As a small business owner, you can use Instagram to showcase your products and keep customers involved in “behind the scene” aspects of your business, just like Snapchat. The key is to know when your customers will be online and what type of live content will grab their attention!

Instagram Stories allows you to record live video or take photos with your smartphone and add them to a story that lasts for 24 hours.

Below are the steps on how you can create an Instagram story for your business.

• Download the latest version of the Instagram App: Once downloaded, you should be able to see the new feature at the top of your Instagram app, along with the latest stories from those you follow on Instagram.

• Configure your “Story Settings”: Next step is to configure your “Story Settings”. You will see “Story Settings” under the account settings after clicking on the wheel icon at the top right of your screen. You can select specific people to whom you want to hide your stories. You can also choose who can send you messages from your stories.
• Create your first Instagram Story: To start creating Instagram stories, tap on the circled + button at the top left of your Instagram screen. Tapping a circle lets you take a picture and touching & holding it lets you capture a 10 second video. You can also select a photo or video from your gallery by swiping down the screen. You can use the icons at the bottom of your screen from left to right to configure flash settings, taking a photo or video, or switching the camera from front to back. After taking a photo or recording video, you have the option of adding text or drawing on your photo or video using the options at the top right of the screen. At the bottom of the screen, you have the option to cancel and start over. When you are done you can delete your creation, save it to your phone, or share it to your story. All the videos or photos you share in your Instagram Story will last for 24 hours.

• Know who is viewing your Story: One cool feature about Instagram Stories is that it lets you see not only the amount of people who viewed your Story, but also who exactly saw it. When you open your Stories, at the bottom of the screen you can see the number of people that viewed each particular part of it. When you swipe up on that number, you will be able to see usernames of all those viewers.

• Review the messages from your Story: You can give people the option of sending you a message from your story. To check your messages, tap on the message box at the top right of your Instagram screen. Here you can see whether you have messages and message requests, almost similar to the filtered messages you have in your Facebook Messenger. Since social media is all about engaging with your audience, be sure to reply to your viewers’ comments on a regular basis.

Robb Digital Marketing is an expert at taking your business to the next level by using different social media platforms. Contact us today to know how we can make a difference to your small business.