10 billion everyday, that’s how many people view video content on Snapchat. So it makes sense that Instagram followed to create Instagram Stories – short videos that disappear after 24 hours, with a potential audience of 500 million users.
That’s some big numbers, right?
We agree. Storytelling is a key feature to making social media work for brands and features like Instagram Stories ensure marketers like us, create better and deeper stories for people to engage with brands.
In this post we will share how to use Instagram Stories to engage customers.
Enhance your main Instagram content with bonus information.
This is one of my favourite ways of using Instagram Stories: telling a deep story behind each and every Instagram post.
One of the key differences between Instagram and Snapchat is that Instagram provides a public, viewable profile for your main content. On no other social network can you get this type of supplemental information about the posts themselves.
NASA’s use of Stories is quite the native strategy. Recently, NASA posted about the annual Perseid meteor shower on their Instagram account and used Stories to share more about the meteor shower and the research on it, talking to the scientists involved in the research and showing the equipment used for the research.
How can you do this for your business?
After you choose a final photo to share on Instagram, snap a couple of extra ones that go behind-the-scenes. This can be as easy as:
- Flip your camera around to take a photo of the yourself working
- Share some of the failed drafts of photos to show the personal side of your brand
- Snap a photo with the team that helped you create your Instagram photo
- Zoom out and photograph the setup – works great for product shots to show all that goes into getting the photo just right!
Use your real-time events as a Story
Whether it be a webinar, talk or product launch, posting your content on Stories enables a large live audience.
How can you do this for your business?
Take a look at your event calendar and see if there are any upcoming events and activities that your online community can follow along. It could be:
- A product launch
- Company meetings
- Behind the scene planning of your event
Otherwise, consider if you could organize fun games around your product or service which your online community could participate in by leaving a comment on one of your recent Instagram posts or sharing a photo with a particular hashtag.
Take your followers on tours
New York University has a very engaged following on Instagram. Each of its posts has thousands of likes and 10–20 comments. Following the theme for its posts, New York University “takes” its followers on tours around the campus and city, enhancing the experience of following the account.
How can you do this for your business?
This is great if you are a tourist attraction or even a retail store with a great physical space and environment!
When you are performing work activities, document your day-to-day activities. These raw authentic snaps will give your followers a better sense of the area and might make them want to visit you more.
Feature your customers and behind the scenes
Customers are happy to be featured in images, especially if they are big fans of your product or service. Ask to use them as content.
How you can do this for your business?
If it is possible, visit your amazing customers and give them a shoutout on your Instagram Stories. This will let your followers know what types of businesses and individuals use your product and might give them the social proof they need in order to convert. Furthermore, this will help you build a stronger relationship with your customers.
Over to you
There are many ways you can create content for your brand, but these highlight some suggestions to think about. More importantly, just start and work it out as you go. Creating content to test and research is the best formula to begin with.
Be Brave and Create!
