26 April 2019
Instagram Stories, And How to Use Them For Business…
We hope you had an egg-celent Easter break! (Get your coats, the lot of you – Ed.) We sure did, and the Seek Social blog returns this week with more tips for those of you using Instagram for business. In this instalment, the Seek Social team will shine the spotlight on Instagram stories, and show you why we think they should definitely be part of your Instagram marketing strategy!
Instagram stories bring visibility…
An amazing 200 million people per day are active on Instagram. Even if your product interested literally only ‘one in a million’ people, there would still be 200 potential leads out there for you to meet on a daily basis. Make no mistake, that’s a MASSIVE audience which is just waiting to see your content. So, to really be successful when it comes to using Instagram for business you need to be tapping into that audience. You don’t always need to go chasing after those new leads though… Since stories on Instagram are discoverable, people who have not yet followed you will still see them. This makes Instagram stories a great way of meeting new fans purely by chance. Nevertheless, in Seek Social’s opinion you should also target specific audiences by using hashtags, just like on other social media platforms.
Instagram stories are an opportunity for growth…
You can tag people in your Instagram stories… That makes them a great way to build a rapport with your most loyal fans. On top of this, tagging them might earn you a tag back in one of their stories on Instagram. This isn’t just a nice thing to receive though. Seek Social know that when using Instagram for business it’s also a great opportunity to reach a whole new audience… The fans of your fans. And don’t forget that Instagram stories also give you the chance to include an outbound link, which is a simple and effective way of using your stories on Instagram to direct people to your homepage or webstore, and potentially increase brand awareness, interest, and sales.
Instagram stories are versatile…
This might shock you, but the Seek Social office does close sometimes, and the team takes some time off. We sleep too, on occasion. Social media is different though. Instagram never sleeps… it’s always on, and (almost) always available. That means there’s no ‘best time’ to post your stories on Instagram. Simply put, your fans will see your new content whenever they log in next. To make sure you always have something fresh for them, Seek Social recommend posting stories on Instagram 10-12 hours apart… That way, there’s a good chance of there being something new for your fans when they log in, but you’re not spamming them and becoming an annoyance. Another great thing to remember is that the content you use for Instagram stories might also make good Twitter or Facebook posts – especially when chopped into ‘bite-size’ chunks and used over the course of a week-long series, for example…
Instagram stories can make your fans feel special…
If you’re using Instagram for business, then Instagram stories can be a great way to take your fans behind the scenes at your company. Remember the section on teasers in last week’s Seek Social blog? Well, Instagram stories are ideal for giving sneak peeks and previews. You could show your fans more of who you and your team are as people too… So, show off your pets, your office itself, your hangouts and more! It all makes for a good story on Instagram, and gives the feel of taking your fans ‘behind the curtain and into the V.I.P. room’ at your business that you’re looking for!
Instagram Stories bring flexibility to your feed…
Do you keep seeing the same kind of posts from the same users, and want to freshen things up? Seek Social can help you solve that problem! Instagram stories let you mute a user without unfollowing them. In turn, that lets you take a break without upsetting a client or potential customer with a full-on unfollow. Looking at things from another angle though, Instagram stories also allow you to hide your own stories too. Particularly when using Instagram for business, you might not want certain users to see what you’re working on. Well, with stories on Instagram, you have the flexibility to keep competitors out of the loop while also bringing your customers closer!
So, that’s our general take on Instagram stories… However if you want some more personalised advice we’re more than happy to oblige! Just give us a call at 0161 761 1800, e-mail ‘hello@seeksocial.co.uk’, or come here to visit us in person!
