Earlier this month Instagram released a game changing new feature called ‘Instagram Stories’. Not only will this new feature change the way people and businesses use Instagram, but it is also a huge hit to Snapchat. The new feature has already been compared to Snapchat and it’s already a very popular feature. In this article, I will be discussing how this new Instagram feature could dramatically increase social presence for your business and how customer relationships could be taken to the next level.
Let’s get started with what this new Instagram feature is…
Instagram Stories – What is it?
Instagram Stories is a new feature which allows users to set a story which only shows for 24 hours. This story stays at the top of a user’s Instagram feed for 24 hours and can be a mixture of both images and videos. Once the 24 hours is up the story will be removed. This feature has already become very popular with users, businesses and celebrities and looks set to take Instagram to a new height! Users will be able to see stories from accounts they follow so this can include friends, celebrities and businesses. This feature has already been hailed for its simplicity. If your business already has an Instagram profile, you will be able to use this new feature now. If it’s the case you haven’t got a profile for your business, you need to set one up. If you’re unsure how Instagram can be beneficial to your business read this great article - Why Should Instagram Be Used In Your Marketing Strategy?
Does this rival Snapchat?
The new Instagram feature has been labelled ‘the new Snapchat’ and it’s easy to see why. Instagram have took the very popular idea from Snapchat and turned it into something brilliant. A great benefit of Snapchat for businesses is that it builds a great relationship with customers. Snapchat allows customers a chance to see behind the scenes of a business. Back in April I posted an article called ‘How To Use Snapchat For Business Marketing... Is It Even Possible?’, and in this article I discussed why businesses seriously need to be thinking about using Snapchat in their marketing. 4 months later Instagram have released this new feature, which again means businesses need to rethink their social media marketing. There is no doubt about it that Instagram have seen the success of Snapchat and thought to themselves that they could also benefit from a similar feature.
How your business can use Instagram Stories
We’ve previously posted articles about how your business can use Instagram to help get your brand noticed. We’ve also previously posted articles about how Snapchat can help build customer relationships. With this new Instagram feature it completely brings the two together, you can help get your brand known whilst greatly improving customer relationships.
Let’s look how Instagram Stories could help your business:
Target followers – If you already have a following on Instagram, you can target these users to spend more on your website. Let’s say that you have a new offer that you want to promote on your website. Before, you would have posted an image or video stating what this offer is. This would show on all your followers feed and they would be able to follow the post back to your website. Now, with Instagram Stories, you can add the offer to your Instagram Story. Now your offer will be at the very top of all your followers feed. Your followers are much more likely to watch your story then scroll and search for your post. This will give instant exposure for your business and website.
Build better relationships – As I’ve stated before in other articles, the better relationships you can build with your customers the more likely they are to be returning customers. You may have already posted images and videos of your team or business behind the scenes, and I bet this worked great for you. Again, similar to the above point, if you now add images and videos to your Instagram Story users will be much more likely to see these. This means relationships are much more likely to be built and improved with customers.
Promote your brand – Building and promoting your brand is one of the most important tasks you can do for your business. The more people who hear about your brand, the more people will visit your website and potentially spend their money with your business. With this new feature you can promote your brand to your followers. Say you are attending an award show, this will show to your followers that you’re a successful business.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re using Instagram or not for your business, you seriously need to start reviewing and thinking about whether it would be beneficial or not. The potential audience for your profile on Instagram could be massive and followers could soon turn into customers. You always need to be testing and trying new strategies for your marketing and Instagram could be a hidden gem. If you have any questions about the new feature or about how it could fit into your marketing, contact us today!
