accepted by users, since it removed any concerns about over-posting on the carefully controlled network. Around 500 million Instagram accounts now use Instagram Stories daily, a number that has risen steadily since 2016. Both forward-thinking companies and Instagram itself were quick to see the marketing potential of the function.
Even while 70% of businesses are now using Instagram Stories, that still leaves plenty of companies who haven’t started using them for marketing. For those still on the fence about include Instagram Stories in their brand’s marketing strategy, consider these benefits.
A prominent section of the Instagram app is dedicated to the Stories feature. It is the primary visual upon app launch. When compared to regular profile updates, which might get lost in the stream, this prominent placement makes it simple to reach a larger audience and attract more attention.
People are more likely to connect with your business and your content on Instagram Stories because of the platform’s unique, dynamic nature.
According to Instagram’s statistics, the average daily amount of time spent on the app has increased from 14 to 21 minutes thanks to Stories.
If you have more than 10,000 followers, your profile can have a “swipe-up” feature that will transport visitors to a certain website.
When used for marketing purposes, Instagram Stories provides companies with a more compelling rationale for sharing real, behind-the-scenes footage on a regular basis, which in turn boosts the brand’s exposure and credibility.
Now that you’re persuaded of Instagram Stories’ marketing potential, check out our how-to guide for making the most of the platform in your campaigns.
The Complete Instagram Story Marketing Resource
Identify your target demographic and establish your objectives
Knowing your end goal is the first step in developing an effective approach. Think about what you want your readers to do before setting any objectives. Is it enough to just increase exposure to your company or profile material? Or do you want people to do something specific, like visit your website?
Knowing your target demographic is essential to crafting content that will resonate with them and achieve your aims. The people you’re trying to reach are the ones who will ultimately make your plan successful. Examine your audience insights if you aren’t already doing so, since this will provide you with valuable information on your current followers. With this information, create a fictional representation of your ideal viewer and use that to inform the rest of your content strategy.
Try out new forms of content and see how they perform
Beginning writers should try out a variety of story formats to find what resonates most with their target audience. Instagram Stories are perfect for this because their content is deleted after 24 hours, making it more effective than other forms of social media content. The creative in Stories, by its very definition, need not be as polished as, say, an ad in a newsfeed.
You may experiment with Instagram Stories by posting questions, quizzes, contests, live video, behind-the-scenes looks, or stories documenting a typical day. It’s a good idea to experiment with the newest Instagram “stickers” and video features as they become available.
As soon as you have a few Instagram Stories saved, you can begin analysing your audience’s engagement with the help of Instagram Insights. Some examples of trackable metrics for Stories are provided below.
- An article’s total number of pageviews is called its “impressions.”
- Audience Size: The Total Number of Individual Accounts Who Seen Your Story
- Hits on your next story: how many people forwarded it to their friends.
- Backward Taps: the total number of times a user touched the screen to replay an earlier photo or video
- How many people commented on a piece you wrote
- How many users clicked through to the following post by a different account
- How many people visited your site through a link you included in a news article.
- How many times readers swiped away from your content on mobile
Create a unified style and tone for your content
It has already been established that because of the temporary nature of Stories, marketers don’t need to invest heavily in producing highly branded material. Recognizing and appreciating the platform’s inherent genuineness and spontaneity is more vital. Brand recognition may be strengthened, however, through the use of frequent visual and auditory cues. Audiences enjoy familiar pictures in the same way they enjoy recurring themes.
When utilising Instagram Stories for promotional purposes, businesses must walk a fine line between being ‘on-brand’ and’social (creating content that fits within the ecosystem of the platform). Choose appropriate terms from the Instagram Stories lexicon (for example, colors, emojis, GIFs and stickers).
Make full use of Instagram Stories’ interactive options
You should always be thinking of ways to incorporate the newest features and capabilities that social media platforms are rolling out into your overall plan. This is probably a hint that more material like this is wanted on that platform. Since they are in tune with their consumers’ preferences, they typically utilise algorithms to highlight particular forms of material. In the past year or two, Instagram has introduced a slew of new interactive features for Stories, many of which provide entertaining avenues for organic follower participation.
Put Instagram Live to use to reveal a new product or conduct an interview with the CEO.
Inquiries: Compile frequently asked questions or fan feedback into a featured post.
Everyone loves a good quiz! Choose your own questions to ask or let our new feature create them at random.
With the help of the “reminder” function, your followers will be alerted when the countdown is completed, and they will be able to publish your countdown in their own Stories if you use this function to promote an event.