Whether you have a marketing team or you’re a sole entrepreneur, by now you’ve heard the buzz around Instagram stories, the new rival to Snapchat. There are many blog articles out there that explain the pros and cons and the differences between the two. Yet, we are here to tell you why your business should be at the front and center of this newly released feature by Instagram.
Every industry is capable of performing well on a visually focused platform such as Instagram, many businesses make their presence on such a platform valuable to their consumers, which in turn becomes revenue generating.
Instagram is often used as a visual escape for most of its users. Users of this platform escape into other lives through the use of imagery. Whether the topic is travel, family, products, nature, children, etc – a user relishes in connecting and escaping with these curated images.
So where do you come in?
Businesses have such a great advantage online these days. In a world where consumers crave relatability, transparency, and human connection, you are encouraged to bring your brand directly to your target audience in a way that just wasn’t possible a decade ago.
Instagram Stories allows you to post pictures or short videos that after 24 hours disappear. You read that right. After 24 hours elapses, your content using Instagram stories disappears. Now you must be thinking, how can this feature work for our company?
Here are 3 ways to carry out this new feature in your Instagram/Social Strategy today:
- Hold special promotions/flash sales with codes that can only be viewed on Instagram Stories. This way, if your audience doesn’t catch them within that 24 hour window, they miss out! This is especially useful during the holidays.
- Use the new feature as a testing tool. Not sure if you should be more lighthearted in your social media presence? Try being humorous in these stories and see how your audience responds. The video or image content disappears after 24 hours so you don’t lose anything but can potentially gain everything towards a critical social media pivot.
- Don’t be afraid to be conversational with your Instagram stories. Here’s a chance to be human, relatable, and authentic while connecting with your core audience. Get your team to join in (from execs all the way down). Use this feature a lot by creating tons of content and promotions. Share things with your audience that they can’t find anywhere else (enter value!) and you may just be the next Instagram Stories breakout star.
Still, in need of a push? Do some research and choose an Instagram influencer and ask them for an account takeover. This can either be a 24 hour period or a whole weekend. This leverages the platform “wisdom” and audience of an influencer to get your Instagram stories content game on par with the best of them. Be sure to align yourself with an influencer that is relevant to your brand’s product/service for best results.
There is tremendous value in getting ahead of a new feature on a popular social media platform. Online domination comes from applying tactics early, failing fast while making any necessary adjustments to reach your goals. Success is sure to follow.
