Instagram stories are an increasingly popular way to tell a story to younger audiences. According to social media management tool Sprout Social, approximately 71 percent of U.S. businesses use Instagram. Over 1/3 of all Instagram users publish stories, according to MediaKix. Here are some things you should know about Instagram stories and using them for business.
What Types of Content Can I Publish?
The possibilities are endless when it comes to what you can publish on your Instagram stories. Even if you think you might have “boring” products to offer, you can still get creative with attracting attention to your stories. Here are a few ideas.
Highlight a New Product
This can be done with about four to five different posts added to your story. Have the first post introduce the product to customers. Then, use the next three stories to describe how that product could help someone, or you can get creative and have your staff try it out and get their opinions. The last post would feature a video or photo of the product with a link to your site. This can also work for a service you offer, and you can link to a lead-generating page.
Give an Inside Glimpse of Your Company
Instagram stories are a great way for your customers to get to know your business better. Consider letting one of your employees each week do an “Instagram takeover” and allow him or her to go through a typical day at work, and what he or she enjoys doing outside of work.
Create Polls
Want to create some User-Generated Content for your blog or other social channels? You can create polls to ask your audience for suggestions. Simply create a poll asking what they want to see next? This can be a great way to help determine what works best for your audience.
How Can You Measure the Success of Your Story?
While there are ways to measure your performance with Instagram, views are the only metric you’ll see on the app, along with the results of any polls you create. Iconosquare is the most widely used tool for measuring data from stories. You’ll be able to cover multiple Key Performance Indicators including impressions, completion, reach, and more.
Businesses need to have a business profile and use a Facebook Login in order to access the reporting features for stories.
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