If you’re on Instagram, you already know that a picture is worth a thousand words. Stories take that adage and amplify it. With over 500 million daily users, Instagram’s Stories feature is one of the most rapidly growing features in the history of both Facebook and Instagram. As thousands of businesses have found, Stories are a great way to get in front of more followers more frequently with content that is nimble, engaging, and valuable.
Keep It Short
Stories convey interesting and useful information in a snackable format that users love. Instagram Stories only stay up for 24 hours (unless you save them to Highlights), and are limited to 15 seconds for video and 7 seconds for static photos. In other words, the brevity of Instagram Stories is built-in, so making the first couple of seconds of your content attention-grabbing is more important than ever. Keep in mind, however, that being brief shouldn’t mean that your stories feel disjointed. Having an arc or overall theme to your stories will help users stay engaged instead of tapping through to someone else’s content.
Keep It Interesting
You’re aware by now that stories don’t last forever. Knowing that a story doesn’t have to stick around in your feed takes away some of the pressure to make the “perfect” post, and gives you more freedom to open up and express your brand creatively. Make sure you use the whole screen (1080×1920 pixels is the recommended size) for posts that feel immersive and compelling. Combine photo, video, and the built-in text, gifs, and stickers features to create fun experiences your users will love.
Keep it Relevant
Stories move fast. Millions of users are leveraging Instagram Stories daily to publish a constant stream of original, off-the-cuff content. Don’t get lost in the noise by just reposting content from your feed; find new ways to bring authenticity and personality to your brand story on Instagram. Expand on engaging topics that are important to your audience. Start conversations with your followers with the simple use of poll, questionnaire, and countdown stickers. Provide an authentic and less-filtered peek into your business with some of these ideas:
- Post a step-by-step tutorial of one of your products or services.
- Host a Q&A.
- Give users a behind-the-scenes look at a process or product.
- Unveil a sneak peek or preview.
- Post exclusive flash sales.
Stories are a great addition to the arsenal of tools you can use for your Instagram business account. Remember to find ways to be helpful, stay true to your brand story, and have fun, and you’ll be well on your way to creating stories your audience will look forward to.
75.3% of U.S. businesses will use Instagram in 2020.
Our team works as an extension of your team to carefully craft a social media strategy that will keep your audience engaged. We will handle all the content creation, posting, and interacting with your fans, to create an effective social presence for your business.
CONTACT US to learn more about creating an effective social media marketing strategy.
