Stories are a quick and engaging format which perfectly adapts to mobile experiences. A third of the most viewed stories on Instagram platform were created by companies.
Put simply, Instagram stories are fun to create and consume. The authenticity provided through an evanescent format can also be applied by brands.
There are many other reasons to be excited about Instagram Stories:
- an active users’ base: Instagram reports that there are over 400 million daily users on stories.
- easy-to-create stories: nobody expects you to invest half an hour on a post that will not be available tomorrow. While Instagram posts require perfect light, angles, hashtags, a good story requires only a quick idea or an interesting moment and some creativity.
- a testing ground for ideas: Instagram stories are not as exposed as Instagram posts, so this makes them perfect for testing ideas. If it is received well, (good feedback and people watch your entire story without interruptions), you can consider reposting it as a permanent Instagram post or adapting the idea for another channel.
- opportunity to index traffic: add links to your story, promote your products with purchases on Instagram and take advantage of Instagram’s latest feature: Buy on Explore. This makes the product discovery and reaching new audiences easier than before.
- Swipe-up links: if you have more than 10.000 followers on Instagram and a Business account, you can link to your stories.
- another way to get discovered: you can enter hashtags or geotags to stories to have the opportunity to enter the Featured stories and enlarge your reach.
Here are some ways to integrate Instagram Stories as a marketing channel for your business.
How to use Instagram Stories
1. Click on the camera icon on top left or on “+” on your profile image. It could also say “Your story”.
2. Tap the white circle in the middle to take a photo, drag for a video or tap the gallery icon on top left (or swipe up) to use multimedia file already existing on your phone.
3. Edit your photo or video using various Instagram editing options.
4. Tap “Your story” button to post to your public story, “Send to” to send it privately to your followers through a direct message or “Save” to download on your phone for later.
Besides photos and videos, stories offer a variety of ways to create other formats:
- Type: posts based on a variety of styles on a colored background.
- Live: live in-the-moment streaming where your audience can comment real time. You can post them as a story later.
- Boomerang: creates one-second loop videos.
- Focus: takes portraits blurring the background and focusing only the subject’s face.
- Superzoom: dramatically zoom your subject starting from a distance, using a variety of funny effects like Paparazzi or Surprise.
- Rewind: record avideo that will be played in reverse.
- Hands-free: record a video withouthaving to hold the record button.
It is important to think about programming
Only because Stories are not forever, it does not mean that they do not require some thought or planning. Brands should think about their Instagram story as they would do for any other content channel: in advance. Constancy determines results.
Geotags
Geotags will help you get discovered in location-level stories (e.g. New York or a popular restaurant in your neighborhood). Tagging regularly your position in Story posts when it is relevant can put you in front of people checking in on your same spot.
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