How to Use Instagram Stories Effectively for Business
Part 2 Coming this Week
We won’t lie. We haven’t used Instagram as much as we should. Maybe it’s because it’s become saturated, and it’s harder than ever on this platform to get attention.
But if you can get attention, and you have some patience, the rewards just could be worth it. Here’s what we’ve learned after some research - in the hopes of using this platform more in 2025.
Instagram Stories Image.
The Power of Instagram in Sharing Content and Driving Business
As a video production company transforming into a full fledged digital agency in Bellingham, WA, it’s more important than ever to explore the pros and cons of each social platform.
At the end of the day, we’d argure that Instagram Stories is a vital tool for businesses aiming to better their online presence and engage with their audience. With over 500 million daily users (yes, you heard that right), Instagram offers businesses a unique opportunity to connect with followers through full-screen photos or videos.
Don’t know what Stories are? Instagram Stories are photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours, providing a temporary but impactful way to connect with followers. It’s an easy way for followers to check on updates. By default, we just mindlessly look through our stories more than scrolling through the feed for updates so it’s a great place to get attention.
Here’s a comprehensive guide on harnessing the power of Instagram Stories for your business or agency, including the types of content you can create and the effectiveness of these strategies.
Strategic Uses of Instagram Stories
1. Promotions and Offers
Leverage Stories to promote limited-time offers or flash sales. This urgency drives action, encouraging viewers to capitalize on deals quickly. For accounts with over 10,000 followers, utilize the swipe-up feature for direct access to these offers. This feature allows you to add a link so your followers can simply swipe up and visit your site for the offers you’re having!
2. Behind-the-Scenes Content
Build a personal connection with your audience by sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of how you operate. This transparency could showcase your brand’s human side and operational expertise, enhancing customer trust and loyalty. Building credibility and relevancy in market is critical, and there is no better way than simply telling good stories.
3. Product Demonstrations and Tutorials
Take videos and showcase your product uses or provide tutorials directly through Stories. This approach is particularly effective for brands in beauty, technology, and culinary industries. But could also be useful for a builder showing off a new tool or approach.
4. Customer Reviews and Testimonials
Influence potential customers by featuring testimonials and reviews. Visuals and user-generated content in Stories can significantly enhance credibility and attract new buyers. It’s kind of like they know how your products look in another lens and reviews really give them a chance to see how your product works in another person’s hands.
5. Live Events
Broadcast live events to engage those who cannot attend in person. This real-time interaction boosts engagement and allows for immediate feedback through comments and reactions. A lot of people also make use of this feature to simply interact with customers (works best for small businesses), or have real-time sales here.
6. Interactive Elements
Incorporate polls, questions, and other interactive stickers to engage viewers and gather valuable insights about their preferences and feedback. These features don’t always have to be about feedback – it can be a method to hype up your customers for new releases, or just silly antics that can keep your followers engaged.
7. Countdowns and Reminders
Use countdown stickers for upcoming launches or events to generate excitement and keep your audience informed of important dates.
Instagram Stories Leads to Success.
Effectiveness of Instagram Stories for Business
Increased Visibility
Stories are prominently displayed at the top of users’ feeds, ensuring high visibility and immediate attention from followers upon opening the app.
Enhanced Engagement
Interactive features make Stories a hub for engagement, allowing businesses to connect directly with their audience and foster stronger relationships.
Authenticity and Timeliness
The casual nature of Stories enables brands to share more authentic, spontaneous content. This authenticity, combined with the format’s temporary nature, is ideal for time-sensitive announcements and helps maintain transparency and timeliness.
Driving Traffic and Cost-Effectiveness
With features like swipe-up links, Stories can effectively drive traffic to your website or promotions. Additionally, the low-cost nature of producing Stories makes it an accessible strategy for all business sizes.
Frequent Updates
The ability to post regularly without overwhelming your audience’s feed keeps your brand relevant and top of mind.
Best Practices for Instagram Stories
– Maintain Consistency:
Regular posts in a consistent style and theme that reflect your brand help keep the audience engaged.
– Utilize Strong Visuals:
High-quality visuals are important since Instagram is a visually-driven platform. Tools like Canva or Adobe Spark can aid in creating engaging graphics. If you’re thinking about getting ahead in the visual game, Canva is the place we would start.
– Using Highlights:
Stories may have been made to stay for 24 hours but there are stories that are just too good and hold important information that you would like to stay for longer in your profile. That’s how Highlights play into this – they’re made to be featured on your profile, so make sure you choose and create an appropriate category for whatever you want to say. Some businesses use this for customer reviews, price lists, milestones, etc.
– Leverage Analytics:
Utilize Instagram’s insights to refine your strategies based on which types of content perform best. We made a guide so you can understand insights better!
– Include a Call to Action:
Guide viewers on what to do next, whether it’s visiting a website, viewing another Story, or following your profile.
The Wrap Up
Using Instagram Stories is a great way to boost engagement and just overall gather attention. There’s a lot that you can do with this feature on the app. Don’t worry about overthinking captions and cinematography – stories was made to be casual and quick. And don’t fret about posting 3 or more stories per day - that’s way too much of a burden for most people unless they have access to a full team. Just have fun with it, and your followers will have fun with it as well.
Need help, like, yesterday?
