x
Admin

6 Ways to Boost Business with Instagram Stories and Reels

Instagram is a great platform to market businesses and sell products to a wide range of customers. Beyond eye-catching product photos and static hashtags, Instagram has evolved to incorporate more engaging features like Stories and Reels. The idea of clickable videos and disappearing stories can seem alien, but the Town Square team is here to help guide you through these features and why they are important to your marketing plan.

 

Letโ€™s start with the basics!

 

callie-morgan-VM6iQeQB4DU-unsplash__1_.jpg

 

What are Instagram Stories and Reels? 

Stories are a more interactive snapshot into brandsโ€™ day-to-day and their products. They are photos and videos, visible via your profile picture, that last for 24 hours before disappearing. They can include tags to other profiles and locations and, most usefully, URLs that direct users to your product pages. 

 

Reels are 60-second curated clips that users can add to their profile feed. These videos are also shareable in Stories and on the scrollable Reels explore page, making profiles more visible by increasing the chances of discovery. You can freely edit these clips, meaning you can stitch together existing videos and re-publish the clips via your story to garner more traffic.

 

 

Does your business need Instagram?

Instagram can play a key role in your businessโ€™ online social presence, helping you connect with people who were previously out of reach. And if youโ€™re looking to target younger audiences, then Instagram is incredibly useful in increasing awareness and also learning about audience behaviours and the success and failures of competitor approaches.

 

Still unsure? Read more about getting started with Instagram for Business to get a better idea of the platform's capabilities. 



How to Create an Instagram Story

Head to your profile, or the top left corner of your feed, and click your profile picture. Or you can click the box with the โ€˜+โ€™ on the top banner and select โ€˜Storyโ€™.

 

Either choose an existing photo or video, or select the camera to take one live.

 

Once youโ€™ve done that, youโ€™ll have the option to add:

  • Filters and effects
  • Gifs and stickers
  • Profile and location tags
  • Link stickers to product and service pages
  • If you want to add a link, select the link sticker option and add the URL. You can also change the sticker text to optimise your link further.

 

Adding links to product pages on your stories is a great way to boost traffic to your site and convert those numbers into sales. Each of your linked Stories should act as an efficient product ad, helping you to bypass the โ€˜trickyโ€™ parts of conversion within the consumer journey โ€“ e.g. followers finding and navigating your site to become customers.

 

How to Create a Reel

Head to the box with the โ€˜+โ€™ on the top banner of the Instagram home screen and select โ€˜Reelโ€™.

 

Either choose an existing video (or multiple videos) or record a new one. You can also record multiple clips to stitch together for the same Reel.

 

From there, you can edit your video by:

  • Adding audio
  • Choosing after-effects, such as filters, text, and animations
  • Changing the alignment and speed of clips

 

You cannot add a clickable link to a Reel as you would a Story, but you can help users navigate to your profile, where you can add a link to your site in your bio.

 

You can get really creative with Reels as there are so many ways to change and edit your clips to flex your marketing muscles. Itโ€™s worth trying out a few different approaches and creating some test videos before you commit to posting.

 

How to use Instagram Stories and Reels to Promote Your Business

Now youโ€™ve got the basics down, itโ€™s time to figure out how you can use these tools to boost your brand and direct followers to your online store. Here are a few ideas that you could incorporate into your Instagram marketing strategy.

 

Host an Instagram takeover

A takeover is essentially a collaboration with another user who temporarily โ€˜takes overโ€™ your account with fun and engaging content. They would also share this content with their audience, which helps pique user interests and broaden your reach, grow recognition, and boost your online sales. By lending their influential voice to your brand, your business is marketed to their audience as one they can trust โ€“ and, importantly, one that is relevant to them as a consumer.

 

Create short online tutorials

Social media is a two-way street โ€” your customers shouldnโ€™t feel like they are simply being used for sales, especially on a platform like Instagram. Online tutorials are a great way of opening a dialogue with customers, providing them with useful knowledge they can take away from your interactions. For example, you could create a guide on how to use a specific product or even an on-trend tutorial. If you keep on-brand and stay sales-relevant, you can have fun with it.

 

Create โ€˜day in the lifeโ€™ content

โ€˜Day in the lifeโ€™ content is a great way to interact with customers and followers in a friendly and accessible way. This is your opportunity to offer a deep dive into the everyday goings-on of your company, which, as well as being a great creative venture, illustrates that you are a brand that values transparency.

 

Food for thought

Do your research to see how other companies structure similar content and find an approach that best suits your brand. Your social media platforms should be set up in a way that works for you and your customers, as well as being fun for anyone and everyone to engage with. This is why Instagram plays a key role in any modern brandโ€™s marketing strategy.

 

In addition to being effective marketing tools, Stories and Reels provide great opportunities to be creative and try something a little bit different when driving online revenue and engagement. So, why not give it a go on your business Instagram today?

 

Do you use Instagram Stories and Reels frequently to promote your business? Share tips and tricks with other sellers below!

 

Additional resources:

Tra
Community Manager, Square
Have a burning question to ask in our Question of the Week? Share it with us!
218 Views
Message 1 of 1
Report Inappropriate Content
0 REPLIES 0