Instagram Stories have become a very successful enterprise on its own. How so? It is hard to imagine 300 million people looking at short, ephemeral pieces of content every day. However, that is precisely what is happening with Instagram Stories, and learn hoe you can use it to promote your business.
Instagram Stories Promoting Business
How can one use this statistic to promote their business? Here are some examples of successful businesses using innovation and creative thinking to get some of that action.
Country Road is a well-known brand for good quality clothing and accessories. How did they use Instagram Stories to promote a new business area?
They created “Capsule,” a limited edition of clothing styles on offer that will never be up again. Capsule’s styles are unique, emphasizing design, fabrications, and silhouettes. The capsule was under promotion using Instagram Stories and was a great success with a 409 thousand audience reach and 83 thousand views of 3-second videos, resulting in an 18-times return on advertising spend.
Conor McGregor, the famous UFC champion, was used in an Instagram-Stories promotion for his teeth! A teeth whitening company HiSmile put a campaign together to reach younger men. It worked very well just by using his smile. The campaign reached 14 million young men aged between 18 to 24. HiSmile saw a 90% increase in male customers and 5 times return on advertising spending.
Best Practices Using Instagram Stories to Promote Your Business
People are very attracted to these cleverly put-together Instagram Stories. They are easily discoverable through hashtags, even if a user is not following that particular Instagram account.
An Instagram Story only lasts 24 hours for the season, which means there is no “best time” to start your campaign. However, there are no limits to how often you can create Instagram Stories. You can promote several different campaigns simultaneously so they overlap each other.
With Instagram Stories, users can “swipe up” if they want to know more and follow a link. This allows the user to engage directly with the brand’s website. If users are aware of your brand because of Instagram Stories but are unsure whether your brand has a local shop, a geotagged location can help the user find out the location of your shop.
Use the Countdown Function
The countdown feature is a great way to add a sense of urgency to your Instagram stories. If you’re about to launch a new product or have a big sale, you can add a countdown timer to your story to promote the event. This will help create excitement around the event and can increase your overall conversion rate.
If you have a limited supply of certain products on hand, you can also use stories to let your customers know about the shortage. Let your customers know when popular items are about to sell out and when you need new stock.
Add Hashtags to Promote Your Business Using Instagram Stories
Stories are a great way to build relationships with your current followers, but you also want to reach new ones. The best way to do this is by adding stickers to your stories.
Do your research to find out which hashtags your target audience uses most often. How to make sure you show up to the right people.
Use Product Stickers
Product Stickers are one of the shopping features of Instagram Stories, and you don’t need to be a verified account or have more than 10,000 followers to use it. This is an excellent way for small businesses to drive sales directly from their stories.
Once you’re set up and approved to use Shopping, you can add product tags to any story. When customers click on the tab, they will be taken to a new page with information about that product. You can also view similar products and click the links to purchase them on your website.
However, before using product stickers, you must meet the following requirements:
- Have an Instagram business account.
- It would help if you were located in an eligible country.
- Connect your profile to the Facebook directory.
- Sell physical goods that comply with Instagram’s business policies.
Cooperation
Instagram Stories offers an excellent way for brands and influencers to collaborate! You could partner with relevant companies that you think your followers could benefit from or with clients who happen to be influential. I’ll give you an example…
Content Curator Quuu is a startup working on a fully remote working team, so their Instagram account is dedicated to all aspects of remote work and collaboration!
In February, Hopper HQ relocated from Thailand, and we saw a great collaboration opportunity. We prepared “A Day in the Life of a Remote Team” to appear on her profile, and her team put together a series of video tips on how to stay productive while working remotely, which we’ll share in our Stories.
This has brought new notoriety to both companies, and their productions are generally a lot of fun! Likewise, we could have posted a Q&A interview with Quuu or shouted/pitched each other.
Just a warning, some of these collaborations may get paid, especially if they involve influencers! Still, there are many different ways you can collaborate through Instagram Stories. So think about how it could benefit your business.
Infographic: What Areas can Instagram Stories help your Business?
