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Instagram Stories have become an enjoyable, fast, and exciting way for people to connect with one another every single day. While it might seem pretty casual in nature, it’s a fantastic way for your business to engage with potential clients and followers on Instagram. Today’s market calls for authentic and personable business models that consumers can feel comfortable purchasing from, so Instagram Stories are the perfect way to stand out from your competitors.
With all the social media changes happening recently, it’s understandable that you might have a little fatigue trying to keep up, but don’t worry. The best part about IG Stories is that it doesn’t always require a vast amount of energy. If today’s story isn’t 100%, it only lasts 24 hours. And on the flip side, if it’s a stellar post that’s worth a million bucks, you can save it to your highlights for users to watch again as long as you want them to.
Let’s jump right into the best part – the creative. IG Stories might seem like another commitment, but here are five ways you can use them to grow your business online.
#1: You can pull in opinions with Instagram polls!
One thing is always true in the social media space – everyone loves to share their opinion. Polls give businesses the opportunity to ask their audience for feedback in any capacity they want to. It can be casual with yes or no questions, or you can have more fun with it. Do an “iced vs. hot coffee” battle. See what people prefer and share the results. Audiences get to engage, and you get a post up into the world. It’s a win-win for everyone.
#2: You can make it onto a Location Story!
As a small business, all you want to do is get your name out there. Instagram Stories allows you to do that. Let’s say you post a boomerang of your business luncheon and tag your office with the location tag. You now have the opportunity to possibly show up on the featured story of that location. For example, when we tag IDG Advertising as our location tag, we sometimes pop up on the Orange featured story. You’ll be able to see this when you look at the stats of the post, and you can see how many people viewed it through the cities story. You will only be able to tag your business if you input your street address into your Facebook Business Profile so make sure to do that before tagging your business. Similarly, some stickers also allow for the same cross-promotion opportunity. For example, if you use the TGIF sticker, you might show up on the TGIF story so make sure to experiment and see how many people you can get to view your content.
#3: You can take your audience Behind the Scenes!
We are in an age of curiosity, and knowledge is readily available everywhere. Whether it’s through Google searches, YouTube videos, or blog posts, people LOVE to see what happens behind the scenes. If you’re shooting video content, shoot some boomerangs of the crew. If you’re in a meeting with clients, post a selfie. If you’re on-site at your warehouse, post a set of walkthrough videos. When you do this, don’t forget to use the behind the scene hashtags. Hashtags, like location tags, allow more users to see your content through those featured stories. Behind the scenes is one of our personal favorites, but any hashtag related to your business can be searched.
#4: You can shout out other businesses and have cross-promotion opportunities.
If your business does a run to the local coffee shop with an Instagram page, make sure to use the mention sticker or text feature to tag them. Instagram now allows for mentions to be shared to their stories directly which offers you more reach to their audience if they choose to share your shoutout. If their team is active, they will likely be open to saying a little thank you – especially if you’re a regular.
#5: You can get personal with your audience and showcase your personality.
When people buy from businesses, they like to know who they’re buying from. That being said, show your team off. Celebrate birthdays, or show when your office does pranks or surprises. When you do a company outing, explain what’s happening. Have taste tests and celebrate random national holidays like ice cream day. At IDG, we believe that building up our team is what makes our creative juices flow freely. We want our clients to know that the work we do and the fun we have are intertwined. We want them to see that we’re friendly, we’re fun, and we’re all ready to connect. You can see all of this on our stories, on our highlights, and our feed. Don’t be scared. Put yourself out there.
We hope that these five ways to use Instagram Stories for business have inspired you to get out there with your phone and start making content. If you’re still lost and looking for someone to assist you in your social media efforts, give IDG a call, and we can get started today.
