A short while ago, Instagram updated with a new feature “Stories”. If you don’t know what’s an Instagram or Snapchat Story is- it basically allows you to share a collection/slideshow of photos or videos that expires after 24 hours.
Instagram Stories might be copied but it has given brands a platform that plays a huge role in their digital marketing strategy. But other than gaining million of Instagram video views, video marketers have a unique opportunity to use this new feature to their full advantage.
READ: HOW TOP BRANDS ARE USING INSTAGRAM VIDEO IN THEIR MARKETING STRATEGY
Benefits of Instagram Stories to brands
One, brands have the ability to share content as a story rather than several individual posts. They can be doing the same thing for their followers that is, post multiple images and videos but in a different form. They can also spice up their content by using text and drawing tools. This gives your Instagram stories a creative streak and your brand’s unique style and character, and so their followers have something new and interesting to look forward to.
Users can also Like and Comment on an Instagram Story, so this takes the pressure off brands from chasing after likes and comments, or creating the ‘perfect’ Instagram post. Instead, video marketers on Instagram can focus solely on creating unique content in a casual setting to enhance their brand’s image. Two, ‘Stories’ has its own vibe on Instagram. When the people you follow post new things in their Instagram Stories, you can see a coloured ring around those accounts’ profile pictures in the top Story bar.
Two, ‘Stories’ has its own vibe on Instagram. When the people you follow post new things in their Stories, you can see a coloured ring around those accounts’ profile pictures in the top Story bar.
So by uploading photos and videos to a Story regularly brands will have a better chance of staying on followers’ feeds than those who choose to post only a photo or two a day.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJIEEwihLOs/?tagged=stories
Some key ways brands can start using Instagram Stories for marketing
1. Cover an event:
Stories might seem unimportant for Instagram at first. But if someone had a birthday party you don’t want to be bombarded with a hundred pictures right? So similarly, if Brand A’s team had attended a big event, and all of its team members were using its Instagram account, Brand A’s followers might get annoyed when you flood their feeds with unwanted posts, and hence, might unfollow you. So it is best if Brand A used one story for an event and the members can post to it.
2. Make Instagram Stories that your followers just can’t miss:
Take full advantage of Instagram’s new feature and figure out ways your brand can tell a story which your followers will love and make your Instagram Stories a part of their day that they just can’t miss.
National Geographic’s stories is a good example. Nat geo dominates social media and video marketing with their killer photography skills.
3. Show the highlights of your day:
Consider putting together highlights from the day if putting together a whole story isn’t your brand’s thing. Just like Brand A’s example, for this company, it would make sense if they use stories to post highlights of the big event it attended from the different viewpoints of its team members.
Making a highlight reel in the form of Instagram Stories fits perfectly for sports brands like NBA or Rio2016. They can post photos or videos of important moments, athlete interviews, and even game results on an Instagram Story to let their followers catch up on the day’s events. And some brands have already started doing it, like some newspaper brands showing a football match highlights.
4. Increase content reach:
If your brand is on Snapchat as well, make the best use of Instagram to increase the content’s reach. You can do this by downloading and saving your Snapchat stories to your phone and then upload the same stories on Instagram.
But like good social video marketers, know how your audience reacts to you posting the same content. Some might ignore it because most followers follow a brand through one platform. Most users don’t mind. But if you think your followers aren’t really feeling the idea of posting the same content twice, then just chuck this idea and get your focus back to providing unique content unique to all platforms.
READ: INSTAGRAM ADMITS IT COPIED SNAPCHAT’S STORIES + CONTROVERSY UPDATE
In the end, this Instagram’s stories new feature has created a great opportunity for brands and video marketers to give more exposure to their content. Stories are great to keep your followers updated with your caught in the moment photos and videos which don’t need a lot of makeup before going live. Also, they give brands a fresh way for brands to be creative and compelling on a platform rather than being solely focused on individual content posts. So they should start now because followers are waiting for what brands have to offer new on Instagram.
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