Story Highlights to introduce to your brand When new users land on your Instagram profile, they probably don’t know who you are (yet). Most accounts usually rely on a short bio to make that first impression – you’ve heard a million times before how important it is to have a great Insta bio that catches the eye, quickly explains what your business does, and convinces new visitors to click that follow button. A Stories takeover – an influencer of choice takes over the brand account for, say, a day, to produce exclusive content – is a relatively new trend on Instagram. They’re not urged to follow the brand but encouraged by the influencer to see what he or she is doing on the brand’s account. When you’re short on ideas, your audience members can be a great source of inspiration. Self-made GIFs, fonts, stickers The world rejoiced when Instagram introduced GIFs in Stories, but the joy didn’t last long. However, it’s even better to create custom templates – and let your followers screenshot them. Feel free to include additional tools in the comments (from your company or ones that you have used). How well is Instagram incorporated into your content marketing strategy? Learn more about how to use this fast-growing social media platform at Content Marketing World Sept. 4-7.
If you’re a permanent Instagram resident who spends your days outlining Insta-strategies, researching hashtags, and making content plans, time flies quickly. New features debut almost every month and discerning trends is challenging.
Instagram Stories are on many brands’ radar for good reason. Over 300 million view Instagram Stories every day and one-third of the most viewed Stories come from businesses. It’s no longer a question of whether you should use Stories in your Instagram strategy, but how you should do it.
Consider these seven fresh ideas to spice up your Stories and use them in a way your competitors haven’t yet thought of.
1. Story Highlights to introduce to your brand
When new users land on your Instagram profile, they probably don’t know who you are (yet). Most accounts usually rely on a short bio to make that first impression – you’ve heard a million times before how important it is to have a great Insta bio that catches the eye, quickly explains what your business does, and convinces new visitors to click that follow button.
However, with the addition of the Highlights feature, the bio section is not the only place where you can tell your brand story. Think of Highlights as a short trailer for your business, and it suddenly becomes a perfect opportunity to show what you’re all about and give a sense of what you offer.
Example: Do you know Tyler J. McCall, an Instagram marketing expert? Well, if you click on the “Hey there” highlight, you will. Often, a straightforward “Hi, my name is X, I do Y, and I love Z, check it out” is the only intro you need. It works because it’s so simple.
2. Story takeovers by another user
Collaboration with influencers is an ever-growing Instagram trend, but many brands execute it by paying for a few sponsored posts on an influencer’s feed, crossing their fingers, and praying for a few new followers to come through the tag mention.
A Stories takeover – an influencer of choice takes over the brand account for, say, a day, to produce exclusive content – is a relatively new trend on Instagram. Why does a takeover work better than a standard influencer collaboration? The incentive for the influencer’s followers is different. They’re not urged to follow the brand but encouraged by the influencer to see what he or she is doing on the brand’s account. The subtle promotion is more effective if you’re looking to increase reach and drive traffic from Instagram Stories to your site or special offer.
3. Polls for audience research
While polls are a great tool to engage your audience, you can also use them strategically for audience research to create better content that resonates with your followers. Instead of asking…
COMMENTS