- It's official.
Instagram Stories have taken over.
While Snapchat may have pioneered the use
of disappearing content, Instagram stories
is gaining momentum
and keeping users engaged on this app.
Separated from the usual curated profile,
Stories allows users a more realtime sharing.
This type of content disappears after 24 hours
and is not a permanent fixture of your profile.
If you want to learn more about Instagram
and how to grow your following on Instagram,
you can check out my free guide in the description below.
While investing your time in using Snapchat
pays dividends to reach your market,
many businesses are taking the leap
to also use Instagram Stories.
Here are five ways you can use Instagram Stories
to help your business in marketing efforts.
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Number one: show your products in use.
Instagram Stories are great for promoting your product.
It's an intelligent way to show viewers
what your products can do
and how these products can help them.
Use the Stories to show a series of videos or photos
that give people an idea of how to make use of your product.
Give viewers a hint of how your product works in action
and show the behind the scenes background behind it.
This idea is really helpful for physical products.
You can also do tutorials, features, interviews.
The key here is to offer information
that your customers may need by knowing
what your product is all about.
By doing this, you're driving consideration
and interest to purchase.
Do this in the most genuine
and entertaining way as possible.
Number two: use it to celebrate an important milestone.
Create an engaging story
to highlight important company events or anniversaries.
These short videos are great
at highlighting your company occasions
to build loyalty for your business.
Take this opportunity to look back on your company history
and provide your customers a sense of belonging.
Try to add variety and color by featuring your employees
and customers in these videos as well.
Your business may have a lot of stories to share
and by sharing this and your personality,
you can keep your customers interested
in your mission and purpose as a company.
Number three: deliver offers or discounts.
Using Stories to share your business special offers
or discounts to your customers
will drive better results than just posting it on your page.
Since a story only lasts 24 hours,
this will build a sense of urgency
for your customers to take action quicker.
Use the stories to refer your followers to your website
or your offer by either posting the link in your bio
and telling them that they can go there
or you can link it to your story directly
and tell them to swipe up to go there.
Disclaimer, at the time that I'm posting this,
only verified accounts or business accounts
with over 10,000 followers can link directly
on their story but as we know,
social media changes all the time so when that changes,
I'll link it in the description below to let you know that.
So, use your Instagram Stories and share an offer
that will take them to the landing page
that can give them more information
on how they can redeem that offer.
Number four: show what goes on behind the company.
Give your audience a sneak peek
at what happens behind your company operation.
One idea is to do a special feature
that gives your users a behind the scenes look
behind production or behind product creation
or just what your work is like on a day to day basis.
Sharing your projects with your audience can be fascinating
for your existing customers and prospects.
Capture your user's imagination
by doing a series of photos or images.
Be as creative as you can and play on the reveal.
Number five: do an Instagram take-over with an influencer.
One creative way of using stories
is by allowing another person to take over your account.
It's a fun way of interacting with your audience
and at the same time, bringing the value
of the influencer's audience with you.
Take-overs are awesome for your brand
because they provide mutual brand exposure
and cross-promotion.
This is a smart and easy way for growing your audience.
Tap into influencers that embody your brand's persona
and can create huge amounts of content for your stories.
If you want to learn more about influencers,
you can check out my free PDF guide
on The Complete Guide to Effective Influencer Marketing
in the description below.
This can help you develop an influencer strategy
for your social media accounts.
These are just some of the ways
that you can maximize Instagram Stories for marketing.
Do you have other tips on Instagram Stories?
Share your tips and tricks with us in comments below
and don't forget to download my free guide
on How to Grow your Following on Instagram.
Thanks for watching.
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