Why use Instagram Stories for your business in 2019?

Nowadays, almost everyone is hooked on to Instagram, the social media giant that tempts people to visit it every hour or even every 15 minutes! In fact, Insta - as the platform is called affectionately, has become so integral in the lives of millennials that if you peep into one’s phone (you shouldn’t though), you are almost sure to find them tirelessly scrolling and tapping through the app.

In August 2016, Instagram launched the ‘Stories’ feature, which created a buzz in the consumer base about a rumour that Instagram has completely replicated Snapchat’s iconic feature as it is. But sooner or later, it was realised that it’s not a carbon copy but a much better version of it.

Instagram Stories is speedily becoming one of the most effective marketing channels for businesses. So, here are some reasons why using Instagram Stories for your business in 2019 can turn out to be the ultimate game changer!

Increase Business Visibility: Say it with Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are an interesting and creative way to captivate the audience and improve engagement with them. So, in order to boost your presence on Instagram, you should definitely make use of Instagram Stories for your business.

This feature is quite strategically placed at the top bar to be the first thing you see when you open the app. Similarly, ‘Suggested Stories’ is the first thing that you’ll notice on the Explore page. This results in people discovering new, fresh and creative content easily. Hence, the use of Stories is sure to increase the number of people seeing your content even if they are not following your account. If your story somehow gets featured on the Explore page (based on Instagram’s cryptic algorithm), it can hike your views and followers in an instant!

Insta Days Ahead! The Number says it all.

There are nearly 1 billion monthly active users on Instagram (as per 2018) which puts it just behind Facebook (1.4 billion). But, in this digital race, Instagram is way ahead of other platforms like Twitter (68 million) and Snapchat (187 million). Snapchat saw its growth slowed down by 82% after Instagram introduced its version of Stories.

With nearly 500 million daily active users, 80% of them watch Stories along with the Instagram Feed, so it’s advisable to post both on a regular basis for keeping your followers updated as well as engaged. According to Instagram, 1 in 3 of the most viewed Stories are from businesses, so that gives you a major reason for seizing this opportunity. Now, let’s unravel the ways to use Instagram Stories, most effectively for your business in 2019.

How to use Instagram Stories for your business for acquiring best results:

Instagram Stories gives you an excellent opportunity to showcase your creative side and attract more customers/traffic to your page. Using this feature is immensely easy as it takes barely a minute to upload your content. Apart from hashtags, mentions and location tags, it is the content of Stories that matters the most. Here are some tips and tricks:

1. Launch a new feature or a product by posting launch dates and interesting information about it, to excite the customers beforehand.
2. Follow the ‘Less is More’ mantra for posting your content in the form of mini-articles or blogs to make your Instagram Stories captivating and not an overload of information.
3. Increase the use of hashtags and location stickers to increase discoverability/ visibility.
4. Survey your target audience and collect feedback through interactive poll stickers and emoji sliders to make them feel that their opinions and wants, likes and dislikes are your priorities. It will also help you to plan ahead or simply entertain them with fun questions/quizzes to generate more engagement.
5. Make optimal use of funky features/modes of Instagram Stories like Live, Boomerang, Hands-Free, Superzoom, Rewind, etc. for making your Stories stand out from others.
6. Highlight those Instagram Stories on your page that have performed well or are crucial landmarks in the journey of your business. Highlighting will allow your stories to be retained on your profile even after the 24-hour window.

With new features rolling out every few weeks, Instagram has become more exciting as ever! It goes without saying, it’s crucial for businesses to keep up with the rapid pace to reach their (digital) marketing goals in 2019.