Instagram Stories consist of several posts – either photos, illustrations, texts, or videos. They represent further proof of how quickly social media platforms can change and thus influence the entire marketing game. Let’s see how social media marketing can boost performance with Instagram Stories.
Why are Instagram Stories essential for social media marketing?
Around 1 billion users are active on Instagram every month. 500 million of those are users who use Instagram Stories in one form or another every day. This makes the portal a kind of gold vein for social media managers.
You can offer your followers, potential customers, or visitors to your profile an even more direct and authentic insight into your company. Represent your company in a completely new light. In addition, the mixture of moving and still image elements gives you an additional way to present your product or service.
Stories give your Instagram presence a new dynamic. They can contain wit, but also seriousness and give your product or brand more humanity.
Marketing with Instagram Story: photos, text, and videos
There are various formats available to you when creating stories. You can create photos, text boards, or videos. The first two options are visible for up to six seconds and the last option is visible for 15 seconds.
Each of these formats certainly has its advantages. However, the choice comes down to which of these options works best for getting your marketing message across. Most often, a combination of these elements leads to the desired result.
Tips for making Marketing with Instagram Stories
As with other social media marketing activities, you should not publish Instagram Stories without a plan or strategy. Careful content planning is necessary, especially if you represent a brand or a company. Observe the following rules.
Develop a style and brand identity for your stories
Instagram Stories should ideally have their own style and reflect the identity of your brand or business. You can achieve this by customizing fonts, filters, colors, and backgrounds.
Search for suitable topics
Think about what subject areas you want to cover. You should also determine how you want to cover these topics. A certain entertainment value should not be missing in addition to important information. After all, you don’t want your viewers to be bored. However, the presentation should be appropriate to the topic.
Set yourself goals
Are you planning to boost sales? Do you want to increase the awareness and popularity of your brand? Are you looking for new followers and new ways to connect with them? If you have a clear goal in mind, it will also be easier for you to conceive your story, align it and formulate a call to action.
Organize everything necessary for the production
Take care of all organizational questions in good time. If you need a filming permit, get it on time. If you would like to cooperate with a prominent influencer or brand ambassador, make all the necessary inquiries early enough. If you need an actor, schedule a casting.
Create a common thread for your story
Instagram Stories have their name for a reason. You tell a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. If you are producing a narrative about a specific event, such a common thread will help. You can take more targeted photos and video recordings that are important to your story. You let your audience participate in the event from start to finish.
When you put them together later, you don’t necessarily have to follow the course of the event. Let your creativity run wild as you shape your story. This should later appear dynamic, exciting, and interesting.
Create a schedule for your releases
The best times for publication often depend on the industry and target group. Some moments are better than others. Your target audience may be more receptive to your message on weekends. Or right on Monday morning. So think and research when your viewers are most active.
Also, determine the time intervals within which you want to publish your content. However, be realistic about your production replenishment. Also, keep in mind that your stories are only on Instagram for 24 hours.
Offer your followers a variety
Even if you want to use your Instagram Stories to promote your new product or generate sales, the audience shouldn’t constantly feel like you’re trying to sell something. So offer variety.
Here are some suggestions on how to add variation to your Stories:
- Produce funny videos with likable goofs, funny dialogues, or situational comedy
- Show the human side of your company, interview e.g. B. Employees
- Let your audience take a look behind the scenes of your company – how is your product made? What does your everyday work look like?
- Give your viewers practical tips or guides to help them solve a problem or make their life easier, more comfortable, and more beautiful
- Answer one or more questions that are common in your industry
Of course, you can also combine these different options within an Instagram story.
Post regularly
The more regularly you produce stories, the greater the chances of more reach. New stories go straight to the top of your followers’ feeds. Instagram also allows you to schedule the publication of your Stories. So feel free to pre-produce stories if you have the right ideas. You will find it easier to maintain the continuity of the releases.
Employ influencers
Influencers are helpful if you are looking for rapid growth. They often open up a whole new and probably larger following and potential clientele to you.
It doesn’t always have to be celebrities with a huge number of followers. Occasionally, influencers with a small community who may be in touch with the exact audience or niche relevant to you and your business will suffice.
There are the following influencer categories with corresponding follower numbers:
- Celebrities (more than 1 million followers)
- Macro influencer (between 500,000 and 1 million followers)
- Middle influencer (between 100,000 and 500,000 followers)
- Micro-Influencer (between 1,000 and 100,000 followers)
With many, you can enter into a partnership in one form or another. This does not always have to be of a financial nature. Maybe a product that you make available free of charge for test purposes and that could be interesting for the influencer and his followers is enough. The influencer takes over the production of a corresponding Instagram story himself. Or you can work on it together.
Another possibility is the so-called takeover of your social media channel for a day and creating Instagram Stories for it. It is best to let your followers know beforehand. This way there is no confusion and you fuel expectations and anticipation.
Once you have established a successful business relationship, the next step can be a link to your product or service. As an additional incentive for the influencer’s followers, you could e.g. For example, provide a coupon code or some other type of discount as long as it doesn’t hurt your sales. Sweepstakes can also be an effective way to connect with new customers.
Instead of approaching influencers, let them come to you. Host a casting for a marketing ambassador for your Instagram Story and have the candidates audition. You alone can determine which criteria they have to meet. But be flexible enough to be surprised and take a different direction if it makes sense for your brand.
Attention: It is important that the brand and influencer fit together or may even be part of your target group. That would increase the chances that their followers would also be interested in your product. So do some research beforehand. In doing so, determine whether you really want to associate your brand with this person and whether their views align with your company philosophy. Controversial personalities can help or hurt your brand.
Paste links
Well-told Instagram Stories should at best lead to lead generation and conversion. Links are essential for this. For this purpose, Instagram Stories offer the “Swipe-Up” link function.
Direct your viewers to your website, blog, an important and timely YouTube video, your e-book on Amazon, or your sales page. You can also choose a completely different page where followers and visitors can interact with you and your brand on a deeper level.
In any case, you can offer fresh content as often as you want without detours. Your fans don’t have to go through the hassle of searching for your website first. You also encourage impulse purchases with the story link.
Tip: If you use an attention-grabbing GIF for your link or swipe up, you can probably expect even more conversions. Such GIFs can also be cropped and designed for your purposes. You can read more about this in our article “ How to: Create animated GIFs in Photoshop ”.
However, the whole thing has a catch: You need a blue tick to be able to set links. This means that you have been verified by Instagram. If this is not possible for the time being, you must have more than 10,000 followers for a link.
How do you get verification?
Instagram isn’t exactly transparent when it comes to the verification process. Broadly speaking, you must be a public figure or your account must represent a well-known brand or company in order to enjoy the associated benefits.
The verification primarily confirms that the represented company or person is really behind the respective account. After all, there are also many fake profiles on Instagram. So it doesn’t necessarily depend on the number of followers.
Instagram Ads – classic advertising in a new format
Advertising has become an integral part of the Instagram landscape. This also applies to advertising on Instagram Stories. The ads that you can place here do not necessarily differ in format from the typical user-produced Instagram story.
Usually, the next Instagram story starts as soon as the previous one ends. Instagram ads now act as separators between these stories. However, they usually fit in very organically, so they are not particularly annoying. However, Instagram makes it clear that they are sponsored. They often also stand out due to their complex (and expensive) production values.
Your goal should be to produce ads that stand out while not being intrusive. Otherwise, an Instagram user can simply skip your ad – at best, this should be prevented. You also need to tailor your advertising to an audience that is interested in your services.
You have to find the right audience for that. Core, Custom, and Lookalike Audiences enable you to specifically address your target group.
With Core Audiences you first set the following parameters:
- origin
- alter
- gender
- language
- interests and behavior
Custom Audiences allows you to directly upload your customer list. Facebook and Instagram use this data to try to add the appropriate profiles to your target group. In this way, you directly address people who have already dealt with your brand in some way.
With lookalike audiences, Facebook selects profiles that have similar characteristics to your existing customers. So your target group is expanding again.
The advantage of Instagram Story Ads: You don’t have to have a verified account or more than 10,000 followers to be able to add a link. The swipe-up function leads your viewers to your product, your shop, etc.
Instagram Live – go on the air
If you want to deliver new content as quickly and spontaneously as possible, then going live via Instagram is perhaps the best alternative. The advantage over fully produced content is that you come across as natural and authentic.
The disadvantage: inexperienced moderators or protagonists can quickly blurt out or stumble. But even that can seem sympathetic and human.
Either way, be prepared to give up some level of control over your Instagram Story. Some people really thrive on this kind of performance pressure. Others need a little more practice and routine.
After all, a live broadcast leads to immediate attention and quick reactions. Instagram informs your followers immediately via push notification about your live broadcast.
Geotagging – let visitors to your profile know where you are
Geographic location tagging also makes it easier for Instagram users to find you in the real world. This is e.g. This is useful, for example, if your business or business relies on local customers, tourists, or other travelers.
For example, if users enter the name of a city, they will find interesting stories and the associated brands, companies, and shops in the immediate vicinity. This also includes your company if you geotag your story accordingly
Especially for smaller or still unknown businesses, this is a great opportunity to make a first impression on the local population and visiting Instagram users.
Hashtags
Hashtags can help people find you who are looking for specific topics and keywords. Of course, the associated story should also match the terms. Don’t fool potential viewers, followers, and customers just to use popular hashtags.
So ask yourself: Do the hashtags really have anything to do with the content of your story? Is the story really relevant to users who searched for those hashtags?
This is how you build a loyal following. For the next Instagram story, you can set another hashtag that might appeal to and interest a broader target group.
Note: Not every hashtagged story finds its way to the other accumulated hashtagged stories. It depends on the commitment and on the image and video quality whether the story gets the light of the general public.
Stickers – versatile ways to drive engagement and sales
Stickers can not only look nice, but they can also perform numerous functions that increase engagement with your brand. In addition to the hashtags already mentioned, there are numerous other stickers that increase the entertainment value of your stories and enable you to engage more deeply with customers.
Product-Stickers
As the name suggests, you mark a specific product in your Instagram story with a product sticker. You can use it to add the product’s name, price, and description. In addition, users can examine additional images of the article and similar products. If you add a link to your website, your Instagram visitors will be taken directly there.
These stickers also won’t bother your viewers when they’re engrossed in an Instagram Story. Followers must first click on the product or touch it on the display to get this information. The stickers are available in the form of a shopping bag, there are also product stickers with product names made up of grey, rainbow, or clear text.
Countdown-Sticker
Whether it’s in film, television, or a big announcement, countdowns always create excitement. This also applies to an Instagram story. In the social media context, however, it is not about defusing a time bomb in good time, but rather about generating hype, e.g. B. for a specific event. This could be a product launch, a big and important announcement, or a sales event.
Your followers can share and subscribe to this countdown. As soon as this ends, they will be reminded of the event. All they have to do is touch the sticker. You yourself will be informed whenever someone subscribes to your countdown. If you’re under 50,000 followers, Instagram will even let you know when someone shares your countdown.
Emoji-Slider Sticker
Emoji sliders are great for getting a direct emotional reaction from your followers to an Instagram story.
You have a huge selection of emojis at your disposal. Go for the ones that best help you capture the mood of your audience. As soon as one of your viewers has used the slider, you will see the result below.
Instagram also gives you deeper insights into your poll numbers. So you can see how many users have used the slider. You get graphs and an average result.
In this way, you can quickly determine how an article or a new service is received by your target group. It’s not exactly a nuanced mood barometer. But it gives you a good indication of whether you are on the right path.
Let your followers compare different products of yours. Determine how well specific content in your Instagram Story resonates with your audience. Use this information as a starting point when designing your next stories.
Questions Stickers
Another way to elicit slightly more specific user reactions and generate more engagement with your brand is with the Questions sticker. Request opinions on your items or your services. Or let your followers and fans ask you questions.
However, it does not always have to be about a current product. It can also be fun to answer general questions about you and your business. The questions you get are easily answered publicly via another story element.
But plan as carefully and carefully as you do when developing your Instagram content. Throwing in random questions won’t help you. First, ask yourself what you want to achieve with it. Need feedback on a product line? Want to add momentum to a campaign? Or do you want to establish trust in your customers?
You can ask important everyday and life questions for discussion. A Q&A on a specific topic related to your business is also possible. It often makes sense to let your audience interact with an expert.
If your followers make the effort to ask you questions, don’t neglect to reply. You must not ignore difficult and critical questions either. So be prepared for that as well. If you deal with difficult questions directly and as honestly as possible, you can restore trust even after a company failure.
Survey Stickers
The Polls sticker is the easiest way to get feedback from your followers. As with the other stickers, you also give your fans the opportunity to help shape your content. Just let them choose between multiple themes for future stories.
This is also a quick way to get criticism or praise for your products. You can provide options to improve service, offer different items to compare or find out where your customers prefer to shop for your products
The poll function can also be used to generate excitement for a major release or a new launch. Just ask your followers if they’re ready for something big.
Quiz Stickers
Motivate your followers to be more engaged with the fun quiz stickers. After all, quizzes are a popular format in the entertainment industry for a reason. Ask questions about your business and its history. Or ask your fans and followers when a certain product was launched.
This is a fun way to convey interesting information about your brand and the items on offer to both new profile visitors and long-established followers.
Chat Sticker
With the chat stickers, you can talk directly to your followers, and build or strengthen a community. You can select up to 31 participants from among your followers for such a chat.
You are able to steer the conversation in a specific direction that is relevant to you, to your customers, or to all of you. You can already announce this topic with the title of the chat.
In this way z. B. bring together local customers or regular customers who can exchange information. The simple creation of a focus group, which gives you feedback, is also possible quickly.
You can also invite particularly loyal customers to the chat to provide them with a discount code. With this, you offer a new shopping incentive as well as the feeling of exclusivity and appreciation.
The limited number of participants is not necessarily a disadvantage. The more interlocutors participate, the more difficult it is to control the conversation. A manageable discussion group, on the other hand, makes it easier for you to throw in specific questions and open them up for discussion. Above all, however, you will receive clear answers.
Direct messaging – stay connected with your followers
Instagram doesn’t skimp on options for users to connect with brands. With Instagram Stories, you’re likely to get even more direct messages from existing and potential new customers.
If you haven’t integrated a link into your stories, viewers will see a direct message button. They’re guaranteed to take advantage of these, too, especially if you share an enticing Instagram story that makes an equally enticing offer.
When you receive these messages, don’t forget to reply to them. If you neglect this duty, it can quickly lead to a frustrated customer and a bad brand image. Social media users are not shy about publicly reporting bad service experiences.
So the direct messaging feature has some dangers if you’re not careful. But first and foremost, it’s a wonderful way to keep in touch with new followers even after your stories have appeared.
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