Tag Archives: instagram stories for business

Best Examples of How Brands Use Instagram Stories (Infographic)

We are all aware of the impact that a right marketing strategy at the right time can have on the success of a business. Nowadays, companies decide to do most of their advertising on social media platforms. With such a huge number of people using them, it is no wonder why.

Two years ago, a feature called Instagram Stories was released by the social networking giant Instagram. Marketers quickly realized its advertising potential. And therefore started using it as a perfect way to bring brands closer to the customers.

Today, more than 33% of Instagram Stories are created by businesses. The fact that 20% of them result in direct interaction with the users is another reason why every company should consider using it.

Instagram Stories Examples

Let’s take a look at several clothing retailers. These brands serve as illustrative examples of how Instagram Stories can be used as a means of marketing.

Australian clothing retailer Country Road used Stories to promote Capsule. Reaching a larger audience and increasing its return from ad spending. The campaign led to 409,000 reach, 83,000 3-second video views, and 18 times return on ad spending for an average website purchase.
British online fashion retailer Asos used videos in its Stories to increase brand awareness and engagement in the USA and UK. This resulted in a 3-point increase in brand awareness and a 14-point increase in ad recall.
American fashion retailer Nordstrom Rack uses professional photos in its Stories to show shoppers how the clothes look in action.
We have another American clothing and accessories retailer on the list. Gap is tapping into Carousel Ads for Instagram Stories to incorporate native elements, such as pinning and drawing tools, and use the additional space to highlight more of its campaign.

Take a look at the infographic below. See many examples of how brands from other industries use Instagram Stories to advertise their products and services.

Thanks to our friends at 99Firms.com for this great infographic.

Create Your Own Fairytale Ending on Instagram [Infographic]

Instagram – home to over a billion eager minds, ravenous for new content. It’s a great marketing base for your business if you approach it properly. Unfortunately, the secret is out, though. Every marketer worth their salt, and some who are not is busy establishing a presence on the platform.

Which means that while there are a lot of users that you might be able to reach, there are also a lot of others on the site trying to get their attention as well. According to top digital marketers, if you want to stand out, you need to get really creative.

Instagram Stories

And that’s where Instagram Stories can come in extremely handy. Initially developed as a fun way for users to put out content, this feature has morphed into a powerful brand-building and sales tool. It’s ideal because it’s versatile, easy to use and, best of all, each Story gets taken down after a day.

All of which makes it the perfect tool when you want to try out different approaches and see which ones work best with your target audience. And when you do happen upon that killer campaign, you can save it under your page highlights so that it doesn’t get dropped off your page as normal.

What kinds of videos can you post? The sky is the limit. Just check out the infographic below, crafted by 99 FIrms, and you will see that there are many different ways to approach this. And these are only a small portion of the case studies that exist. Which of these would work for your business?

How do you know what the right approach is?

That’s where it becomes imperative to know your target audience as well as possible. The better you understand who you are selling to, the easier it will be to create a campaign that will work for them.

Above all else, make sure that it adds value to those watching it. When deciding what you will add, think about what the audience will get out of it first and foremost. If you can get this aspect right, you’ll easily build a legion of loyal fans.

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Instagram for business, instagram stories for business, social media marketing infographicSeptember 21, 2018

How to Use Instagram Stories to Drive Web Leads

A fun and innovative way to drive traffic to your website is Instagram Stories. First introduced in 2016, what makes Instagram Stories unique is that the videos and pictures disappear after 24 hours.

Appearing at the very top of an Instagram account stories are highlighted to drive viewership. Unlike the majority of internet content, these posts aren’t meant to last forever and make a unique marketing tool.

Why Use Instagram Stories To Generate Leads?

Many companies already use Instagram as part of their larger online marketing strategy. With some companies posting over a dozen stories per month it’s clear that many marketing professionals see the value in Instagram stories. Here are three reasons why.

Versatility
Unlike some other image sharing platforms, Instagram has a lot of options. Users can add stickers, draw on their pictures, add text, and add links. Be sure to add links as that can drive users directly to a website.
A Good Hook
Lead conversion requires reader interest. Instagram Stories draw high interest due to their visual content and temporary nature. People like reading them and don’t just close the post and go on to something else.
A Growing Platform
A higher visitor count is a good thing. Instagram is a fast-growing platform with a lot of visitors. Snapchat has seen a decrease in its daily users while Instagram continues to grow. A key part of any good marketing campaign is going where the viewers are.

Lead Generation

Instagram is a versatile platform with a lot of different ways to drive leads, pull in viewers, and generate interest. Here are some of the most useful methods.

Direct Links

While a simple concept, direct links are one of the most important parts of online marketing. If you want customers to find you they have to know where to go once you have their attention.

Now on Instagram, there are a few rules to adding links; you need a business account and at least 10,000 followers. Once a company account meets these requirements it’s all a matter of placing an easy to see call to action to tell customers to swipe up to activate the link.

Also, always make sure the photos tie into the linked webpage’s imagery and content. This consistency helps drive your leads by building around a common idea or theme.

Instagram Stories Highlights

Are a permanent collection of your best stories. These are prominently displayed and easy for visitors to find. Consider grouping your most recent posts, seasonal groupings, promotions, discounts, or those moments telling visitors what you’re all about. Some images and moments are too good not to remember and share with others.

Influencers

An influencer is someone with a large audience that is responsive to their posts. It doesn’t matter why their famous just that they are and in turn, they have a large audience that listens to what they say.

By having your posts shared by an influencer whose audience matches your target market a lot of leads can be generated. Consider a paid partnership as Instagram recently added this option.

Instagram Ads

Like many other platforms, Instagram has ad space for sale. Introduced in March 2017 these ads can drive traffic, views, installation of mobile apps, and increase conversions.

Ads can serve as direct website links adding another lead driver. Creativity is key as customers judge ads sternly and convincing them to click the ad link is the most important part.

Getting Started

These tips should be implemented into your Instagram marketing approach if possible. Remember you don’t have to start all at once and building a successful marketing approach takes time.

You’ll see positive results and more leads but don’t be afraid to take a measured step by step approach. Careful planning will pay off in the long term.

instagram marketing, instagram stories for business, social media marketingMay 29, 2018

A Guide to Instagram Stories [Infographic]

Instagram Stories is a quick and easy way to share content. Unlike the classic Instagram grid for which you have to consider what to curate and how to sustain a theme, Stories allow you to be more spontaneous. This infographic is a nice guide to Instagram Stories for business.

Given that, here’s how you can use Stories to your advantage:

Be prepared

You can upload photos or videos that are 24 hours old at most. Because of this constraint, make a plan of the story you want to tell, especially if it will stretch across several days.

Catch viewers

Weekdays from 7-9 pm are the best times to post because it’s when user engagement levels are highest. Avoid the afternoon hump; people are either too busy or sleepy to check Instagram around that time.

Engage immediately

People leave uninteresting stories after only four seconds, so make those seconds count. Deliver your pitch or hook right from the start to sustain people’s attention spans.

Shoot vertically

Only 6% of smartphone users hold their devices horizontally. The remaining 94% go for vertical. Thus, your Stories should be best viewed vertically.

Use geotags

To catch local audiences, add a geotagged location to your Stories. This simple move can increase engagement by a whopping 79%.

These are just five things you can do to make the most out of Instagram Stories. Another tool to consider is the ig stories downloader to quickly download your Stories.

Thanks to the folks at Headwaycapital.com for this helpful infographic.

instagram stories for business, instagram stories infographic, marketing with instagram for business, social media marketingFebruary 2, 2018