Gather around folks, it’s (insta) story time!

We all know and love Instagram. The ability it gives us to reach a large audience and meet our followers where they are is unprecedented, not to mention the flattering filters, and the opportunity to leverage those clever hashtags! #winning When running a business, you’ve most likely come to learn that those squares are about so much more than a perfectly posed picture – it’s about connection and community. But what about the circle in the top left corner? Have you been utilizing your stories to help your business grow?

According to MediaKix, of all the social media channels, nearly 90% of marketers say Instagram is the most strategically important social media channel for influencer marketing, with Instagram stories being in the top three most important types of content format. Stories are an extremely powerful tool that every business should be utilizing, and sometimes stories are more likely to be seen than a feed post! The best part is that they are incredibly user-friendly and you can create a story anywhere, at any time.

Here are our Top 10 best tips and tricks for capitalizing on this powerful social media tool:

1. Be Consistent

You don’t have to be on 24/7, but try to be active on your stories every week day, or at least every other day. Find what schedule works for you, and be consistent! Audiences like someone they can depend on to show up.

2. Engage Your Audience with Polls, Quizzes, Question Boxes, or Share Trivia

Polls, quizzes, question boxes, etc. are all great ways to get your audience to engage with your stories while also gathering helpful feedback that will help you craft content that is tailored specifically for your followers. These features help you to get to know your audience better while making them feel valued and heard. The people engaging on your stories, are your people, so show them some love to. These are the people who will likely buy from you and refer you to their friends.

3. Leverage User-Generated Content

Encouraging your followers to feature your products/services and tag you in their stories is an inexpensive and easy way to spread the word about your business while building trust with your target audience. You can offer an incentive to motivate them to feature you on their socials.

4. Use Videos!

Social media consumers are turning to video content now more than ever to get their information, and this is great news for you as a business owner since you have Instagram stories at your disposal. According to video production company Wyzowl, 88% of marketers report success from using Instagram videos. Check out this link here for some more statistics on video content. Your videos don’t always have to be about your product/service; they can just be you sharing some of your life.

5. Engage Influencers

Working with influencers by asking them to share your products on their stories can help you reach a larger audience with high engagement. Try working with an influencer whose brand fits into the scope of your business.

6. BE AUTHENTIC!

Using stories to promote your business might seem uncomfortable at first, but your content doesn’t have to be awkward and stuffy. People want to get to know the real you. You can build that know, like and trust factor with your followers by giving them a glimpse of your personal life.

Show them a behind-the-scenes look into your business; tell them the story behind your brand and how you got started to connect with your audiences on a deeper level. If you feel comfortable, share behind-the-scenes into your personal life as well. You don’t have to tell your deepest darkest secrets, just share who you are when you aren’t working. The more organic, the better! Your main objective is to build strong relationships, gain the trust of your followers with authenticity, and just have fun with it!

7. Add Hashtags to Stories

Hashtags are typically a huge way to help grow your business on Instagram, both on your stories AND posts. Before the election, hashtags actually led you to stories. However, I highly recommend adding branded hashtags to your stories. For example, if I use #bloomdigitalcreatives in my stories, it can lead to every post that has that hashtag. Check out this post where I highlight a few other ways to grow your business on Instagram. If used correctly, hashtags can increase your views and expand your reach. Remember, don’t stress about hashtags that relate to your business, but rather ones that relate to your ideal client.

8. Leverage Story Highlights

Story highlights are a fantastic way to keep your stories available past the 24-hour period, allowing your audience to watch them at their own convenience or refer to them again in the future. You can curate multiple categories of stories to help organize your content and keep it evergreen.

9. Tease New Products and Sell!

Teasing your products/services on your stories can encourage followers to reach out with DMs. This will give you a chance to build trust and connect with your audience one-on-one. If you reach over 10,000 followers, you can even add the Swipe Up feature on your stories that will allow your audience to easily follow a link you attach and increase your sale volume.

10. Promote Your Stories

Instagram allows Story ads, where it will insert your ad between stories of people that have a similar theme and format of your story. This could allow you to be discovered by new audiences.

When you implement these strategies, you will notice that your followers will start to interact with you more. This interaction inevitably leads to more sales. Showing up, being authentic, and doing the dang thing shows people who you truly are and what your business is all about. People will feel like they know you, and people buy from people who they know!

Now that you have some new tricks up your sleeve, we’d love to hear which tip you are most excited to try out in your Instagram stories!

Bloom Your Biz and contact us today!