Creating an engaged audience is crucial to your business. One way of engaging an audience is through Instagram’s popular feature, Instagram Stories. Instagram Stories allow you and users to post photos, videos, and text to your account that are only shown for 24 hours after posting it. Every day, there are over four million people that use Instagram Stories. Out of those four million members, only one of five will develop into a lead by receiving a direct message.
Instagram Stories are perfect for creating engagement and brand awareness. Here are some ways you can use Instagram stories to build your audience:
- Â Â Â Â Â Take Advantage of Instagram Story Highlights
The highlight feature on Instagram can give your profile a more aesthetic look, reiterate information to your followers, give tips and tricks to provide value and allow you to have your stories available even after the twenty-four-hour period.
By having highlights of your Instagram Stories, it can allow your followers to return to what they were looking for and engage new followers on what kind of topics your profile can provide.
For example, a makeup company would have Instagram Highlights about makeup tutorials and product reviews.
This will give sneak peeks to a follower, and if interested he or she can follow. Then, your business would have gained another audience member.
- Â Ask Questions
By giving your audience a way to provide feedback, it will allow for a more interactive platform. Also, it will let you know what kind of audience you are building. You can do this by using the poll feature on Instagram Stories.
This gives you customer feedback and an understanding of how customers see your brand. It is one of the most effective ways to keep up to date with your audiences.
- Â Use Video in Your Stories
Instagram allows users to post recorded and live videos. By taking advantage of this feature, it will make your business stand out. Live videos can show your viewers what is happening at the moment. You can show a wide variety of events and company culture for live videos.
With recorded videos, you can make sure you are using it effectively for product launches, promotions, and anything that has to do with brand awareness. Videos can be creative and keep your customers involved with your brand.
- Â Add Hashtags and Location Stickers
Hashtags are also a feature of Instagram Stories. This gives you a way to get discovered by your audience. Hashtags are essential to making sure you are getting the viewers that you deserve.
Not only hashtags, but you can also add location stickers to your stories. This allows you to be involved in more geo-targeted searches. Also, you can tag others and yourself in the stories. All these features can build your audience.
- Â Use Influencers
By using influencers in your stories, or vice versa, it can create mutual followers to check out your Instagram. By being featured, it creates more awareness of your brand and you could gain more followers. This will create a dynamo effect by receiving these audiences.
- Â It will set you apart
By being consistent with your Instagram Stories, it will give a reason for people to keep following you, and receiving new followers. If you are a clothing company, you can share a sneak peek to a certain clothing item. If you’re a food brand, show a quick way to make one of your favorite meals.
By doing little things like this on your Instagram Stories, it will allow audiences to pick you over another social media platform that may be similar.
Instagram Stories are effective and growing each day. Every new update Instagram has only means more features with Instagram stories. They are easy and accessible to viewers. Each Instagram story can create brand awareness and engagement. This is a key component to building your audience.
Contact Robb Digital team today to learn more about how Instagram can help grow your business. We do social media marketing and social ads on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for our clients.