How to Use Instagram Stories in Your Marketing Strategies
At first, the Instagram Stories feature was seen as nothing but a carbon copy of Snapchat Stories. However, since the huge upgrade and second launch, these opinions seem far from the truth. As a marketer, this opens many doors.
As well as discussing why Instagram Stories is such a popular tool, we want to look at some ways you can utilize the platform to grow a brand. In the ever-competitive world in which we live, branding is essential, and we believe Instagram can help in your journey.
The Power of Instagram Stories
First and foremost, there’s a clear advantage to setting up an Instagram story marketing strategy as opposed to a Snapchat one: a pre-built audience. After spending years building a brand on Instagram, you can take advantage of this because the hard work is already done. When you start on Snapchat, you’ll spend weeks and months just getting people to visit your Snapchat profile.
Secondly, you can provide the sort of personable content that modern consumers seek from companies. Instagram stories allow for authentic and real content that doesn’t just push sales.
Difference Between Instagram and Instagram Stories
As Instagram Stories plays more of a role for users, we’re in somewhat of a transition phase right now. For one thing, brands are learning what they can and can’t do. If you’re accustomed to a set of standards on the traditional Instagram platform, don’t carry these over to the ‘new’ Instagram. Instead, have fun and explore the boundaries.
Most importantly, you don’t need to carefully structure your upload pattern while constantly worrying about clogging the feeds of your followers.
With the 24-hour window working in the same way as Snapchat, campaigns can be tested and forgotten if they don’t work.
Read More: 5 Instagram Updates You Need To Know About
Using Instagram Stories
If you’ve never used this feature before, we’ll provide a quick introduction. Although Instagram encourages users to upload content through their editing program, you can just as easily upload preformatted content. After clicking on the ‘+’ or the camera icon, you can tap the gallery icon to choose something from your Photos or take a picture there and then.
When you’re happy, remember that Instagram has a number of editing tools, tap the ‘Your Story’ button. As soon as it goes live, all your followers will see the Story at the top of their feeds. Of course, you can also send a picture directly to followers.
You can also use Instagram stories as one of the placements in your Facebook Ads Manager when sending out paid campaigns.
Using Instagram Stories Effectively
How can you use Instagram Stories? How can you be sure your strategy will be successful? Let’s offer some advice using our experience and observations since the introduction of the feature.
Importance of Planning
Due to the nature of Instagram Stories, you see some businesses posting on the fly. This can be useful, and we’ve already discussed how Stories can be powerful in making a brand more personable. This being said, the fleeting nature of the pictures and videos doesn’t mean that it can all be done without planning.
In our experience, it’s best to see Instagram Stories as another of your effective marketing channels. You wouldn’t post randomly on Facebook, so why do it here? How will your Story flow? How will you engage users in the right way? Can you capture their attention over time and then push them in the direction of your website and other marketing materials?
For example, we see lots of businesses go straight into advertising or revealing a new product. Instead, you can tease the reveal and generate some excitement around your brand. If you’re attending an industry event, there’s no reason why you can’t do exactly the same thing. When attempting to get people talking about your products and services, Instagram Stories is a great option. Suddenly, they’ll be checking their phones and looking for your Story.
Utilize the Different Features
After you’ve learned how to post photos and videos, explore the different tools you have to really bring the content to life. For example, the following will keep your Story fresh and exciting;
- Live — If you’re brave enough, the live stream feature will use your camera to broadcast in the moment. Perhaps you could build up to a product release and then show off your new product live. Afterwards, the live stream will remain in your Story. Elsewhere, you might consider an influencer takeover, a Q&A, live tutorial, or even a talk show.
- Boomerang — As the name suggests, this is a short, one-second clip that loops. After playing forwards, it plays backwards, and so on. Though typically found with clinking glasses on sunny beaches, you can be current and surprise customers with a fun boomerang.
- Text — Just because Instagram Stories is all about visual content, you don’t have to forget text-based posts completely. When styled with a colored background, it can get a message across nicely.
- Rewind — Record something forward, play it backwards…it’s as simple as that. Can you integrate your product or office into a fun rewind video?
- Focus — Forget about the rest of the world, have your product in full view with the focus feature; this will blur everything else but the subject.
- Superzoom — Finally, this will allow you to zoom in on a particular subject from far away; you can also add humor with the effects.
Just in case you didn’t know, there’s a hands-free feature where you can record a video without having to hold down a button.
With all these fantastic features, you can keep your audience engaged and prevent the posts on your Stories from becoming boring and predictable.
Geotags, Stickers, and Hashtags
- Geotags — Firstly, tagging your Stories with a geotag location will boost your exposure. If your business is active within a popular shopping mall, for example, you can post with the location’s tag and everybody who checks in on the shopping mall will see it.
- Stickers — With question stickers, poll stickers, product stickers, selfie stickers, hashtag stickers, and more, you can improve the navigation and accessibility of your brand. As a business, you should be aiming for Instagram’s approval for shopping. With this, you can add a shopping sticker to a particular product. When a user taps on this sticker, they learn more and even have the option to purchase the product directly.
- Hashtags — Of course, we all know about hashtags by now, right? With a mixture of general and brand-specific hashtags, exposure increases and those with an interest in your niche can discover your brand
Have Fun and Be Personable BUT Always Add Links
Instagram Stories are your chance to reach out to consumers in a way that traditional marketing doesn’t offer. So, take advantage of it. Have fun, post the odd picture that doesn’t worry about selling, and bring out the character of your brand. However, it all needs to be leading towards something. It’s all well and good having fun and building an audience, but you need to remember why you’re on Instagram in the first place.
Fortunately, Instagram helps us here because they allow companies to add links to their pictures and videos. Using this feature, a link you choose will show when the user swipes upwards; the feature is aptly named ‘Swipe Up’.
Generate Leads
Continuing from the previous point, this is a marketing strategy and it’s one that allows you to generate leads. If you’re looking for ideas, consider the following;
- Influencers and Brand Ambassadors — Did you know that 95% of influencers choose Instagram as their favorite platform? If you choose an influencer with an audience similar to your own, partnering with them, running events together, and generally being associated with them will only end well for you.
- Share Web Content — Marketing strategies work best when they’re all intertwined, so be sure to use your Instagram Story to steer people towards your great blog content.
- Use Instagram Ads — As the final way to generate leads, we also recommend Instagram Ads. As the platform has grown over the years, more businesses have been vying for attention. These days, some form of paid ad strategy is almost a necessity. Since Instagram uses Facebook’s advertising system, you’ll have access to the best targeting features around.
By communicating with prospective clients through the Direct Message feature, you’ll not only generate but convert and manage high-quality leads too.
Summary
If you can find your target market on Instagram, the many great features are quickly making it worth your attention. Stories provide a new way to interact with customers and separate your brand from all of the competition. To finish, here’s some parting advice:
- Have all your important links in your Instagram bio
- Experiment with different content
- Always check Instagram analytics
- Bring all your best content together into Story Highlights
Bonus! Marketing Tools:
2. Bilbi AI: Daily Marketing Campaign Insights
