7 Actionable Instagram Strategies For Your Business To Win

What you need to know and how to succeed with Instagram stories.

I believe the opportunity to succeed in today’s market is everywhere around us. Right now we have the greatest opportunity ever to get attention for our brand or business. With social media we have the opportunity to get attention and communicate with people on a level never experienced before.

One of the tools we can use to build our business on social media is Instagram stories. Stories allow us to connect in a way that is fun and authentic. The key to using stories effectively is to develop a strategy that creates an experience and encourages people to take action.

To develop an effective strategy I would recommend using these 7 essential components:

1. Tell a story. Instagram stories give us the opportunity to draw people in and share an authentic experience. Because the content is short and easily consumable, it gets high engagement. Using bite sized pieces of content in our stories allow us to connect with people and build a community of people who endorse our brand or business.
2. Be authentic. The most important part of any social media strategy is being the real authentic version of your brand or your business. You will lose the long game if you try to portray any version that isn’t the real. The authentic version of your business is the one people will most likely connect with.
3. Be creative. There are no official rules for how you can use Instagram stories and social media. Get creative and think of different ways you can create content that engages and offers value to your audience. If your audience has a positive experience with your content they are more likely to take action or share your content.
4. Provide value. Take the opportunity to really understand your audience. Learn about what your audience needs and find a way to help them find a solution. The best way to build a community on social media is to provide value helping people solve their problems in a way that is entertaining.
5. Build a strategy. Take the opportunity to plan ahead. Look at peak seasons, holidays, product launches or promotions and develop a content strategy around your business objectives. Use a call-to-action in your stories and encourage your viewers to take action. Add your stories to your highlights to bring more attention to them.
6. Promote your story. There are several ways to promote your stories. The strategies that I recommend when starting out are to encourage your viewers to share your stories with their friends or groups. From there you can use hashtags, location stickers, @mention as well as cross-posting your stories to your Facebook page. You also have the option of using paid ads to increase engagement with your stories.
7. Use a call-to-action. The number one way you can drive results from your stories is to use a call-to-action. This is why it’s so important to provide the right type of content at the right time. Providing valuable content increases engagement and the likely hood that someone will take action and engage with your business.

To develop an effective strategy that increases engagement I recommend the following content ideas:

1. Create tutorials. One of the most engaging ways to get people to engage with your content is to create mini tutorials that are easy to consume, entertaining and add value to the viewer.
2. Breaking news. Let your audience know about any major announcements or product releases. Take the opportunity to connect with your audience and let them know what is happening with your business. This is a perfect time to use a call-to-action.
3. Go behind the scenes. One of the most interesting and engaging types of content is behind the scenes footage. Every brand or business can use this approach. Using stories to document what happens behind the scenes on a day to day basis is an effective strategy anyone can implement right now.
4. Host a takeover. Takeovers are a fun and entertaining way to get a different perspective on your business or connect your business new audiences using influencers and partnerships.
5. Host a live Q and A. Instagram will post a live video in your stories for 24 hrs after completion. This provides the opportunity to host live Q and A’s and connect with your audience in a way that engages and provides value. Live video is a top strategy to build an audience and grow your community.
6. Give shoutouts. An awesome way to connect with your audience and build a bigger community is to give shoutouts. Highlight the people who make an impact in your business and use the @mention stickers to connect your story with more people.

Have fun developing your Instagram stories strategy and remember to create content that adds value and encourages your viewers to take action. Use Instagram stories to tell your story and connect more people with your brand or business today.

Question:

What does your Instagram stories strategy look like? Join the conversation on Facebook here.