With over 1 billion monthly active users, it’s no surprise Instagram is constantly adding new features to the platform to keep users engaged.
Instagram launched its Story feature back in August 2016. 500 million stories are being posted every day, and a third of the most viewed are created by businesses. So, what does this mean? Well… it means you should get in on the action!
Stories are a great way to show your business off and generate new leads. Similar to Snapchat, Stories only last for 24 hours on Instagram. Meaning that your content won’t stick around for long. You may think your hard work is going to waste, however, 72% of Instagram users say they have purchased a product they’ve seen on the app - therefore, sharing content this way must work.
Standing out amongst the mass of Instagram Stories isn’t rocket science, it’s all about being creative and creating original content - dare to think outside the box! Creating tutorials, behind the scenes content or even hosting a Q&A are simple yet effective ways to show your uniqueness, instead of posting content that is similar to what is already on your feed. Within the Story feature, there’s lots of elements you can add to make them more engaging such as polls and questions, where users are able to interact with your business. Adding hashtags, locations or even a mention can make it easier for people to find your business, as the Story will then be seen from multiple places.
Stories are becoming more popular and more platforms are integrating the feature. Our recent work with Rennsport has showed us the power of Instagram Stories - which has been racking up an average of 500 views per slide on their Story. These Stories have increased Rennsport’s follower count and generated strong enquiries, which, in turn, has led to more car sales. With this in mind, we believe utilising the Story feature can be incredibly beneficial.