A Small Business Guide to Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are quick, simple and inexpensive – it’s easy to see why they are an excellent way for small businesses to engage with followers and attract new leads. Whether you already use Instagram for your marketing or not, the stats show that Instagram Stories are worth focusing on.
With 250 million daily users and 20% of businesses receiving direct messages as a result of Stories, Instagram is a social media channel with huge potential for your business. Though the Stories last 15 seconds each and remain viewable for just 24 hours, they provide an opportunity to showcase your organization’s personality and subtly push your products.
Get your Instagram Story started by tapping the camera button on the top left of your screen, and add other content by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. That’s the simple part. But to make your Story as effective as possible, there are lots of other tricks you should know.
Adding a geotag to your post will increase your reach by including you in the relevant Stories for that area, while including a link has been shown to get up to 25% follow-through to your site or landing page. If you want to post content lasting more than 15 seconds, use an app like CutStory to break longer videos into shorter segments and post them together as consecutive Stories.
One of the biggest advantages of Instagram Stories is the ability to connect with your audience on a more personal level. “Takeovers” by employees or influencers generate high levels of engagement, while offering your followers exclusive access or opportunities strengthens your community. You can also add a poll to your Story to collect feedback or simply start a conversation.
Instagram Stories has grown substantially since its launch in August 2016, and discovering how to make the most of it will be a huge benefit to your social media marketing efforts. What are you waiting for? Start telling your Story now.
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