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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If your Instagram stories need a little extra allure, a line of credit can give you the funding you need to make an impact on your followers.

Sources

A new way to bring your business story to life on Instagram. business.instagram.com
Castillo, M. 2017. Instagram Stories passes 250 million DAUs. cnbc.com
Chaykowski, K. 2017. Instagram Debuts Full-Screen Ads In Stories, Reaches 150 Million Daily Users. forbes.com
The Top Instagram Stories Statistics. mediakix.com
Constine, J. 2017. Instagram Stories turns 1 as daily use surpasses Snapchat. techcrunch.com
Page, S. 2016. How to add photos and videos from your camera roll to your Instagram story. idownloadblog.com
Hines, K. 2016. How To Create Instagram Stories. socialmediaexaminer.com
Hasnain, Z. 2017. How to use Instagram Stories like a pro. theverge.com
Walters, K. 2017. How to Use Instagram Stories: The Complete Guide for Business. hootsuite.com
Sydney. 2017. The Statistical Best Time to Post on Instagram. techjunkie.com
Julian, J. 2017. Instagram Stories: Five Things Marketers Need to Know. socialbakers.com
2014. Mobile Overview Report. scientiamobile
Instagram Study 2014. Simply Measured
Elliott, M. 2017. How to use location and hashtag Stories on Instagram. cnet.com
Kolowich, L. 48 Instagram Stats That’ll Help You Improve Your Posting Strategy. hubspot.com
CutStory
Gotter, A. 2017. How to Create Instagram Stories Ads for Traffic and Conversions. socialmediaexaminer.com
Lua, A. 2017. All You Need to Know About Instagram Takeovers: How to Host a Takeover in 6 Simple Steps. bufferapp.com
2017. Q2 2017 Sprout Social Index. sproutsocial.com
Wylde, K. 2017. How To Make A Poll On Your Instagram Story With The App’s Coolest New Feature. bustle.com
Myers, J. 2017. Eight Ways to Use Polls in Instagram Stories. jaimeemyers.com
Lydon, E. 2017. We Tested Instagram Stories Polls: Here’s What the Results Looked Like. iconosquare.com
Peterson, T. 2016. Instagram Story links get 15–25% swipe-through rates for brands, publishers. marketingland.com

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Nivene obtained her Bachelors of Communication from Loyola University Chicago. She loves to discuss fashion, finance, TV and cupcakes. Rumor has it she loves owls and drinks too much coffee – that is yet to be determined.

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