Instagram stories for your company

Entertaining, zappy and full of variety: Those are the attributes of successful story content. It doesn’t matter that the “stories” disappear after 24 hours (unless you save them in your highlights). Due to their short life cycle, stories seem much more exclusive – which gives them a greater perceived value for the user. The many available features also open up new and exciting possibilities for creative content and for sparking interaction with the users. Doesn’t sound half bad, right? 

But that’s not all! About 50 percent of all companies use the story function at least once a month. What’s more, about a third of the most-viewed stories come directly from brands and companies. As you can see: Instagram stories are more than just a hype – they can be incredibly useful for your business. We’ve summarised a few benefits: 

• increased visibility: Sure, the Instagram feed has its merits too and affects your visibility. But stories let you expand your reach even more. Companies and brands that frequently post stories are listed closer to the top of people’s stories list. 
• generate interaction: The rule of thumb is simple: Creative and authentic content motivates people to interact! On Instagram, you’ve got a multitude of features to choose from. How about a survey, for instance? Or a customised GIF or sticker for your company? This makes it even easier for your viewers to keep your brand and your message in mind. 
• boost website traffic: Up until now, you were only able to generate traffic for your website via Instagram by spending money on ads. Links in the feed aren’t clickable and the link in the profile description doesn’t get clicked very often. On business accounts, however, stories can contain a link. Just “swipe up” and it takes you directly to the website that was linked! Mind you: The function can only be used if the account has 10,000 followers and up. 
• employer branding: Yes, you read that right – Instagram stories can be interesting for your employer branding measures as well. What matters is to always stay authentic. 

You’re convinced that it’s a good idea to boost your company’s visibility through Instagram stories? That’s great! We’ve got a few tips for you to keep in mind. 

1. Include users and employees:

People love to be part of something. The same holds true for social networks. And what would be a better option for that than IG stories? Whether it’s user-generated content, employee content or influencer collaborations – content that doesn’t come directly from the company seems even more trustworthy to users.  

2. Hashtags and location tags:

Did you know? With IG stories you can reach users that haven’t been followers of your Instagram page. How? Easy: by using hashtags and geotags! This doesn’t just work great for posts in the feed. 

3. Tell stories and plan them:

IG stories do what it says on the tin: They’re an amazing format for storytelling! But don’t forget about planning them! Even if Instagram stories are short-lived, you should still be deliberate about what you’re posting. An editorial schedule helps you with that. 

4. Use the archive function:

A cool way to show users more of your brand or company is the IG highlight function. It lets you save your stories to your profile. Our tip: Save (select!) highlights according to different categories such as products or insights! 

5. Video is king:

That’s true for stories too. But generally speaking: You should vary the formats you use (image, text, video, …)! That’s how your stories remain interesting and entertaining to your audience. 

You’re curious about how to come up with a great story (featuring a hero)? Find out in our blog post about corporate storytelling!