FORGET ALGORITHMS: 5 Ultimate Instagram Stories Guide for Businesses

Ultimate Instagram Stories Guide
Daniel Nnamdi

So, you have tried everything possible to get engagements on your business page; read articles, tried hacks, even hired a Social media manager to work wonders with a snap but no results, so you fire him/her.

Well, you are not alone, we have all been there, so your pain isn’t known to you alone. This guide is all you’ll ever need to boost your business page engagements – ORGANICALLY.

In a fast-paced world where out of sight is out of mind, Instagram stories put you in the faces of your customers in a more relaxed way, offering a wider array of dimensions to interact, boost engagements, generate leads and ultimately… wait for it… SALES!!!

It’s obvious you can’t wait, so let’s dig in, shall we?…

 

HIGHLIGHTS

Source: It’s Lenka

Just like your web-copy, your Instagram page needs an “About” write up. Unfortunately, Instagram doesn’t allow so many words to describe your business to your customers – (we hate it too, but no one likes a bulky bio, so…)

Fortunately, the HIGHLIGHTS feature was released in 2017 and then we started to explore at once. For personal users, it might not be so much of a big deal. But for brands, it became easy to pin Stories to your bio, acting essentially as extensions of your bio. 

In simpler terms, as a business, you can use the highlights to communicate; Who you are, What you do, and even display your goods or service!

Create stories for the purpose of Highlights and watch your Instagram page become more captivating and organized. 

 

LOCATION TAGS

instagram location guide location tag
Source: Jumper Media

The common goal of many social media platforms is Building communities of shared interests. Knowing this, it’ss best to start adding location tags to your stories.

Wondering how it will build your engagements? They will be added to that location’s official story. That is, people that don’t follow you will be able to watch them.

Take for instance, your business is located or set to serve people around Lekki – Victoria Island axis, setting your location tag lets residents, visitors and potential customers see that you are around them. That way, it increases, not only engagements but furthermore converting them to leads. See the benefit? SUPERB!

 

HASHTAG STICKERS

Source: Bustle

Just as the location tag works, the Hashtag stickers work in the same pattern. Remember the common goal of social media platforms? YES; building communities of shared interests.

One-way shared interests can be viewed collectively, is through the use of hashtags. The introduction of hashtag stickers to #instastories was a game-changer just as the location tags. 

Like the pattern of location tags, your story will be added to a larger story compilation of stories using that hashtag. 

Having a heartache about the right Instagram Hashtags to use? Dive straight into our Instagram Hashtag Strategy Guide! (link to another article)

 

GO LIVE

Yes, you read that right. GO LIVE! The Live feature a wide array of opportunity to create a deeper connection with your audience. No one wants a brand that doesn’t communicate specifically to them, it’s a community, utilize it.

So, how do you endear your brand to your audience? Relax, there are many ways, and we’ll show you…

Like many top brands, you can hold Q&As, a BTS product packaging, Live-record industry events, host interviews, unveil a product snippet or even create a dynamic mix of these. Endless opportunities!!!

However, it is important to note that although Instagram, as an app itself, notifies your followers that you are Live so they can join in as early as possible so as not to miss out. It is best to prepare for it in advance and promote it on your other platforms so your followers can be expectant and not miss out on it.

 

NEW POST

Remember we said, “Forget Algorithms”? Well, due to the ever-changing Instagram algorithm, Instagram has gone beyond the chronological order of posts. It’s a number game now.

As a result, tons and tons of users have now devised a method to show their posts to their followers. This way, more users promote their new posts on Instagram Stories.

Also, if you are on the 10k mark of followers or above, you can add a link to your new Instagram post, blog post, or even your conversion page with a CTA  to “Swipe Up To like”, “Swipe Up To Read”.

 

Bonus Tips

Instagram Stories is a laid-back feature. It is important to note at the back of your mind the purpose of using Instagram Stories for your business and aligning it with your business goals. Having these in mind will further open you to diverse ways to approach and creatively create contents around it.

What other ways do you use Instagram Stories to drive engagements for your business? Kindly leave us a comment below, we’d be very glad to hear your approach.

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