9 Ways Brands Can Successfully Use Social Media Stories

Article by Elaine

 

The popularity of social media Stories is on the rise and they’re starting to take over news feeds. They offer a more casual approach to social media and allow users to share their everyday activities without much thinking and planning. And while this might seem more relaxed than crafting a perfect, always-on-theme feed,  at the same time, it creates a sense of urgency and triggers FOMO.

The fact that people are naturally curious and want to know how others live their lives, combined with the short lifespan of Stories, makes people completely addicted to this temporary form of content.

 

But they’re not reserved only for personal social media accounts. Let’s take a look at some of the ways brands can use this feature to create a strong social media presence.

 

Humanize your Brand

While brands use their Instagram feed to present a perfect, carefully curated image, stories allow a more casual approach. Social media stories are a perfect place for showing the human side of your brand and presenting a less edited version that your followers will find more relatable.

 

Use vocabulary that is warm and inviting to appear more friendly and welcoming. It’s all about making your followers think that the people behind your social media accounts are regular people, just like them. However, don’t forget to show off some character as well and don’t be afraid to be quirky.

 

Behind the Scenes

One of the best ways to humanize your brand is by showing behind the scenes. As mentioned before, raw and unfiltered images and videos of your brand can make it seem more personable and approachable.

 

Use your social media stories to reveal the real faces of the team members behind your brand and showcase their day-to-day projects and activities. You can also use stories to tease new products and give your followers a sneak peek into the creation process.

Use Instagram Polls

After the giant success of the polling app Polly on Snapchat, Instagram got on board and added the polling option to their platform. This featured opened new doors for brands and offered them a fresh and engaging way of asking their followers to share their opinions.

 

Besides the obvious benefits of increased audience engagement, it’s also a great way to test new ideas. For example, if you’re in the process of making a new product, you can A/B test your color and packaging options and see which ones your followers prefer.

 

Snapchat Sponsored Filters

We all know that these days Snapchat filters are all the rage. But they’re not only reserved for making our selfies look cuter. Brands are also using this feature to boost their engagement and attract followers.

 

You can create sponsored filters to promote your brand and encourage your followers to share their own selfies and tag your brand in their stories. You can even make them geo-specific so they have to actually visit your store in order to use your custom, interactive filters.

 

Instagram Location Tags

The possibilities of Instagram geotags are nearly endless. Just note that you have to create your location on Facebook first in order to tag it on Instagram. Once you do that, your visitors can use it in their stories and tag your brand.

 

You can use this feature to find local influencers or simply keep track of who’s visiting your business, and maybe even reward your most loyal customers.

 

Also, make sure to use geotags in your own Stories as well so you can show up in the Top Stories for local search.

Add Mentions and Shoutouts

Giving shoutouts to other accounts is a great way to boost your visibility on social media. Whether it’s another brand, an influencer, or simply one of your followers, it will certainly gain traction.

 

You can use social mention monitoring tools to track who mentioned your brand on different platforms and give them a shoutout in return, or you can simply pick a few of your followers and reward them for being your loyal fans.

 

Work with Influencers

Another great way to include other people in your stories is teaming up with influencers. Influencer marketing has proven to be extremely effective and profitable, and it’s not likely to go away any time soon.

 

According to a study, 34% of people made a purchase because an influencer recommended it. And considering that Instagram is the platform of choice for these digital tastemakers, it’s no wonder that Stories are full of them. So make sure to reach out and get some of their clout as well.

 

Go Live

Live videos are probably the most effective way to spark off the engagement. They induce a sense of urgency and trigger the FOMO, which drives people to click on your story and join the conversation.

 

You can use live videos to further amplify the impact of previously mentioned strategies. For example, it’s a great way to humanize your brand and show behind the scenes, and you can even use them to ask questions directly instead of creating polls.

 

Just keep in mind that this format demands active participation and interaction with your followers.

Call-to-Action

While social media is great for raising brand awareness and building trust with your followers, the ultimate goal of any marketing effort comes down to generating leads. However, if you don’t urge them to take action, their initial reaction after viewing your story will be to swipe to the next one.

 

That’s why it’s important to add clear CTAs to your stories. If you have enough followers, you can add links to your website or lead your followers to a landing page. However, CTA goes beyond links, so don’t worry if you have a smaller follower base. You can still prompt your followers to take action even without the links.

 

Which of these tactics will you use to step up your social media game?