By Over half of Instagram’s business profiles use Stories to interact with and delight their followers, so your brand is falling behind if you aren’t already. Benefits, how to begin, and best practises for using Instagram Stories into your social media strategy will be discussed.
Is There a Need for Instagram Stories?
Instagram Stories, in contrast to regular Instagram postings, are deleted after 24 hours. Instagram Stories may only last 24 hours, however despite this limitation, it has several useful features:
More space is available, as stories may now fill the whole vertical screen of the target audience’s phone. The phone’s screen real estate is split between the feed, the icons for individual stories, and the navigation bar.
Whether you’re using Instagram Story ads or posting organic content, they’ll mix in with the Stories your target audience sees.
They aid in increasing participation: Only around 20% of naturally occurring tales have a clear meaning.
When asked, “How Should I Use Instagram Stories?”
So, when is it better to publish to Instagram Stories than to your feed? When attempting to (specifically),
Release new information or a product.
Due to its short 24-hour duration, a Story feels more immediate than a post in a feed. They are therefore the perfect place to announce time-sensitive matters, such as the release of a new product, a shift in the company’s focus, or a new humanitarian initiative.
Introduce your viewers to the process behind your work
Share some behind-the-scenes action to humanise your business and connect with your audience. If you own a software firm, this may mean things like having late-night pizza parties or letting employees work late.
Promote or inform
You can direct your Instagram Story’s viewers to another page if you have 10,000 or more followers. Since Instagram prohibits posting links everywhere but your bio, this is great news for your company. You may guide your audience to the supplementary materials by telling them to “Swipe Up.”
Make live connections using Instagram Live
With Instagram Live, you can have a live conversation with your followers. Your Instagram followers will get a notification and your Story circle symbol will change to read “Live” when you go live. This is a fantastic method of providing first-hand coverage of an event.
Participate in Contests
Instagram Stories are a natural fit for hosting competitions. Since all tales are deleted within 24 hours, there is an inherent feeling of urgency. You may collect email addresses and names of people interested in your goods if you have them reply to the article with their contact information.
How can I boost participation using Instagram stickers?
You may add stickers to Instagram Stories for both aesthetic purposes and to draw attention to certain elements. Stickers are fascinating in and of themselves, but the fact that they can be used to interact in a way that benefits both the brand and the audience is even more intriguing. They can also aid in attracting a following on Instagram. Here are a few cases in point.
Question Stickers
Putting up a question sticker lets your viewers send in their inquiries via text message. When you choose to respond to a question, it will be added to your Instagram Story. Customers may inquire about everything, from availability to the next deal.
Sticker with a timer
When time is of the essence, a countdown sticker should be used. You may have a countdown to the release of a new product, the start of a major sale, or the beginning of an event.
Poll sticker
You may easily conduct a survey of public opinion by using poll stickers. Asking, “Do you like this style?” with a poll sticker is one possibility. And then they may either say “yes” or “no.” Users may see the results of the poll in real time after casting their votes.
Sliding-style emoticons
You may ask your followers their opinion on anything by using an emoji slide sticker, which functions much like a poll. This may be used for both serious market analysis and as a fun addition to your tale. In general, people enjoy sharing their thoughts.
Stamp with a hashtag
The Instagram Stories hashtag sticker allows users to include relevant hashtags in their stories. This makes you searchable, and when others click the sticker, they’ll be sent to a website that showcases material with that hashtag.
Geographical Marker
If you want to draw attention to a certain spot, use a sticker to do it. Take, for instance, the case of a travel firm offering a unique trip of Goa. Users who press the Goa location sticker in your Instagram Story will be sent to the Goa page. People looking for Goa on Instagram can find your story more easily if you include a location sticker.
When asked, “How Should I Make Use of Highlights?”
Even if your Instagram Stories disappear from the main feed after 24 hours, you may still add them to a highlight. Until you unhighlight the section, others will be able to read your narrative. Your profile’s highlights will be displayed just below your profile, before your feed. A single highlight can include numerous tales. Creating a highlight for each product or category sold is a typical practise for many companies.