5 Instagram Story Marketing Tips
June 26, 2019
Stories have become a hugely popular method of communicating with social media followers, especially for marketing purposes. For those who follow companies regularly, the mere fact that a Story feed will notify you every time something new is published is huge. That boon aside, there are many other wonderful benefits to Story feeds, and they’re only getting better.
At a recent Facebook conference, it was acknowledged that over 1-billion users are currently enjoying the Stories feature on the platform. This is only Facebook. Instagram, who started the phenomenon first, has an even higher success rate for its Stories feed. So, what can you do as a business to get more involved in the Stories success, and is there a way to capitalize on it and use it more adventitiously? Here are 5 tips to perk up your Instagram Story marketing strategy.
1. Make it a Quick Read: One of the reasons Stories are so popular is their ease of access and quick readability. It’s something the average Insta-user can access, swipe through, and be finished within a matter of seconds, and this is how they like it. Keeping your content neat, to the point, and engaging is the key to Instagram Story success. Your followers don’t want to click through multiple tabs to get to the point of your post. Unless a Story post is highly interactive and the clicking is part of the fun, it’s more likely that your followers will skip your next Story than jump at the chance to check it out.
Of course, minimizing the amount of content available in your post means maximizing your output in terms of value and penmanship. It’s kind of like serving up a minimalistic-style product. If you design a new sneaker for your customers and it’s one color, no details, and a slip-on, it better have some other wonderful features to make it worth the buy. Things that are plain and simple are fine and dandy so long as they serve a purpose or pack a punch.
2. Keep Things Vertical: It’s habitual of videographers and photographers to think of the world horizontally, but landscape mode is not a favorite of mobile users; in fact, statistics show that more than 80% of mobile users visiting video sites hold their phone vertically rather than turning it on its side. This means that if you want your content to stand out with your followers, it needs to be strategically optimized for mobile viewing. Whether it’s a video, photo, or a text-based Story, making it a vertical read will check all the boxes of your followers.
3. Don’t go Emoji Overboard: Instagram users love their emoji stickers. We get it, they’re fun, they’re eye-catching, and they make content appear modern and quirky. The downside? Too much of a good thing spoils it for everyone. Companies who go overboard on the stickers and emojis only wind up looking desperate to fit in with the younger demographics. It’s cool to throw in a few emojis, stickers, and filters to strengthen the aesthetical integrity of your post, but too many and you could be turning visitors off, rather than encouraging them to click, “follow”.
4. Sneak in a CTA: The Call to Action has been demonized as of late, but believe it or not, this age-old marketing tactic is still useable and necessary. Your Instagram Story feed is filled with plenty of information and fun, but don’t forget the business aspect of social media. This is a tool used for marketing, and if you forget to market your company while posting, what’s the point? A swift and nimble call to action strategically placed can make all the difference.
The key to a good Instagram Story CTA is to make it less than 10% of the post. A link or shout out at the very end of your post is perfect for this purpose. Just a little something to remind your followers that you’re a business, not an individual, and that your brand is the best at what it does.
5. Use Your Analytics to Plan Your Next Move: Research is a huge part of marketing, and just because you’re using an informal tool like Instagram doesn’t make it any less important. Reading your analytics and reports tells you how affective your current marketing strategy is. It can show you how many people are viewing your Story, and from these visitors, who is following your CTA and checking out your website or buying a product. It also shows you who are sharing your Story, liking your Story, or Commenting on your Story.
All of this adds up to give you the information you need to strategize your next marketing campaign. Every post should be part of an organized plan for your current campaign. These statistics tell you whether it should keep going as planned or if you need to take a step back and strategize. You might be surprised at what you see.
Instagram Stories have come a long way from where they started out as a method of sharing quick updates with friends and family. Businesses around the globe are using this tool to share their brand with the world, and it’s working. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to Instagram or you’ve been using it for years, you can still benefit from the Story feed as you take the time to invest in what you post.