BLOG
Effective social media is all about one thing: engagement. Getting consumers to view and engage with your content is the ultimate way to increase brand awareness and organically grow your following. Instagram is notorious for being an ever-shifting platform with new functionalities added and taken away all the time, which can make it hard to keep up and maintain your engagement rates. However, there are several integral Instagram Story functionalities that can be utilized to maximize the number of eyes on your content.
Tagging Your Location
One of the most popular options on Instagram Stories is the Location sticker. It allows you to quickly and easily tag your location and let your followers know where the photo was taken. This functionality isn’t just helpful for letting your followers know where you are, but it can also be a tool used to increase your post’s reach. Most locations have their own official Location Story, and tagging that location makes it possible for your Story to appear in it. For example, if you tag the Santa Monica Pier, everyone who views the Santa Monica Pier Story will see your post and be exposed to your account. This is a great way to increase your audience and attract new visitors to your feed.
Story Create Tab
One new functionality that has quickly become a favorite among social media-savvy businesses is the Create tab. It offers several of Instagram’s most popular interactive Story features in one convenient place with no need for a photographic background. Instead, you can offer text, polls, questions, countdowns, and more on top of a solid-colored background for quick audience interaction and content engagement.
IG Filter Effect Gallery
It can be fun to spend an hour scrolling through Instagram’s filters and taking one too many selfies. However, did you know that if you scroll all the way to the end of the filters, there’s an Effect Gallery? Instagram’s Effect Gallery allows you to search through and use custom filters created by other Instagram users. This can be a fun way for you to engage with your followers or earn more recognition for your company. If you create a custom filter that becomes popular with other users, this will undoubtedly have a positive effect on your follower count and engagement rate.
Sharing Feed Posts to IG Stories
It’s one of the most basic Instagram Story features, and yet it’s still one of the most underutilized. If you select the paper plane symbol underneath any post on your feed (or any Instagram post, for that matter), you can share it to your Instagram Story. Due to Instagram’s 2018 algorithm update that altered the way content is presented to users, some followers may not see all (or any) of your posts. If you share each day’s post to your Story, however, followers can be notified that you created new content and click through to the post. One popular tactic is to partially hide the post with a sticker or emoji so that followers are more tempted to click through to your company’s page and see what’s been uploaded.
If you’re ever feeling stuck for ideas and creatively drained, taking the time to explore Instagram Stories and its many functionalities will leave you inspired in no time. At the end of the day, creating content is the most important step in your social media plan. However, if you still feel like you could benefit from having someone assist you with your social media content creation and management, give IDG Advertising a call. From custom graphics to audience engagement analysis, we handle all aspects of social media account management.
