For many brands and digital marketers building an audience on social media is top priority, especially when it comes to Instagram. Brands know the importance of posting consistently and uploading high-quality images (and videos) to their feeds, when building a following on the photo-sharing platform.
But many are underutilizing Instagram’s stories feature – even if they are aware it’s a powerful tool when cultivating an Instagram audience.
“Over 300 million view Instagram Stories every day and one-third of the most viewed Stories come from businesses,” Olga Rabo writes in a recent blog post for Content Marketing Institute. “It’s no longer a question of whether you should use Stories in your Instagram strategy, but how you should do it.”
So… how can a brand use Instagram Stories to build up a strong following on the platform?Â
We’ve got six easy tips for brands looking to increase their audience with the help of Instagram Stories below!
Check them out and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Don’t Forget About Highlights
Use Highlights feature on the Instagram Profile to introduce your brand to potential followers. It’s a great space to tell your brand’s story (in addition to your bio and Instagram feed itself).
Think of Highlights as a movie trailer for your brand. It gives potential followers a small taste of what’s to come, if they choose to explore your feed and brand’s website.
Video Stories For The WinÂ
Marketing experts are constantly stressing the importance of creating high-quality video content, especially if you’re looking at building an audience on a platform. It’s one of the most powerful ways to capture a viewer’s attention.
Video is more effective than a written post or image, as a brand is able to tell their story by engaging with their audience’s visual and auditory senses.
And the same rules apply to video and Instagram Stories – the only issue is you need to cut your video down to 15 seconds for the story-sharing feature.
Download the free iOS app Storeo. It will allow you to upload a longer video and slice it into smaller parts, maintaining the flow and transitions as smoothly as possible.
The bottom line is if a brand is looking to make an impact and increase the amount of followers on Instagram, uploading video to their Stories is a smart move.
Insta Polls and Quizzes: Do Research While Growing A Following
Instagram polls and quizzes are a great way to interact with your followers, while learning more about what your audience likes when it comes to content.
“Use them strategically for audience research to create better content that resonates with your followers. Instead of asking something for the pure entertainment, find out what kind of content your audience wants to see on your account,” Rabo writes for Content Marketing Institute.Â
And the better you know your audience, the easier it is to create content that will appeal to them – which could lead to more followers in the long run.
Everyone Loves A QuestionnaireÂ
In the past few months, quizzes and questionnaires have becoming increasingly popular on Instagram Stories.
While influencers have been quick to jump on the bandwagon, many brands aren’t making the most of questionnaires. Sharing quizzes on your Stories is a fun way to entertain your followers, while giving something of value to your audience.
Quiz templates are relatively easy to create online, so there really is no excuse when incorporating them into your Instagram strategy. Consider creating a custom template and sharing it on your Insta Stories.
Encourage your audience to screenshot the questionnaire and to tag you when they repost it with their answers. Â
Don’t Forget About The Countdown Sticker
The countdown sticker is an excellent way to remind your audience of an important event related to your brand. Use it to promote sales, events or a time when you’re planning to go live on your Instagram.
If they opt in, your followers will receive a reminder when the countdown is up!
Get An Influencer To Takeover Your Instagram Stories
This is, by far, one of the best was to amass new followers with Instagram Stories.
“A Stories takeover – an influencer of choice takes over the brand account for, say, a day, to produce exclusive content – is a relatively new trend on Instagram,” Rabo writes.
“The incentive for the influencer’s followers is different. They’re not urged to follow the brand but encouraged by the influencer to see what he or she is doing on the brand’s account. The subtle promotion is more effective if you’re looking to increase reach and drive traffic from Instagram Stories to your site or special offer.”
Dish Out The Shoutouts
Support other brands within your market and you might be pleasantly surprised with the return.
“The widely unpopular Instagram algorithm made it tough for people to succeed and the users of Instagram united,” Rabo writes.
“Giving shoutouts on Stories to another user or urging your followers to follow somebody else might seem like suicide, but the truth is it builds relationships on social media – you give a shoutout to someone, hoping to get a shoutout back. Plus, it gives you free content for Stories — all it takes is a screenshot and a few words.”
Shoutouts help to build a sense of community, something that is key if a brand wants to grow their followers.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.