Instagram Stories are images or video that are shown for up to 15 seconds and disappear after 24 hours of posting. They are a great way to share your personal brand and build a deeper relationship with your audience.
But the question is, ‘Should we include them as part of our marketing strategy?’ In this article I will be discussing some of the reason why Stories are a great tool to include in your marketing strategy and I will share a few ideas of how they can be implemented.
I would like to start by saying that if your business already has a presence on social media, then I believe that Facebook or Instagram Stories will complement the other forms of content you are sharing. However, like all forms of marketing I wouldn’t suggest only concentrating on one method.
Improve Brand Visibility.
Instagram data states that approximately 500 million Instagram users use Instagram Stories every day, one third of the most viewed Stories have been posted by businesses and one in five Stories get a direct message from the viewer.
So why wouldn’t you use Stories as part of your marketing and content plan?
Well for some of us it can feel a bit scary, right?
But being visible on social media doesn’t always have to involve showing your face. Here are a couple of ideas that will help you to engage with your audience without you having to be in them.
Photo/ Video of behind the scenes. This could be your office, the view from your window, your pet, a walk in the park or even a ‘how to’ video.
People are nosey and love to look at these things!
Interact with Your Audience.
Stories offer its user a wide selection of question stickers. So why not ask your audience a question?
It can be business related or just for fun.
For example, next time you’re in your favourite coffee shop, you could take a selfie of you and your favourite drink/cake and ask your audience what they would order from the menu.
Or if you buy samples, for example jewellery for your store, you could ask people what style they prefer, as this will help you to choose what stock to bring in.
Direct People to Your Profile.
Posted a great piece of content, but just not getting the views you’d like? If for one moment we just blame it on the algorithm (there could be other reasons) then we can help it out and direct people to certain pieces of content.
For example, we could say, ‘Have you checked out my 5 tips to…. that I posted on my feed earlier today? Click on my next Story for more information.’ Then in your next Story you could share a link to your post.
Photo by Kerde Severin from Pexels
Share Products and Services.
Stories can also be a fantastic place to advertise your products and service as a form of real time marketing. Get customer feedback quickly and easily, all you have to do is ask the right questions.
For example, ask people what colours/ flavours they prefer or you could list the benefits of your products or services in a series of stories.
Share Your Personal Brand.
Stories are a great way for your audience to get to know you and build the know, like and trust.
There may be things that we don’t want to post on our main feed such as family, pets, quotes or a day at the zoo (if you do then that’s great too!) but Stories are a great way to share a snippet into the life of the business owner and helps to build a relationship with your ideal client.
My Conclusion.
My conclusion is that Facebook and Instagram Stories are a great way to have direct contact with your ideal customers, after all only the people who follow you can see your Stories.
Stories are a tool that compliment other social media content sharing practices and can help to build that ideal client relationship. I therefore think that Stories have a place in my Marketing Strategy.
It is suggested that Stories should be used on a daily basis, preferably at least times a day, however I for one am guilty of not keeping up with this.
As I tell my clients, plan to do what you feel is achievable and can be done consistently.
0 Comments