Instagram Stories are one of the biggest things that have hit the social media scene in a while. How big? Well, just within its first two months alone, Instagram Stories are already averaging over 100 million daily users.
100 MILLION USERS.
We’ll just let that sink in.
This tells us that Instagram Stories may soon become one of the most lucrative platforms for social media advertising. Knowing how to create a unique Instagram Story for your business today will help you become more visible and recognizable to potentially over 100 million active users – daily.
If this sounds like a prime marketing opportunity you can’t afford to pass up on, listen up because today we will be teaching you how can use Instagram Stories to improve your campaign.
Give Followers a Raw Insider Look
Internet users are constantly being bombarded with ad after ad from almost every social media platform. Giving them a raw, inside look at your daily operations will help you position yourself as a more personable, less intrusive brand that isn’t out to make every post a marketing ploy.
Union Fare is a well-known restaurant in New York that uses Instagram Stories to give their patrons an informal glimpse of their daily business.
The images they use don’t look professionally edited but it doesn’t take away from their appetizing appeal. Add to that their informal way of captioning each image and you have a recipe for a more approachable, less “advertise-y” Instagram Story.
The best thing about these raw images is that they are not at all hard to recreate. Armed with your camera phone, you can snap away and share a day in the life of your brand in just a few swipes.
Make Editorials More Fun and Interactive
Instagram Stories follow a linear format that let you go on to the next image or post with a mere tap of the screen. This tapping format allows brands like you to highlight your advertorials in a fun and interactive way.
J.Crew is a brand who knows how to experiment with Instagram Stories. They use fun, bright and downright engaging images that make each story a welcome addition to anyone’s feed.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with an Instagram Story – after all, they delete themselves after 24 hours.
Create Mini-Tutorials and Articles
Using Instagram Stories for your mini-tutorials and articles can help you put out valuable content for your existing and soon-to-be customers. We are seeing a lot of brands use Instagram Stories to publish visual versions of existing blog posts from their website which aim to help their followers along in their buyer’s journey.
Real Simple is a lifestyle magazine who consistently puts up engaging and informative infographics on their Instagram Stories
Most of the infographics and mini-tutorials they publish are digested versions of existing blogs on their website – that’s why followers who are interested in learning more are directed to their website for the complete tutorial.
Do the same by giving old blog posts a whole new look through Instagram Stories.
Showcase Testimonials from Loyal Customers
The dawn of social media may have changed the marketing game tremendously but one thing is still for certain – word-of-mouth marketing is still the best way to earn a consumer’s trust.
There’s no better place to showcase exceptional customer experiences than on your Stories. You can ask your customers to record themselves while talking about the stellar experience they had with you, or anything else you can imagine.
Because anything uploaded to your Stories is automatically deleted after 24 hours, you can upload testimonials more regularly than you would elsewhere.
Collecting amazing testimonials from customers for your Stories is a great way to strengthen your reputation and social proof on Instagram. Pairing exceptional testimonials from your customers with a few thousand high-quality bought followers from a reputable provider will definitely help you skyrocket to Instagram fame without exhausting all of your marketing energy and resources.
That’s right, you can actually buy Instagram Followers and other signals of engagement to strengthen your social proof. Check out our reviews to see how different companies stack up, and find the one that’s right for you. We put each provider to the test to make sure they provide you with nothing but exceptional services – from start to finish.
Drive Attention to Brand Announcements
Instagram Stories are strategically positioned on the top portion of the screen, which makes them really hard to miss. This makes it the perfect place to make big brand announcements.
With an average of 100 million daily active users, Instagram Stories will definitely help you reach more followers with your announcements.
Ben & Jerry’s is a popular ice cream brand who uses Instagram Stories to share their big news and announcements – like some new ice cream flavors!
Come up With a Fun Listicle
We’ll say it here and we’ll say it now: listicles were made for Instagram Stories. Instagram Stories’ linear and clickable format marries so well with the bite-size nuggets of information that come with every listicle.
More and more brands are bringing listicles off their websites and into Instagram Stories. The National Geographic fills their daily Instagram Stories with mesmerizing listicles that keep their followers engaged.
Using stunning images they’re able to keep everyone tuned into their stories. Recreate their success by coming up with fun, stunning and relevant listicles to your followers!
Deliver a Strong CTA
Strong CTAs are a vital component of your digital marketing campaign that drives buying behavior. Simply put, CTAs are what turn followers into paying customers.
Using Instagram Stories to deliver a powerful Call-to-Action can help you drive your audience to where you need them to be through stunning images and videos.
The North Face is an outdoor company who knows how to deliver a compelling CTA through Instagram Stories. For Valentine’s Day, they crafted a simple yet evoking Call-to-Action that can make anyone want to purchase a bag best suited for their… er, relationship status.
Failing to take advantage of Instagram Stories to drive your followers to where you need them to be is a digital marketing mistake nobody can afford.
Do a Live Broadcast
Live broadcasts are a great way to connect with your audience during a pivotal moment as it unfolds – in real time. What makes Live broadcasts so powerful is the fact that Instagram sends out notifications to all your followers once you go live, making it a lot easier for them to tune in.
NBC covered the recently concluded Rio Olympics like a champ by taking advantage of the live broadcast. To take things up a notch, they used Instagram Stories to announce that they are also going live on Facebook via Ryan Seacrest’s page.
Talk about a “social-ception.”
If you want to take advantage of Instagram’s live broadcast yourself, consider hosting a Q&A session with your followers. They can send in their questions through the comments and you can answer them in real time.
Give Your Followers a Special Offer
Giving exclusive offers and deals through Instagram Stories is one way to incentivize your loyal followers. Doing so will encourage them to keep an eye out on your stories so as not to miss out on amazing deals – encourage some FOMO!
Did you happen to see J.Crew’s fun and very pink Instagram Story about their latest sunglasses? Their eye-catching Instagram Story rewarded those who tuned in by giving them first dibs on the first 50 pairs – exclusively through Instagram.
People love exclusive deals. Use Instagram Stories to give your followers an offer they can’t refuse.
Stay Visible by Telling a Story – an Instagram Story
Instagram Stories make it a lot easier for brands – both big and small – to become more visible to a lot more users.
If you want to make sure you remain visible among your viewers, bump up your interaction with them by putting the comment section to good use. Hosting live Q&As and other community events are a great way to attract an immense amount of comments from followers for maximum engagement.
While you’re working on your Instagram Stories, consider purchasing high-quality Instagram Followers and other social signals from a reputable provider. This way, you are strengthening your social proof on the platform while hacking visibility through Instagram Stories.
By strengthening your social proof, you are attracting more followers – which can result in a wider audience for your daily stories. A win-win strategy, if you ask us.
