Instagram Stories

Is your brand looking for new ways to connect with a younger target audience? Look no further than Instagram stories. Instagram stories are the social media platform’s attempt at bringing Snapchat into its mix. Users can take photographs and/or video and string it together in a public slideshow that essentially tells a story.

How brands are using Instagram stories is creative and unique — and this quick guide will give you five tips to do it effectively. Here’s how to get started:

Tip #1: Give Your Viewers New, Helpful Information

Being relevant and making your users feel like they are getting new information is social media 101. To do this with a story, you can use photos to put together a “how-to” — such as decorating or cooking ideas. Each step of your how-to is a different photo in your “story.”

Tip #2: Promote to Other Platforms

If your business is on more than one social media platform, then you can use an Instagram story to promote across platforms. One effective way to do that is to create a story to promote a Facebook Live event. Facebook is prioritizing live videos in user’s feeds, so you could do a live pop-up event, how-to or Q&A on Facebook to generate buzz and give your audience new information. The Instagram story then functions as a way to creatively drive your Instagram users to tune in on Facebook.

Tip #3: Take Your Viewers on a Day in Your Life

Users of social media platforms love the exclusivity and behind-the-scenes experiences available to them — so make them feel that way by using a story to share those photos and videos that they can’t get anywhere else. Show them what it’s like to live a day in the life of your brand.

Assign the story-creation to one employee an hour, who can snap photos and write text that explains what’s happening behind the scenes. Go where the typical viewer cannot!

Tip #4: Celebrate With Your Crew

An Instagram story is a really delightful way to not only give your target audience an insider view into your company but to bring them into the family through celebrating.

For example, Southwest Airlines used Instagram to tell the story of how they were retiring hundreds of planes. They captured photographs and videos of employees wishing the planes well and reflecting on their service to Southwest Airlines, which created a heartwarming insider look into the company that made viewers feel like they were part of the journey.

That’s one of the most effective ways you can use a story — by telling an emotive story that intrigues and builds trust among your viewers.

Tip #5: Show Don’t Tell

An Instagram story is the perfect mechanism for showing your users how your products or services work. You can create a slideshow of photos showing a product in action. You also can record a video of your team using the product. Some of these videos end up being funny, too, which always is an added bonus in social media. You’re capturing real users using your real products — and there’s nothing better for building trust with your audience base.

In conclusion, if you’re ready to take your social media platforms to a new level, then try these effective strategies for using Instagram stories. These stories are fun, effective and creative, and it just takes time to get the hang of them. In this guide, you’ve learned how to use Instagram stories for business, and we’re interested in knowing how it turns out for you! Leave a comment below or contact us to let us know how we can implement these strategies for your business!