Is Instagram Stories incorporated into your company’s social media plan? More over half of Instagram’s total user base (over 500 million people) use the platform every day, therefore they probably are.
With Instagram Stories, you can interact with your audience in a more relaxed setting than in a standard promotional post.
4 Brand-Friendly Instagram Story Concepts
Tests, Surveys, and Voting
Instagram provides its users with a number of tools, stickers, and other customization choices that may be used to increase interaction. Stickers on Instagram stories are a fun way to start conversations about topics and queries that are relevant to your business.
By using the “Questions” sticker, your viewers may send you questions that you can then read, respond to, and include in your tales. Brands may benefit greatly from this function since it provides a direct channel for customer feedback. Glossier, a popular cosmetics company, is a good example of a company that makes effective use of this function. They invited questions from the audience regarding cosmetics, skin care, and other aspects of beauty. Then, they go to corporate specialists for guidance.
Making polls and quizzes for your brand’s Instagram story is another fun way to engage your audience. In a quiz, the user is presented with a series of multiple-choice questions, whereas in a poll, the audience may see how other people have voted. Consider the case of Lowe’s, an American hardware store business that conducted a survey to determine consumers’ ideal light bulbs. They included a link to the lights they discussed at the conclusion of the article.
Address the Camera Eye-to-Eye
While this strategy may not be appropriate for all companies, it is a fantastic method to put a face to your company and build rapport with your customers. You may assign a single individual, like a social media manager, to take charge, or you can divide the work among several people on your team.
Occasionally, members of the Flat Therapy team will share their expertise on various issues and offer advise to readers.
A simple concept for a brand’s Instagram story, it simply has to have someone talking casually while holding a phone.
You might also try emulating Sephora’s look by providing a complete setting, backdrop, and product display. Always introduce the individual who will be speaking and provide some background information to set the stage.
Examples and Guides
Posting lessons or demos on how to use items or new ways to use a service you offer is another simple and efficient social tactic for companies utilising Instagram stories. The digital art programme Procreate is a fantastic illustration of this.
They hold a lesson on Instagram every Wednesday, showing users how to make the most of the app with a new feature or helpful hint.
This is a fantastic idea for an Instagram Story if your product requires some instruction before it can be used properly. For less complex items, it can still be effective. Read up on the history of Whole Foods. They publish helpful guides to various culinary items that their readers will like.
Unseen Footage
Sharing candid, behind-the-scenes snaps on Instagram Stories is yet another method for connecting with followers on a more intimate level. Highlights from the day-to-day operations of various teams or departments can be included in behind-the-scenes pieces. Goop is a great example of a firm that does this; the posts they make about life in the office are always entertaining.
Brands that are participating in or hosting events might benefit greatly from sharing behind-the-scenes accounts as well. Adobe, which annually holds AdobeMAX, regularly features the event in their tales, providing viewers at home with exclusive glimpses. This is a fantastic method to get your fans excited about an event, even if they can’t physically be there.
Top 4 Tips for Brands Using Instagram Stories
The Length of a Story May Vary
When it comes to how long your Instagram Story should be, there is no set rule of thumb. Hubspot found that 63 percent of customers would only scroll through six pages, while 20 percent stated they would go through 10 or more.
See what works best for your audience by trying out various durations. The best length for your posts may even vary with the subject matter. Users who would prefer be passively entertained than actively engaged by answering 10+ poll questions could be more likely to click on additional behind-the-scenes Stories.
Include links to your stories in your typical updates
Don’t allow all of your hard work on Instagram Stories for your company go to waste. Boost the number of people who see and interact with your Stories by mentioning it in your regular feed postings. In the long term, this will benefit you because your account will be displayed higher on your followers’ newsfeeds as more of them engage with your stories.
The Book of the Month Club is a company that excels at this. They provide a new question each week in a standard post, and readers can choose between a poll and an open-ended sticker. In addition, users can debate their respective responses below. This is a fun and creative method to get people interested in your content and share them with others.
Toss It Around
After reading this blog, do you feel like adding some flavour to your stories? Use the many available options for making Stories fit your brand’s aesthetic rather than settling on a single approach. Create a posting schedule that serves both you and your target audience, and keep the content fresh.
Over time, you’ll learn what resonates most with your target demographic.
Draw in the Audience
You have the same amount of time as any other social media post to grab people’s attention before they move on to the next story. If you want your brand’s Instagram Stories to garner the attention you’ve been striving for, you need to find a way to make them unique.