“With Instagram Stories, you don’t have to worry about over-posting. Instead, you can share as much as you want throughout the day — with as much creativity as you want.” -Instagram
Every day, your brand has a story to tell. That’s why Instagram created a feature called Stories. A “Story” is a way of sharing photos and videos with your followers that disappear after 24 hours. For many, this is an opportunity to capitalize on creative stories that audiences are used to seeing on SnapChat. The difference is, Instagram most likely has a larger audience that is more likely to engage with your brand. If you choose to incorporate Instagram Stories into your brand’s online marketing strategy, it is important to remember that Stories is a tool that should encourage users to explore your profile further. In short, it is not your primary means of posting for Instagram content. Without further ado, here are six tips to maximize your marketing potential on Instagram Stories:
- Short & Sweet Still Rules
Make the 10 seconds you are allotted per clip count, but keep your story short enough so your audience is more willing to engage. It will also allow people to follow the point of your story more clearly.
- Keep It Raw but Beautiful
Use this as an opportunity for transparency. Give a behind-the-scenes look at your brand. Show off your culture, humor, and overall brand personality that has built customer loyalty. Tread lightly, though. Compared to other platforms, Instagram is unique due to its high-quality imagery. Raw content is different than raw photos and videos. Incorporate stickers, emojis, drawings, and filters. This will be important because you can choose to add segments of your Story to your profile permanently.
- Create a Call-To-Action
Is your brand begging for a new way to engage with your customers and followers? Include fun call-to-actions, especially because Instagram Stories allows users/followers to easily message you from your Story. Their input is priceless to your brand. It’s even better when your follower walks away feeling like they are a part of your team.
- Incorporate How-Tos
Have a product that has multiple uses? Showcase how to use it on your Story! Sure, an instruction manual or YouTube video can show people how to do something…but that’s boring. Be creative and fun with your customers as you make them fall in love with how to use your product.
- Reuse & Recycle
Help you help yourself. Reuse the great content that you have created for your Story. How do you know what great content is you ask? Use the segments of your Story that have cultivated the most engagement. As it was mentioned earlier, these segments can be put on your profile permanently. This allows you to showcase your overall brand in the best light long term.
- Target Your Audience
No, we don’t just mean through content. Instagram Stories actually allow you to target your audience. For example, do you just want females to see your Story? You can do that by hiding the Story from males. Do you want only older adults to view your Story? Hide it from your younger audience. This prevents you from overwhelming your followers with messages that weren’t intended for them.
As a brand, it’s not often that social platforms offer you new tools to focus your creativity on. Take advantage of Instagram Stories to show your audience you love them and want to bond through engagement and expression of culture. You’ll love creating fun content, and your audience will love following along! To keep up with the latest social media trends, sign up for the Baer Performance Marketing e-newsletter!
Blog Post By: Avery Faehling, Baer Performance Marketing Intern
