In just a couple of years, Instagram Stories have become part of the lives of all types of users and brands, given the platform’s functionality.
And it is that Instagram stories have as their main attraction the ability to share with your community all those experiences you consider most relevant to your day-to-day, both personal and professional.
In addition, from a business perspective, it is a powerful feature that further accentuates the main feature of this social network: the visual aspect.
Today it has already become an essential marketing tool, belonging to Instagram and a true passport to success, which you should take advantage of with your own business.
But, in case you are still one of the few who still do not know what these “stories” are, I will begin by giving you a definition of this concept:
What are Instagram Stories?
The “Stories” or Instagram stories are audiovisual content of this platform that, unlike normal publications, are volatile, that is, they have a specific duration and, after that period, they disappear.
In this case, they can be viewed for 24 hours from their publication.
Its ease of use and importance make this tool an immense source of options for all users and brands with an Instagram account.
Its origin is due to Mark Zuckerberg himself, owner of Facebook (and, for a few years, of Instagram), who, by buying this company, wanted to compete with Snapchat.
The operation of this was very similar, hence the appearance of these stories or “Stories”.
What are Instagram Stories for?
Being able to share audiovisual content with a set expiration date is a handicap that, at least at first, sparked some controversy.
However, it has many advantages and utilities, which I will tell you about below:
Boost engagement with your community
If you are preparing an event or novelty, you can give your followers an “appetizer” to keep them tuned in.
In this way, when you reveal more details about it, they will be the first to see your “Story” and participate in it.
In addition, the simple act of sharing part of that surprise encourages participation and shows them that they are important to your company.
In the case of independent professionals, such as “Influencers”, it is widely used to gain more followers and get closer to the public potentially interested in their activities.
Generates a sense of need
When you decide to advertise or display a promotion for one of your business’s products, either by giving it away or leaving it at a ridiculous price for 24 hours, you are giving your users a sense of need.
This will, obviously, create a sense of attachment to the brand, especially if the product or service is tailored to both their personal and professional needs.
Humanize your Brand
The main purpose of Instagram Stories is to show, in a volatile way, some remarkable moments of the day-to-day of users or brands with a presence on the platform, thereby humanizing to a great extent.
This is because, unlike conventional publications on this social network, stories allow you to share content in a much more informal and fun way.
Precisely, it is designed for that, since over time they have been incorporating images in GIF format, funny phrases, and other accessories such as costumes and party accessories.
In this way, although with your company you dedicate yourself, for example, to managing a law firm (to cite a somewhat more classic and “serious” example), you can also show your most sympathetic side.
Taking into account that you already know what “stories” are in the field of this social platform, and the use that a company can give it, you should know its greatest advantages.
These are:
You will be able to impact your followers
The image of your stories is displayed vertically and occupies the entire screen, so if chosen well, the impact on the user viewing them will be quite large.
Add direct links
This is very interesting, especially if you have a website or a lead magnet for a blog, with which you will have direct access at the click of a button.
Also, if you have an online store and show your most relevant products, being able to link them directly to their respective product file is an advantage that the platform gives you.
Ability to promote Storytelling
As you well know, Storytelling is an effective technique for marketing your business, through which you can tell stories that make users “fall in love” with your Brand and its values.
Thus, these Instagram stories allow you, as I mentioned before, to share the day-to-day in the office or workplace, as well as to give prominence to your employees and invite them to share funny anecdotes that have recently occurred.
This will keep the user attentive to these updates, so you will create that necessary link between the company/potential client.
Creation of surveys that provide you with feedback
The possibility that the platform has given you a few months to carry out surveys and, therefore, receive feedback from your community on the questions you ask, is a point in favor of these Stories.
This functionality allows you to ask your potential customers what they are missing from your Brand or what you can do to improve your products or services.
Here, the “negative” ratings or opinions will provide you with ideas so that, with your company, you can carry out continuous improvement, which is necessary in any business, both online and offline.
5. It is a platform that is “in fashion.”
It is true that, just because something is fashionable, it does not have to be effective and, above all, profitable for a company or business.
However, if around 500 million users view Instagram Stories with commercial intent every day, this data is compelling evidence to consider using them in your social media strategy.
How to Publish a Story on Instagram step by step?
Once we know the basics of this visual social network’s functionality, we have to see how to create a story on our account.
To do this, we must follow these steps:
Enter your account or log in
To start, you must open your personal or corporate Instagram profile and log in with your username and password.
Access the Stories area
Once in your account, go to your profile and, at the bottom edge of your cover image, you will see a “+” sign; click it to access this section.
If this is the first time you enter this section of the platform, your smartphone may prompt you to allow the use of audio and video features.
At this point, the camera will turn on automatically, so if you choose to take a photo right now, you’ll need to adjust the flash options and other features like zoom.
Choose the functionality to use
Among all the features that allow you to use Instagram Stories, you must choose the one that best suits the content you want to share at all times.
” Some of them are:
- Normal photo and video: As the name suggests, you can upload a conventional image or video.
- Boomerang: You can upload a boomerang-like image, which, once processed, turns out to be a GIF-like image, which is often a lot of fun.
- Superzoom: Gives your story a more professional look, as well as fun, from a graphic point of view, since its multiple filters let you upload your photo or video with dramatic, cinematic backgrounds.
- Rewind: adds a video that plays in reverse. It can be quite funny once you play it.
- Direct: as with Facebook Live, you can also broadcast live a video of a special event related to your business or your employees.
- If you prefer, you can also upload a text message with an important message or an announcement relevant to your brand.
Illustrate your stories
Later, whether you’ve decided to share videos or images, you can accompany them with tags with your location, Instagram hashtags related to what you’re doing, and other GIFs and animated images.
Also, if you need to explain the meaning of your Story, you can add polls or questions so your audience can interact, as I explained before.
Obviously, if you prefer, you can also not “adorn” them too much (or not at all). Here, your creativity and goals come into play.
Send it to your community
The last step, once you have added all the elements you consider relevant to your “Instagram Story”, is to share it.
If you look in the lower-right corner, you’ll see a button with a white background labeled “Send to…”. From here, you must choose the ” Your story ” option and click on the blue ” Share ” button.
It is important to note that in this last step, if you decide not to share your story on Instagram with your entire community but only with one or more users, you can do so as well.
Just below the last option to share, you can choose the users you want to share with. That’s easy.
If you have an eCommerce store and want to show how your product is packaged before it’s sent, you can share a video with the customer in question only.
Conclusion
Given the enormous competition in the field of Social Media among companies, it is essential to be different (and show yourself as such).
Empathizing with the user is vital to earning their trust, while allowing them to identify their values with yours.
All this can be achieved by using “Instagram Stories” as a channel within this social network to interact with them and have them do so with our business account.
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