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It’s no secret that Instagram Stories are a big deal. This way of storytelling allows users to share short and sweet posts without having to spend hours crafting the perfect creative and copy. Within stories, you can use a variety of features that are exclusive to Instagram Stories, making your content one-of-a-kind.
Whether you’re on social media to drive sales, strengthen brand awareness, or stay relevant to your audience, using Instagram Stories can help you reach your goals in a quicker more consistent way.
Here are a few tips on how to effectively use Instagram Stories:
Maintain visibility in your followers feeds.
The display location of Instagram Stories alone allows for greater reach. They display right at the top of a user’s Instagram feed and are the first thing that users see when they open the Instagram app. By posting to your Instagram Stories, your stories will be one of the first pieces of content that your audience will see without having to scroll through their entire Instagram feed.
Repurpose content.
Due to the ever-changing Instagram algorithm, it is possible that some users will miss your feed posts; however, by repurposing your feed content and sharing to your Instagram Stories, your followers are less likely to miss your content. Using both Instagram mediums (feed and stories) gives you the greatest chance of connecting with all of your followers.
Boost engagement.
As mentioned earlier, there are features that are exclusive to Instagram Stories. These include polls, quizzes, music, sliders, and questions, all of which are interactive features where users can directly engage with your stories. Using these features gives your followers the opportunity to engage with your content, cast their vote, and even voice their opinions. Better yet, you can even see your users’ results, which allows you to better understand your target audience.
Show another side of your brand.
Instagram Stories are only visible for 24 hours (unless you save them to your Instagram Highlights). This time limit creates a casual environment where users expect to see a different side of your brand. Posting in real-time, showing behind the scenes, and telling a story will attract your users and keep them entertained with your content. Users want to see authentic and real content on Instagram Stories, so keep it real and organic.
Enhance your Instagram profile.
Worried about losing all of your Instagram Stories after the 24-hour expiration time? No worries! Instagram allows you to save them to your profile by adding them to your Instagram Highlights. Think of highlights as bookmarks where you save the stories that you want your followers to come back to for reference or entertainment. Keep in mind that you can only save the Instagram Stories that you have posted to your account and have stayed live for the full 24-hour time frame without being deleted.
Reach more people throughout the day.
When you open the Instagram app, Instagram Stories are displayed in chronological order by most recently posted. The key to reach more people is to spread out posting your Instagram Stories within a 24-hour period.
Drive traffic to your website.
Instagram allows you to add links so that users can navigate directly to your website, for example. However, there is a catch: you must have at least 10,000 Instagram followers before you can use this feature. If you haven’t reached the 10,000 follower milestone, there is another route you can take. Simply include your link of choice in your bio, and in your Instagram Story instruct your users to “Click the link in our bio.”
Increase sales.
If your brand sells and markets products, you are in luck! On Instagram Stories, you can tag your products so that users can easily see and shop for your items. These tags are clickable, giving users the opportunity to click and shop within the Instagram app.
Allows you to be flexible and creative.
Another perk of Instagram Stories is that you do not have to sweat having super innovative visuals and creativity. Thankfully, you can use native Instagram app features to blow away your followers. Oftentimes, simple Instagram Stories are even more powerful than labor-intensive extravagant ones.
Connect with other brands and users.
A best practice of Instagram Stories is to always tag other users and brands when appropriate. By doing this, you are engaging with other accounts and creating a sense of community. In addition, users have the ability to share in their own stories the Instagram Stories in which they are tagged, giving your brand even more exposure and a greater opportunity to gain more followers.
For help utilizing Instagram Stories to boost your social media efforts, contact FUEL today.
