Back in 2019, we posted this blog post about Instagram Stories. However, if there’s one thing we know about social media, it’s that social media is constantly evolving, and what was true in 2019 is not necessarily true in 2022. So we decided to update you on Instagram Stories, and why they can be helpful for your organization or business.
First off: what are Instagram stories?
Instagram stories are short video clips or images that appear as part of a user’s Instagram account for 24 hours. This limited time frame means that these stories usually display information about a current event or situation. Those who are on Instagram for personal use might use their stories to display a video of a night out, a photo of their friend to wish them a happy birthday, or a general update of their lives.
Instagram stories are unique because they disappear after 24 hours and can only be rewatched if the user has saved them to a “highlight” that is displayed on their profile underneath their basic profile information. Stories are also special because of the customization options that Instagram offers. A user can add a survey, a poll, text, and more to their stories, which add personalization to this short-lived update.
So, why are Instagram stories important for businesses/organizations?
While a lot of these features may seem more suited for personal Instagram usage, Instagram stories can be extremely beneficial for businesses and organizations who have Instagram profiles. Below are a few of the pros that stories offer to businesses or groups on Instagram.
- Instagram stories keep your Instagram account current
In this day and age of Instagram usage, multiple posts per day for an Instagram account can be considered spamming of the followers of that account. As a business or organization, you want to be present on social media, but not overbearing on your followers. Typically, your followers are going to be your customers, and if they become annoyed at your social media strategies, it could affect how they view your business and brand.
Instagram stories help to bridge this gap. Save your actual posts on Instagram for professional photos or important, lengthy updates, and use your stories to share customer reviews, short updates, and current images. Not only can you get away with posting a lot more on your stories, but a regularly updated Instagram story shows your followers that you are invested in them, and it demonstrates that your business is keeping up with the times.
- Instagram stories provide an easy way to get feedback.
Getting feedback is important for any business or organization. Knowing what your customers or members want is the first step in making successful changes. However, getting honest feedback isn’t always easy. Enter the features of an Instagram story. Instagram stories have several features that allow for easy questioning of viewers, including Polls and Questions. Polls allow for users to choose between several answers to a question, and Questions allow for more open-ended, written responses.
By selecting one of these options for an Instagram story, you can pose questions to your users and provide them with an easy, instant method of giving you feedback. This is a good time to request feedback on your products, poll your users on a favorite color or style, or ask what they might want to see next.
- You can save relevant information to your Instagram highlights.
Say you have a really great Instagram story that provides a lot of information. Or say you answer a question that a customer posed via your Instagram stories, and you think that your answer might help other customers. Instagram stories disappear after a day, but there is a way to make your stories stick on your Instagram profile for future users to reference.
‘Highlights’ are different categories that you can create on your Instagram profile. Good categories to have include Q&A (where you provide answers to questions), About Us (where you provide a short series of stories about your business or organization), Products/Services (where you show pictures, videos, and reviews of the products or services that you provide), and Events (where you show images or videos of events that your business or organization is a part of). These are all just ideas, and you can certainly have even more highlights if you’d like!
Once you have these categories created, you can assign an Instagram story to a highlight by viewing it and selecting the ‘Highlight’ button in the bottom right corner. Once you have a series of highlights built up, you can reference them when replying to customer questions, or direct users to a specific highlight category to help them see more about your business or organization! The major bonus here is that highlighted stories don’t disappear from your profile, so users should be able to keep viewing that story over and over.
The biggest update to Instagram stories since 2019? The addition of a Link button! Previously, only certain people could add links to websites in their stories, but now that feature is available to everyone! This allows you to direct customers to your website, blog, or any other media outside of Instagram via your stories.
Do you have any more questions about Instagram stories, or about Instagram in general? Feel free to leave your questions in the comments below!
Wreath Writing & Marketing Services 