Instagram stories are here to stay and more people are using this marketing tool every day. But are you using it right or does it actually hurt your business?
Instagram stories are so important because they help you further build your brand and connect with your audience on a much much deeper level. Unlike regular Instagram pictures which are all pitch perfect, Instagram Stories are meant to show the real people behind businesses and help your audience understand what do you really stand for.
Now, don’t get me wrong, if you create pictures for your stories and they don’t look okay-ish, no one will come to watch your stories again. At the end of the day, this is still Instagram, the place of beauty, it’s just that no one will judge you for creating a short video story without makeup.
Instagram stories are great for sharing lots of content without spamming your audience. Say you have an upcoming webinar, you can’t post all sorts of tips & reminders all day long on Instagram without being blocked, but you can do that through stories. Share a video tip, a reminder about your webinar, share some benefits, add a picture of your dog, share some more benefits. You get the point.
The Key to Instagram Stories Success
The key to success when it comes to Instagram Stories is to find a way to merge your personal life with your business agenda. If you constantly bombard your followers with blog posts, freebies & your paid products, people will stop looking at your stories because they know what they’ll find.
On the other hand, if you only share personal stuff, you’re not growing your business and you’re actually procrastinating on Instagram. Remember, you are running a business and people need to know about it!
When you combine the two, personal and business, people will click on your story with a sense of wonder. They will be curious to see what are you up to, be it a webinar or a picture of your dog.
Do this if you want to share a longer video in the Stories section? (PRO tip)
It’s frustrating to only film 15 seconds (which is Instagram’s limit for Story videos) and stop because you’ve reached Instagram’s video limit and it’s even more frustrating to go on and on for a few minutes and realize that you’ve only recorded 15 seconds of content. I’ve been there.
The worst part is that you lose momentum and ideas.
My advice is to record the long video using your regular camera app and then cut the video into several 15 seconds parts. I’d still advise, though, to keep the video under three minutes. Too many parts and your followers will lose focus.
In the video below, you will learn the 5 types of content that I believe best engage followers. Along with this, you will also find a few Instagram Stories tips, tricks that will make you an expert. No more guess work!
And, to top it off, you will learn the app I am using to create awesome, clean & engaging pictures for Instagram, be it regular or Stories. Also, with every type of content, you will also see an EXAMPLE of it.
Extra tip: there are several ways in which you can share content on Instagram Stories, picture, boomerang (looping short video) and video. The same advice is valid here: don’t use just one, it can be annoying. Even if it’s video (and video is KING), people get bored really easy these days. Keep it fresh!
The 5 Types of Instagram Stories That Deliver Results Are:
- Quotes images
- Promote your blog posts & freebies
- Everyday activities & hobbies
- For the other two, you’ll have to watch the video.
Did you know…?!
- That you can share the same story on Facebook stories section in the app and in Messenger app?! You can automatically save the stories on your phone if you enable that from the Settings –> Story Settings –> Save Shared Photos.
- That once you reach 10k followers on Instagram, you can add links to your stories?! Which makes marketing so much easier.
- You can also share screenshots of testimonials or nice things people/clients/fans say about you. This is a great tactic used by Gary Vee (and many others) to build trust & influence.
But remember, the most important aspect of your Instagram marketing plan, be it stories or not, is to BE AUTHENTIC and I’ve got the right GUIDE for you.
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This is it from me.
Go give Stories a chance, even if you’re a Snapchat fan, I am really sure you’ll love them and they can really create results, but long-term. As with any branding strategy, there’s no overnight success here, it’s long-term commitment and vision.
– Mihai Herman[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Great advice. Stories should include a video ; a GIF ; include a Logo, brandname, hover it clearly visible. Segment it with some details such as Location, .. also add a personal touch – such as ‘ stresslevel ‘ , ‘ mood ‘ etc. If you use video editing software you can add more interesting features such as low opacity backgrounds etc.
Another feature now includes a poll , e.g. love my video ? Yes or No. Rest is left to your imagination. africasiaeuro
Very good points! I love the new poll feature – it’s so much fun and a great tool to further engage with your followers. Thanks for commenting 😀