3 Reasons Businesses Should Use Instagram Stories
Are you incorporating Instagram stories in to your social media strategies? Instagram Stories help businesses engage with their audience regularly.
Instagram Stories are a quick and easy way to engage with other users and followers. The wonderful thing about Instagram Stories is that it caters to this generation of people with shorter attention spans since you can only post videos up to 15 seconds at a time. Secondly, the format of this feature is perfectly suited for mobile – you can post anywhere and anytime, making it super accessible when you’re on-the-go. Unlike the original standard square format of Instagram posts, Instagram Stories are shot vertically. Thirdly, Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours, so you won’t have to worry if it doesn’t fit your feed’s overall theme.
Here are 3 reasons why businesses should tap into the engagement potential of Instagram Stories:
1-Instagram Offers the Ability to Post a Variety of Content
Instagram Stories gives you the freedom to post a variety of content. You can literally post anything you want, without having to worry about ruining the “theme” or “aesthetic” of your Instagram feed. Are you launching a new product or service? Do you want to give your followers an exclusive sneak peek behind-the-scenes of your office?
Announcing the winner of your recent social media contest? From promotional photos and videos to more fun, lighthearted content, consistently posting a wide variety of original content will help keep your Instagram Story and brand fresh. Create content that will keep your followers coming back for more!
2-Instagram Helps Businesses Grow An Audience
As a business, you should never stop looking for new ways to grow your audience. At the beginning when you are deciding which social media platform is right for you, one of Instagram’s strengths to consider is that it helps businesses increase brand awareness. Over the years, Instagram has introduced a number of features to help brands and businesses reach a wider audience.
Use location tags. You can include geographic location tags on your Instagram Stories now to make your business or brand more discoverable locally and globally. Whether you’re tagging a specific location, a city, or even a country, it is an effective way to reach different demographics.
Include hashtags. You can also include hashtags in your Instagram Stories to increase the searchability of your profile and its content among the Instagram community. Just like how you can include hashtags in the caption or comments of regular posts on your Instagram feed, you can also do the same with your Instagram Stories.
3-Instagram Drives Traffic to Websites
You can also effectively use Instagram Stories for your business by posting content that drives traffic to your website. If you run a retail or e-commerce business, you can direct followers to purchase your product(s) on your website. A recent study conducted by Facebook found that 1 in 3 Instagram users were more interested in a brand or product after seeing it on Instagram Stories. Earlier this year, Instagram rolled out this cool shopping feature for Stories, aiming to broaden its e-commerce push. This new feature enables businesses to:
Explore the shopping bag-shaped notification. This allows users to click on select items on your Instagram Story and shop the item(s) on your site. Instagram’s product stickers help people access product information quickly and seamlessly.
Incorporate the “Swipe Up” feature. If you’re looking to drive traffic to your website, using the “Swipe Up” feature on Instagram Stories is an avenue to do so. By incorporating effective and eye-catching CTA’s (calls to action), you can incorporate this feature to direct followers to your blog, landing pages, and more!
Stories are definitely something you should consider incorporating into your social media marketing strategy, especially if you are active on Instagram. Get in touch with us if you would like to discuss your social media strategy.
