Instagram has grown a lot in these past years. With almost one billion active users, the photo-sharing app is now not just used for publishing vacation pictures but for ads and other marketing aspects. Instagram launched its Stories feature in 2016 and has been ruling the platform ever since. Stories are temporary posts lasting for only 24 hours. These do not appear on your news feed; hence users can post rapidly and excessively without spamming. With the launch of stories, the number of posts published has gradually declined.
Instagram stories have evolved over the years by introducing more engagement-focused features like polls, emoji slider, music option. These features are being used by all sorts of accounts to acquire more actions on their profile. So, if you are not publishing regularly on stories for your business account you might be missing out.
Jann Bungcaras on Adiittiis The Conscious Design Company
Poll Sticker
It is one of the easiest features where your followers can give an instant reaction. With one click, your audience can determine whether they agree/disagree, like/dislike a post. For example, many fashion accounts do a wear/tear poll. They post a few pictures and ask their viewers if they would wear that outfit or not. Through this, many people tend to stick to the end of the stories resulting in more engagement. As a business account, you can ask your viewers to choose the kind of posts they would prefer to see more on their feed.
Question Sticker
This is one of the most used features ever since its launch. Business accounts can use this feature to get feedback on their services or on the content they have been posting. They can also take up a few personal questions about the company to create a more emotional relationship with the audience. One can easily reply to these questions either by posting them on their stories or by sending Direct Messages.
Countdown Sticker
This tool is best for creating hype around an upcoming event or launch of a new product. For instance, B2B accounts can put up a countdown sticker before their new designer feature. This can create anticipation among the viewers and can give them an insight into the latest development of the company. The company can also encourage the users to switch on the reminder for the launch.
Mariyam Khatri for Silkwaves on Adiittiis The Conscious Design Company
Hashtags and Location Tags
The most effective way for organic reach on an Instagram account can be achieved by using hashtags or location tags. Create a staple hashtag for your company and use it under every post/story. Using popular hashtags can also drive a lot of relevant traffic towards your profile. Location tags enable people to search for activities near them. When they search for a particular location, your story will become visible to them. If you don't want your hashtags visible on your story, you can blend them in by reducing the font size and keeping the font and background colour the same.
In the end, you can assort these stories into highlights, which are then permanently visible on your profile. These highlights are the best option to extend the 24-hour time limit on Stories.
You can also upload a cover for these highlights to make them look more appealing and to give the viewer a clear idea about its content. Stories are one of the most versatile features on Instagram. With more than 500 million people posting stories, yours can stand out from the crowd by just following a few simple steps.
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