How difficult is it to integrate Instagram Stories into your company’s marketing?

In a world where we instinctually reject a lot of advertising (‘Skip Ad’ on YouTube) and even pay to not be marketed to (Spotify Premium), Instagram Stories provide a saving grace. Look no further.

It functions like a consumption conveyor belt: You get involved by clicking on an innocent picture of dinner taken by a friend. You don’t know where the last 20 minutes of your life went after scrolling through 30 people’s Instagram Stories, watching 5 ads, and swiping up to see links from influencers’ wardrobes.

We end up spending more time than we intended viewing Instagram Stories due to their addictive design. It’s easy to keep clicking through instead of exiting because we don’t know what’s next. Because Instagram Stories force users to watch content they didn’t even know they wanted to watch, it’s the ideal location for businesses.

1. Announcements: Instagram Stories are a great way to share company announcements like new products, new staff members, and general updates due to their instant nature.

Behind-the-scenes footage of the company that wouldn’t normally appear on your main profile is an excellent use of these moments. Your followers will have the impression that they are privy to the most recent information and will also get to know you and the company. To make your Instagram Story more engaging for your followers, you can add multiple photos.

These personal insights could involve anything from pranking a coworker or packaging a new product. They will help show the human side of your business, which will increase brand engagement and awareness!

2. Collaborations: Brands and influencers can work together effectively through Instagram Stories!

You can form a partnership with a relevant business or a customer who happens to be an influencer if you think your followers would benefit from getting to know them. I’ll give you an example: the start-up content curators Quuu are based entirely remotely. As a result, their Instagram account focuses on all aspects of coworking and remote work!

Hopper HQ was working remotely from Thailand in February, and we saw a great opportunity for collaboration. We prepared “A Day in the Life of a Remote Team” for their profile and posted a collection of video tips for staying productive while working remotely on our Story.

3. Polls: No more tedious customer surveys—now you can get your answers by tapping!

Engaging your followers through polls in your Instagram Stories is a winning strategy. You can use them for market research, getting feedback from customers, or just to have some fun and get to know your audience! With polls, you can come up with creative campaigns that are highly relevant to your brand or target audience! The possibilities are endless!

4. Contests: Do you have a great service or product to give away? By hosting a contest on your company’s Instagram Story, you can spread some excitement! The fact that there are only 24 hours to enter a competition on Stories is a positive aspect because it gives your followers a sense of urgency. Include rules for entering, such as “reply to this Story with your email address to enter,” and take a picture or video of the prize. After the competition is over, you can then gather all of the data and select a winner at random!

You can also promote a competition on your main profile by using Instagram Stories! A lot of your followers might not see a post about a giveaway because of the current algorithm. Use Stories to inform your followers and encourage them to enter! By using hashtags like #giveaway, #contest, and #competition, people who don’t follow you can find your Story, which will increase your reach!

5. Live: Businesses can use Live Instagram Live to increase engagement! Plan for it ahead of time so you can tell your devotees it will work out and advance it somewhere else. Your Live video’s chances of being featured in “Top live” on the Explore page increase with viewers and engagement, so it’s a good idea to get as many people as possible to watch it. Additionally, this will give you and your coworkers time to plan what you and your colleagues will say and do during the live stream!

There are a plethora of applications for Live that your company could use, so don’t hesitate to explore them! A lot of brands use Live to show off new products or features, record events, do interviews, answer questions from followers, or offer discounts for a limited time.

Instagram is trying to make live streaming the next big thing, so they let your followers know when you start a live stream. Additionally, live videos are prominently displayed at the top of the Stories bar! This means that when someone gets on the Story conveyor belt, your video will be the first thing they see.