Did you know that Instagram Stories are used by 500 million users every single day?
Businesses on Instagram have gotten in on the trend, too. Over half of them create at least one story each month, and the marketing industry has taken notice.
If you’re here, you probably want to join the club and use Instagram marketing to get eyes on your killer content.
This guide will help you create Stories with engaging content and give you smart marketing tips for reaching your target audience.
Table of Contents
Decide on a Goal for Your Story
Are you trying to sell a product? Build brand awareness? Or maybe you just want your followers to know you’re listening and paying attention?
Whatever your goal is, it’s important to determine before starting. You will use this to stay on track throughout your Story.
For example, if your goal is sales, you’ll want to include plenty of relevant information about the product. Make sure viewers can ‘swipe up to buy the product at the end (this feature requires 10,000 followers).
If you want to give responses to customer or follower feedback, try including a question sticker or reference questions from DMs you’ve received.
If you’re trying to bring general attention to your brand, consider topical themes such as Halloween, Mental Health Awareness Month, New Year or anything that is relevant at the time of posting.
Outline Your Story
Just like any other story, Instagram Stories need a beginning, middle, and end. Getting this flow right will keep your followers clicking forward.
Consider the style you want to achieve. If you use filters or black and white for photos or videos, make sure everything matches aesthetically to your overall theme.
Decide if you’ll need to use text, graphics, pictures, videos, Gifs, or a combination to tell your story, and decide how you’ll arrange them to flow correctly.
Choose Your Content Wisely
Put in the effort to take interesting pictures and videos for your content. Ask yourself if it’s something you’d be interested in seeing from a viewer’s perspective.
Edit your pictures and videos carefully and only add text and graphics where necessary. Also, consider using editing apps outside of Instagram to give your Story a more unique feel.
Make sure to avoid basic and low-quality visuals. This is especially important for sales, and this article will tell you other marketing mistakes to avoid, such as bad captions and paid for followers.
Post Your Instagram Stories
To post an Instagram Story, simply press the plus icon or swipe right, then scroll down to ‘Story.’
Once there, you’ll be given the option to take pictures and videos in real-time or select images and videos (like the ones you’ve edited) from your device’s gallery.
After you’ve added photos and videos, you’ll be given the option to draw, add text, and add stickers to each slide in your Story.
When you’re ready to post, tap ‘Your Story’ in the bottom left corner. Remember, unless added to your profile as story highlights, these Stories will disappear after 24 hours.
You’re Ready To Tell a Story
Now that you know the basics of theming, outlining, creating, and posting Instagram Stories, it’s time for you to start posting engaging content that will keep your followers tapping for more.
Please check out our blog for more helpful articles on Instagram marketing and other social media tips and tricks!
