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Instagram currently has over 2 billion monthly active users. In turn, a whopping 96% of U.S. marketers who use Stories ads in their arsenal plan say they will continue using it in the next six months.
On top of boosting follower count and raising brand awareness, Stories can help brands generate traffic, increase conversion rates and maximize audience engagement. Here’s how you can reap these benefits using Instagram Stories:
Show your brand’s human side.
In this digital age, virtual strangers, generic businesses and faceless names are everywhere. If you don’t find a way to stand out, established brands on Instagram will effortlessly overshadow you—especially if you’re a small brand squaring against bigger companies with deeper pockets.
Here’s a simple yet powerful approach: Humanize your brand. Doing so can help you form authentic connections, develop lifelong partnerships, build transparency and create trust.
Statistics show that 81% of consumers feel they need to trust a brand before making a purchase from them. They need to know that they’re dealing with real people who are genuinely passionate and knowledgeable about what they do. Here are some ways you can humanize your brand on Instagram Stories:
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• Create emotional content. Share memes, jokes and heartwarming anecdotes to make your brand more relatable.
• Speak to your followers. Use videos to help audiences know the face behind your brand.
• Show your company culture. Share exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and clips to help your audience get to know your team.
Ask questions.
Asking questions on Instagram Stories is a fun way to engage and extract insights from your audience. Just launch the Instagram app, create a story and use the “Questions” sticker. You can also play with polls, quizzes and sliders to add variety to your interactive stories.
Using the “Poll” sticker to ask close-ended questions—one with a yes or no answer—is the most straightforward way of asking questions on Instagram Stories. It allows you to collect valuable feedback from your audience about specific subjects. For example, you can ask if they liked your latest product update. You can also ask about other things, like a recent event or a trendy hobby, to understand your audience better. Below are a few more question ideas for your Instagram audience:
• “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) sessions.
• Collect feedback about the things they like or dislike about your brand.
• Ask for suggestions (content ideas, new features, etc.).
Tap into user-generated content (UGC).
UGC—short for user-generated content—refers to any piece of content created and uploaded by users. Some examples are testimonials, commentary videos, product reviews and photos that mention or involve your brand.
Over 86% of businesses are using UGC, and it’s high time for you to do the same. UGC takes authenticity to the next level. It increases your trustworthiness and fosters loyalty by showing that other people get a positive experience from your brand.
Compared to other forms of effective Instagram marketing, like hiring an influencer or running contests, using Instagram Stories is far more cost-effective in obtaining UGC. All you need to do is create a story and add the “Add Yours” sticker.
Once you’ve gathered UGC, here are a few ideas on how to use them to market your brand:
• Feature them in your own Stories.
• Use testimonials and reviews on product pages.
• Seek out negative reviews and publicize how you’ll address highlighted issues.
• Create a social media voting contest and let your audience decide the winner.
Make stories action-oriented.
Using shoppable stickers, “Swipe Up” and other action-oriented Stories features can help turn attention into conversions. Shoppable stickers are available to professional users and business pages that are approved for Instagram Shopping.
The “Swipe Up” feature, on the other hand, will only be available if you have at least 10,000 followers. This enables brands to promote in-depth content, such as guides and product pages. Most brands, however, utilize these features to make purchases as frictionless as possible for their Instagram audience. This is a great way to attract users who need immediate solutions to their problems. Each engaged user will also increase your content’s chances of being shared.
Of course, it doesn’t always have to be about sales. Take the platform’s “Donation” sticker, for example. With this feature, you can grant your audience the chance to support nonprofit organizations through Instagram. This shows your followers that you’re not all about doing business and raking in profits. Rather, you’re also an active supporter of charitable causes that your audience may care about.
As a bonus, some followers may even share your donation-focused Stories. This can exponentially expand your brand’s reach and credibility on Instagram. Best of all, you don’t have to worry about processing fees—Instagram offers to cover 100% of all fees involving donations made through the platform.
Utilize the ‘Highlights’ feature.
What makes Instagram Stories unique is they don’t last for more than 24 hours—unless, of course, you turn them into Highlights.
In simple terms, Instagram Highlights are collections of Stories you’ve saved. Unlike usual Stories, posts featured in Highlights don’t disappear after 24 hours, permanently taking their place below your profile’s description.
Here are a few ideas that can help you make the most out of Instagram Highlights:
• Create an “About” highlight with a collection of posts that introduce your brand.
• Feature your products and demonstrate how each works.
• Compile tutorial posts and feature them as highlights.
• Use interactive polls for ongoing feedback that’ll help you adjust your strategy over time.
• Highlight stories you’ve uploaded during events.
Conclusion
Using Instagram Stories can be a great way to get new followers and build your brand’s social media reach. In addition to the tips above, don’t be afraid to experiment and combine different Stories features. Track your posts’ performance to learn what works and what doesn’t.
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Author: Candice Georgiadis, Forbes Councils Member
