Since launching in 2016, Instagram Stories have become extremely popular, with 300 million active users each day. Users can post photos and videos and feature it on their profile for 24 hours and when put as Highlights, it could appear as permanent. With multiple editing options, it’s easy to customize Instagram Stories and make it as straightforward or as edited as you want.
One of the strengths of Instagram Stories goes way beyond gaining more followers. Companies and brands are heavily involved in posting Instagram Stories as it has proven to be a powerful marketing and advertising tool. Stories can be used in many ways to boost sales and to engage users so they will be familiar with your business. Here are a couple of examples on how to create content that would be profitable for you.
Use hashtags and geotags
By putting all related hashtags in your Instagram Stories, users will be able to see your post with a simple search of tagged interests. Putting on a sticker that says the location of your business lets people see where you are situated and it puts your Instagram Story on the Explore feed of that particular place.
Geotags and hashtags could attract new potential followers and expand brand awareness. By typing in the hashtags, you can instantly see which ones are often used and it is advisable to use hashtags that have the most posts.
Put links to shop pages or promotional posts to generate leads
Instagram has allowed users to put a redirection link once a Story is swiped up. If you put an attractive photo of your product with a link to your shop page, followers can instantly be converted into buyers. You can also put links that lead to new blog posts or any promotional content. To be able to drive people to your website, creating aesthetically pleasing photos or videos is a must.
Use the storytelling technique
Since the number of Instagram Stories that you can post has no limit, you can create multiple posts to tell stories that will act as advertisement for your products or services. Ad Nauseam (or simply called repetition) is a common advertising technique that aims to embed the brand into the consumer’s mindsets until they take action (or buy). This is a fun way to advertise to your followers in a creative manner, and it gives you the chance to promote your business the way you envision it.
By using the editing tools on Instasize and applying its similar tinted filters to your photos, you can create polished Instagram Story content without spending too much time on editing. Three to four posts should be enough, and be sure to put links or hashtags to make your Stories more reachable.
Create polls to engage followers
One of the most fun features that Instagram Stories have is allowing users to create polls in Instagram Stories. You can type in a question and customize the answer choices. The statistics of those who participated and chose answers will be visible to you as the poster. Take advantage of this handy feature as it will give you insights and data from your followers and potential buyers. This is perfect if you want to do a simple consumer research before launching a product, or to simply stir up engagement with your followers.
Invest in Sponsored Instagram Stories
If you want to explore another way to expand your content reach aside from hashtags and geotags, investing on sponsored Stories is a great option. Sponsored Instagram Stories instantly appear on your target market’s Story feeds as they watch the Stories of accounts they follow, and it’s like direct online advertising without the need for the users to click anything.
Instasize is the perfect editing app to create your Story content, as it has more than 50 artisan crafted filters, a multi-font tool, and a border tool to let you experiment on placing photos on top of each other. The app’s latest feature addition, Text Styles, transforms simple text into stunning typography. By taking the time to create beautiful content and strategically placing your links, you will hopefully notice growth in both page visits and sales.
