Visuals make a huge impact on how consumers engage with your content. On average, people form a first impression in 55 milliseconds. Since you do not have a second to spare when it comes to visuals, it is important to make sure you are using them wisely and creatively. One way you can do that is through Instagram Stories.
Instagram offers two ways to promote your brand through published posts and stories. Stories are similar to what is offered on Snapchat. They last for a span of 24 hours and can be viewed by clicking the bubbles at the top of your newsfeed. The feature allows you to customize your story with filters, hashtags, @mentions, locations and stickers.
Instagram stories give you and your business a new way to engage with your followers. Check out these five tips to build your brand’s engagement by using Instagram Stories:
1) GO LIVE!
If your business has a popular event coming up, you can select the live feature in Instagram’s in-app camera. Think of it as a live newscast of your event. You let your followers see what is happening when it is happening as if they were attending the event in person. Your followers can also engage with the live feed by commenting or liking in the comment box that pops up when they open the story. Want to keep the live feed on the story for a while? Just select save to story, and the video will stay on your story just like a normal photo or video story would for 24 hours.
2) Cast a ballot.
Instagram stories give you the option to add stickers, and one of those stickers is a voting sticker. It gives you the ability to ask a question, and then give your audience two options to vote on. For example, if you asked your audience to choose between two ice cream flavors, you could put chocolate and strawberry on the sticker. When your audience sees that particular story, they can click on which flavor they prefer and then the current percentage will show up after they click it and you receive the final results of your poll at the end of the 24 hours.
3) Promotions.
Stories give you the option to upload your own photos. If you have a promotion graphic you want to share or a promo code, you can upload the photo from your camera roll to your story.
4) Share from Followers.
If a follower tags your brand in one of their posts or stories, you can re-share it to your story. To use this feature: tap on the paper airplane icon below the post and select share to my story. After you have selected the photo you want to add, you can then add customizable features such as stickers. It also automatically cites the user so you give credibility to the person you shared from.
5) Set up an Ad Campaign via Facebook.
Facebook Advertisements now give an option to create an Instagram story within their ad builder. As long as your Instagram account is a business account, you can connect it to your business’s Facebook page and get access to Ads Manager. This feature allows for easy planning and scheduling as well as adding links to your company website or a link to a form for an event within your story.
