What is it?
Instagram Stories are ephemeral content that you publish on your profile. These are pictures or videos that stay on this social media for only 24 hours. Videos can last up to 15 seconds. They are then displayed on your profile, as well as on the application home page. For some time now, Instagram highlights its users' stories by displaying them on top of the home page. Therefore, if you publish some it should give your business a lot of visibility!
How to publish them?
You only need to go on Instagram’s home page and to click on the camera icon located top left if you want to publish a story. You will then be on a page where you can capture a photo or a video, as well as choosing another media on your phone. You will be able to change the kind of story that you wish to capture if you drag your finger from left to right (normal, boomerang, superzoom, etc.) Each category will give you a different result. Do not hesitate to try these different stories options. Once you have the right picture, you can add a filter by dragging your finger to the left. You can also add stickers, GIFs or even text. Finally, you only need to publish your story.
How can I use Instagram Stories for my business?
To use effectively the Instagram Stories, you must first understand that stories and regular publications are two different things. You should avoid publishing the same content. Since stories only last 24 hours, you can allow yourself to publish more spontaneous and less polished content. Take the opportunity to publish “behind the scenes” content of your business, to introduce your employees or to publish more entertaining content. You can also use it to share your promotions!
Stories are also a formidable way to connect with your customers. Use question functionalities or surveys to seek for your subscribers’ opinion and connect with them. You can also share your users’ content in a story. More precisely, invite them to share pictures or videos of your product or your place and ask them to use a specific hashtag so you can find these easily. Then, click on the post you want to share and click on the share icon that is located below the picture. You will consequently have the possibility to share the picture directly in a story. If you use your community’s content, you spare yourself of making new content, as well as involving your subscribers. You then kill two birds with one stone!
Analyze the feedback
Once your content is published, Instagram can give you statistics regarding the visibility your story had, as well as the engagement. If you want to see these statistics, you must click on your story and then swipe up. You will consequently have access to all info regarding views, interactions, as well as your users’ taken actions following their viewing. It is important to take a look from time to time to see what kind of content works the better and how your subscribers react to your stories.
Voilà! Now you need to test this wonderful Instagram functionality. Keep in mind to stay spontaneous; stories must be fun! Enjoy playing with all the application’s possibilities and do not over analyze your results. Your stories are only available for 24 hours anyway.
