How Instagram Stories Can Increase Brand Engagement

Instagram Stories have changed the way we use Instagram, turning the platform into something more than just an online photo album.

Your business can use Instagram Stories as a way to keep your most loyal followers engaged while also having your content open for new audiences to discover. Stories are quick and help engage with your viewership through an enjoyable mobile experience. As of 2015, mobile usage has surpassed desktop usage for shopping and browsing. It’s always important to implement your marketing strategy into apps or sites that are closely associated with mobile because of this increase.

Instagram Stories are fun to create and consume, but with lower stakes than a post meant to last forever, and make the whole experience less formal. Stores can humanize your brand with their casual manner, and with over 400 million daily users, there is plenty of traffic being exposed to your products and services. In this blog, we’ll share a few tips about Instagram Stories and how to properly integrate them into your marketing strategy.

Publish Stories in different formats

• Type: Text-based posts in a variety of styles with a colored background.
• Live: These are live streams where your audience can comment in real-time. You can post them as a Story afterward.
• Boomerang: Create 1-second looping videos.
• Focus: Take portraits that blur out the background and keep your subject’s face in focus. (Can only focus on human faces, not objects).
• Superzoom: Dramatically zooms in on your subject from a distance, using fun effects like “Beats” or “Surprise.”
• Rewind: Record a video that will play back in reverse.
• Hands-free: Record a video without having to hold down the record button.

Remember, you can also design “title cards” or other graphics in Canva, Keynote, and PowerPoint to upload as intros and add a “call to action” button within your Story.

Remember to use stickers

Using Instagram stickers and geotags in your Stories are also important for pushing your content out to non-followers. Just like a traditional Instagram post, adding hashtags or location stickers will help drive viewers to the page.

Create Highlights

Adding your past Stories to your “Highlights” is a good way to help viewers identify your brand and service. If a Story you posted showed positive engagement and feedback, you would want it to last longer than 24 hours (the typical Story length). If you add the Story to your Highlights, your audience can access them well past their expiration date. Plus, they show up at the top of your profile for easy viewing.

Plan ahead when possible

Just because Stories disappear after 24 hours, doesn’t mean they don’t require some thought and planning. Brands should think about their Instagram Story strategy as they would any other social media channel; ahead of time.

Your Stories should be planned into a consistent schedule. Thinking in advance about what kind of content you’ll be sharing will help you create a more hooking and consistent experience for your viewers. You can actually use Stories as a testing ground for ideas because Instagram Stories aren’t as exposed and long-lasting as regular posts. If your post receives positive feedback, you can consider re-posting in a regular Instagram post or another channel.

Instagram Stories provide easy accessibility to users, creative and fun engagements for your audience, and even help drive traffic to your website and products. If you are looking to learn more about Instagram Stories and what it can do for your business, contact the professionals at Kraus Marketing. We specialize in integrated digital marketing strategies that include responsive websites, comprehensive branding, social media marketing, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) & PPC (Pay Per Click).