6 Ways to get the most out of Instagram Stories
Let's face it, Instagram is MASSIVE. They have really taken a huge chunk of that sweet sweet Social Media Pie and they won't be going anywhere anytime soon. With over 1 BILLION active users every month, Instagram has solidified its place amongst the greats like Facebook and Twitter. So now let's talk about One of the most amazing features of Instagram, which is Instagram Stories. This amazing feature allows users to broadcast photos and videos anytime of the day! These have a 24 hour life span then disappear! (well they hide away in your story archive) This feature isn't just amazing for your normal user, but brands, influencers and businesses can maximize their exposure by digging deep with stories! Instagram stories actually operate with a different algorithm than the main feed! So let's talk about how to get the most out of your Instagram Stories!
Post Frequently through the day
The more you post in your story, the more it gets pushed right back to the start of the stories feed again! I tend to upload content (Whether it be updates, behind the scenes, memes, images or videos) every few hours through the day. Make sure the content is engaging like anything you post on Instagram tho, or else you may find people just MUTE or DELETE you for being too spammy. Hashtags Yup that's right! Even stories can be filled with Hashtags! There is a specific sticker option for this or you can just write them in!
Now you are probably wondering, what's the point in hashtagging a story?! Well it gives them a pretty good chance to go into the hashtag story feed! Users can follow specific hashtags, it can pump your story post in front of people that don't even follow you!
Also you can actually get away with up to 10 hashtags in a story!
and to stop things from looking super spammy, you can hide them all behind stickers as well! Group them all on top of each other then place the sticker over it all!
Swipe Up If you have over 10,000 followers, you will be lucky enough to have unlocked this super powerful feature, the SWIPE UP
Why is this so powerful? Well it lets you link off to ANY WEBSITE YOU WANT! Yup! Businesses and brands will link off to their websites or sales funnels and direct traffic exactly where they need it to be! Mentions Mentions may seem fairly straightforward, but it is still a very powerful way to help increase your engagement and expand your reach! When followers mention your brand in their stories, their followers will be exposed to your brand and, from the story, may discover your feed. In addition, you’ll be able to share their story content on your own story, which is a great way to share testimonials and create social proof. Shopping If you have an e-commerce store, you’re going to want to set up Instagram Shopping for your feed and stories. With so many potential buyers turning to social media for pre-purchasing research, shoppable stories are an excellent way to insert yourself into the buyer’s journey. Consumers can discover, learn about, and purchase your product – all without leaving Instagram.
In addition, if you’re a smaller brand who is unable to take advantage of the Story swipe ups, you can still use shoppable stickers in your stories and drive traffic to your products, even with less than 10,000 followers.
New Ways to Collect Feedback Instagram has made it VERY easy for users to collect feedback from their followers, by way of Polls, Swipe Meters and Questions. Polls Instagram continues to launch new feedback loops for Instagram Stories like; polls, the swipe meter and questions. With polls, you can easily survey and get to know your audience better by asking them to provide feedback. With Instagram Story Polls, you only get two available options to formulate your answers. Using polls is a very straightforward way to quickly gather insights from your followers that can help your team make major business decisions. For example, if your brand is thinking about new product lines to explore, you can use Instagram Story Polls to gauge the general interest of the product or preferences among your customer base. Swipe Meters Stepping away from the standard ‘yes/no’ format of polling, the swipe meter and questions allow users to provide even more detailed responses. The swipe meter, which is an emoji-sliding scale, enables you to get a better sense of just how much your users like, need, or want something. As a marketer you get to choose the specific emoji that responders will use to input their response, which means you can really tailor the overall look and feel of the poll, putting it in context to the content. For example, you may use a swipe meter to gauge how your audience feels about a new product or to join people in a relevant and timely conversation.
Question Stickers Question stickers allow the most flexibility in terms of how users can give feedback, giving them a free text box to provide a response to your question. Instagram question stickers will help you get to know your followers by starting a conversation, a very important 1:1 conversation, that carries over into your direct messages. If you have an upcoming product or service release, you might want to gather feedback from your followers. Question stickers allow you to get this very detailed, free-form feedback. However, the question sticker doesn’t have to be used as a conversation, only. Instead, question stickers can be used in other creative ways, like a running contest, to drive excitement and engagement.
Conclusion Over the past few years Instagram has really proven itself to be a powerful marketing tool for businesses and brands that are looking to expand their reach and visibility to new customers. I hope you guys found these tips helpful and are ready to implement them into your future Instagram Stories! Thanks for reading!
