Following the huge success of Snapchat, Instagram released a new update back in August 2016, ‘Instagram stories’ – one of their biggest yet. Instagram stories is used to share moments of your day to your audience through images and videos which disappear after 24 hours. With the standard Instagram posts being reserved for perfectly posed images with strategic hashtags, the ‘stories’ feature is the solution for overposting and lets you share the simpler moments in your brand’s day.
Instagram stories appear in a slideshow format allowing you to get creative with filters, locations, symbols and free hand drawing tools to further allow your brand to express it’s personality, show ‘behind-the-scenes’ content and build engagement.
To Start:
Tap the camera icon in the top left corner of your Instagram app or swipe left in your news feed. Tap the circle icon at the bottom centre to take a photo or record a video. If you wish to add a photo you have previously taken, swipe up – images from your camera roll will appear from the past 24 hours.
Edit with filters and drawings:
Add text or drawings using one of the icons at the top of the screen and swipe left or right to add a filter. You can add emojis or your location, time or temperature by tapping the smiley face icon. To remove these add-ons, drag them down to the bottom of the screen where a trash can icon will appear.
Add to story:
Once you’re done, hit the plus ‘Your Story’ icon to share it to your story which will be visible from the top of your follower’s feed and also on your profile if you tap your profile picture. You can also save your story to your camera roll by tapping the three dots and selecting save photo.
Analytics:
To monitor who is viewing your story, simply swipe upwards on your image or video. You can also adjust your story settings via the three dot symbol and select ‘Story Settings’.
If you have a large group of captivated followers, try out this new feature as it is easier for your content to be discovered, rather than having to build up another following on a different platform such as YouTube or Snapchat for video content.
We hope this advice will help you stay on top of your social media marketing and inspires you to get more creative with your content to further promote your brand on Instagram. If you need some advice on social media marketing or assistance with management, give our team of experienced social media marketers at Clarity Marketing a call on 1300 060 204 or submit an online enquiry.