The time is especially ripe if you have been contemplating about using Instagram Stories for business. The key to doing this is to formulate an Instagram Stories strategy that’s engaging and effective. Making the most of this unique opportunity is vital if you want to boost your business on Instagram Stories that have over 500 million daily users. For a platform that was only launched in 2016, it has surely grown in leaps and bounds!
More importantly, Instagram Stories has managed to evolve steadily over the years as well, introducing revolutionary features that are great to boost engagement. Businesses have found it so much easier to kick-start a conversation with audiences, make their brands more appealing, and get real-time feedback from the consumers.
Spike up your engagement, increase brand awareness and boost sales in a fun and creative way with Instagram Stories. We bring you the Ultimate Guide to Instagram Stories for business. Cheers to your business growth in 2022!
How to use Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are vertical, full-screen photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours from Instagram. They appear at the top of the Instagram app, and not in the news feed. Various interactive tools such as stickers, polls, and Instagram Story filters are used in Instagram Stories to make your content stand out. Here’s how you make Instagram Stories.
Ø In the app, click the plus icon at the top of the screen.
Ø At the bottom of the screen, choose STORY from the menu.
Ø Optional: If you want to switch to the selfie camera, tap the switch-camera icon on the bottom right.
Ø Tap the white circle at the bottom of the screen to take a picture,
OR
Press and hold the white circle to record video,
OR
Swipe up (or select the square camera roll icon on the left) to use pre-existing photos or videos.
Ø Select Stories option
Ø On the left of the screen, you can select a format to experiment with- Create, Boomerang, Layout, Multi-Capture, Level, or Hands-Free.
Here’s how you can use Instagram Stories to boost your engagement.
1. Poll Stickers
Poll stickers are a great option to get that engagement graph rise upwards. It is a simple tool, and sometimes simplicity is most effective. Using poll stickers, content creators share polls to ask their audience what they are looking for to buy a product or if they would be keen to watch a particular television show. These polls build a strong sense of community on Instagram.
2. Emoji Slider Stickers
Another simple engagement option for Stories is emoji slider stickers. Thanks to the sheer volume and variety on offer, these are immensely popular. You can use these stickers to get a quick sentiment reaction and also more creatively by bringing to the audience a sense of personal involvement. This makes them engage with the content in a better way and take notice of the product recommendations.
3. Questions Stickers
Questions stickers boost audience interactions effectively by collecting feedback on products to inviting questions for a Q&A session. Through questions stickers, you can expect timely responses from your followers.
4. Quiz Stickers
Quiz stickers fetch more clicks from your audience by conveying your brand story or your product launch information to your audience. You could share a quiz about the founder of your company or on the USP of your product.
5. Chat Stickers
The great feature of the Chat sticker enables as many as 32 participants to chat with the creator. You can select those you want to join your chat group and can keep a topic that resonates with your business goals. As you have created your own focus group, you can test out product ideas or marketing concepts with them.
6. Go “Live” on Instagram
Go live on Instagram if you are seeking an instant engagement boost. You can not only grab the attention of your audience by doing so but also encourage them to comment more and ask questions.
With over 300 million people on the Instagram Story juggernaut every day, it’s taken for granted that it’s a must-use in your social media marketing strategy to maximise your business goals. So, what’s your story?
FAQs
- Is Instagram good for business?
Instagram is a powerful marketing tool that’s good for your business. Instagram is a popular social media platform and to get the most out of it, use high-quality photos, respond to comments and use hashtags wisely. - How do businesses make good Instagram stories?
- Promote Timely News on Instagram Stories.
- Use Poll Stickers To Conduct Instagram Story Polls.
- Use Product Stickers To Promote Specific Products on Instagram Stories.
- Use Question Stickers To Hear From Your Audience.Offer Quizzes on Instagram Stories through Quiz Stickers.
3. What are the best Instagram Story Ideas for Business?
- Go Live.
- Drive Traffic to Your Website/Blog Post.
- Behind The Scenes/Sneak Peeks.
- Polls.
- Lists/Round-Ups.
- Highlight User Generated Content/Shout Outs.
- Highlight Local Happenings/Neighborhood Buzz.
- Vlog It Up.
4. Why are Instagram stories important for business?
Instagram Stories appear at the top of your audience's feed for 24 hours. So, you have the opportunity to post more often with little updates, thus enhancing your brand awareness.
5. What are the disadvantages of using Instagram for business?
- Limited Direct Messages.
- Pay to Play.
- Features Not Available to Everyone.
- Competition Can Gain Insight.
- You Can't Go Private.
6. How many Instagram stories should a business post per day?
Posting 2 feed posts per week and 2 Stories per day is ideal for building a following on the app. Note that businesses post 1.56 posts to their feed every day on an average.
7. Why is Sunday the worst day to post on Instagram?
Instagram users are inactive on Sunday and you won't be able to reach them properly, as they'll be asleep. Instagram experts have suggested that posts on Sundays and Mondays receive the least engagement, so avoid these days.
