Instagram Stories was the platform enhancer we (and brands) never knew we needed. It has become a powerful way for brands to inspire and engage with users. Since launching in 2016, it has increased in popularity with nearly 400 million Instagram accounts using Instagram Stories every day.
Tell us, are you utilizing Instagram Stories?
Here are seven features your brand should be using:
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Polls, Polls, Polls. Plaid or Stripes? Red Lip or Smokey Eye? Burger or Hotdog? Want to find out what your followers prefer? Ask with a poll. This feature gives users two options to choose from, tallies their responses and gives you their preferences in a percentage.
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Questions. Okay, we just polled our followers, so what’s the difference between the poll and questions? With the question feature, users have the ability to ask you the big questions. When is your next album coming out? When does the new line launch? Where do you get your inspiration? Brands can then post the question and their response, leaving the user who asked the question anonymous. This is a great way for brands to gauge the types of content their followers want to know about.
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Emoji slider. How much do you like Drake’s Scorpion album? How cute is this puppy golden doodle? How much do you love the emoji slider? Slide to the right, slide to the left. Provide Instagram users with the heart-eyed emoji slider to gauge their level of excitement.
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Video. Video killed the radio star and is definitely killing it on Instagram Stories. It is memorable, engaging and leads to purchases. From Live videos to videos within your story, switch it up and keep your followers engaged.
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Stickers: location, gifs, emojis and more. Brands can tag their location, add their campaign hashtag, use gifs and mention other users within their story. This helps users locate their business, follow and tag with the branded hashtag, and follow other users for more branded content. Besides, who doesn’t love the dancing banana gif?
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Music. Have the perfect song to capture the mood of your Story? Users can now add music by selecting the portion of the song they like the most and recording their video with the song playing in the background. Excuse us while we go add Dancing Queen to ours.
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Shop the details. Showing off your new eyeglass collection, line of activewear, lip kits? Tag the item in your story for users to click to shop. You’ll increase product awareness, engagement and even sales.
Debating which social story platform is right for you brand? Read Snapchat vs. Instagram: Everything your brand needs to know.
