You may have heard rumours about the popularity of Instagram Stories, but you may be at a loss as to how you may effectively use this tool to promote your product.
Over 40 percent of the population learns better from pictures than they do from words. The visual nature of Instagram Stories makes it a powerful tool for connecting with your audience.
Instagram is used by 71%[1] of companies in the United States, and 80%[2] of users follow at least one business. Consequently, Instagram is, without a question, where companies need to be. The new Stories feature provides several advertising possibilities.
Let’s take a deeper look at what Instagram Stories are before we examine how they assist you sell your goods.
Insta-Stories: what exactly are they?
You can share photographs and videos on Instagram using the new Instagram Stories feature. After 24 hours, every post is deleted. The 2013 addition of Stories to Snapchat is a better analogue here.
Despite Instagram’s late entry, the company has become more popular than Snapchat.
Take a look at the accompanying graph to see how Snapchat’s 166 million DAUs have grown over time. Instagram Stories didn’t debut until the middle of 2016; within a year, it had amassed 250 million[2] DAUs.
You may publish several photographs and videos on Instagram that disappear after 24 hours using the new “Stories” feature. It’s a slideshow that fills the screen, and you may customise it with doodles and text. Public feedback is not an available option.
You can superzoom, rewind, play back in stop-motion, and even listen to music. Its stickers can have surveys, playlists, and geotags. Hashtags may also be used in this context.
Preview Your New Product
Have you considered releasing a new product?
A preview for your upcoming product launch may work wonderfully on Instagram Stories. Get people excited about your goods and keep their interest. Inspire them to tell their friends and family about the new product.
You may use Stories to get people excited about your upcoming webinar or event. Create memorable and interesting Stories by testing out different approaches and seeing what works best.
An Instagram Story advertisement from Madewell[3] is shown here as an example.
Although this was not designed to be a teaser, it does demonstrate how Stories advertising may be used to effectively promote a new product.
The Video Sharing Platform
Make fun, informal brand films. Unofficial since 15 seconds is less time than a TV commercial. Influencers can be useful in this situation. Casual video production is a skill that many influencers have mastered. They will assist you target responsive consumers by casually incorporating your brand or product into their daily routines.
Alternately, they might take over your brand’s Stories and produce content for you.
Start a 24-hour Sale
This element inherently generates FOMO because of its nature. Count on it. Use Instagram Stories to promote your everyday deals and sales. Use new incentives that customers won’t want to pass up.
The human psyche is such that if something seems too wonderful to pass up, the individual will take action. Your company’s revenue will increase as a direct result of this.
Celebrate a Day of Conversation
Schedule an open house for a specific day and use Instagram Stories to remind people throughout the day. Direct communication with clients and potential buyers is facilitated by this method. Find out what customers enjoy and don’t like about your product, and address any questions they might have.
For service and business-to-business organisations, this is crucial. This might make your company seem more approachable. Make the most of this chance to swap advice. Give them a complimentary ebook or how-to guide to read.
Let Them See How Things Really Work
The public has an insatiable need for secrets. Take advantage of this concept by using occasional reveals of a few secrets about your company to maintain their interest. Brand recognition will be increased both during and after the disclosure process[5].
If you run a bakery, for instance, you may invite customers into your kitchen. If you only broadcast a 15-second clip of your kitchen, it will be deleted at the end of the day, so you have nothing to worry about. On the contrary, you’ll be the centre of attention.
This is a great chance to show off your wares and give helpful tutorials with your audience.
Narrate a Tale
Instagram Stories, as its name implies, is a complete storytelling package. There are musical tracks, written words, visuals, moving pictures, and scribbles. There’s even a slideshow mode so you can compile your Stories into a continuous narrative.
The power of storytelling lies in its ability to implant a concept in the listener’s mind. The same hormone, oxytocin, that is released when we listen to a narrative is also linked to trust and closeness.
Tell engaging tales to imprint your brand in consumers’ thoughts. It might be the history of your company, the history of your product, the history of your connection with your customers, or any combination of these. It may even be a made-up narrative that explains your brand’s values.
Experiments in Real Life
This is your opportunity to try out different approaches to advertising while expending as little time and money as possible. If it’s successful, you may scale it up and try it on more channels with more money. If it doesn’t work, letting it disappear after 24 hours won’t do any damage to your company’s reputation.
You may run your A/B tests here. Don’t be afraid to try new things with your advertising messaging. Take advantage of this chance to let your brand’s freak flag fly.
Take Surveys
You may easily conduct polls with the help of Instagram’s interactive poll sticker in your Stories. In addition to capturing their attention, you may find out a lot about your audience this way. To increase participation, you might conduct a poll or survey the audience.