Like Pinterest, Instagram is a visual focus social media platform that is growing rapidly. Generally, as an image-centric platform, it allows users to capture, edit, post and share photos to network and engage with friends and family. For brand pages, it highly relies on aesthetically pleasing images and visuals to attract the attention of users.
Instagram is not far behind Facebook, with around a billion monthly active users and most of them being the younger generation. Since the rise of Tiktok, many assume that the youngsters have jumped off the Instagram boat to Tiktok. However, Hootsuite’s study shows that Instagram is actually Gen Z’s favourite platform, with users aged 16-24 preferring it over Tiktok. Hence, if you want to reach Millennials and Gen Zs, Instagram is the place to go!
It’s not to say that the oldies are not here. Users aged 45 and above contribute to 13% of Instagram’s audience. But if your target audience includes Boomers, Facebook would still be more effective than Instagram.
Moreover, it’s worth taking note that Instagram is far more than just sharing images now as it has evolved more than that. The platform has positioned itself as a social network, video and shopping place, with the integration of IG Story, Reels, IG Videos, IG Shop and IG Guide. Each of these features serves a different purpose and they are widely effective for business marketing.
In this article, let’s take a closer look at IG Story.
Instagram Story (IG Story)
IG Story is a pioneer feature on Instagram. It allows users to share images and short videos as a “story” with only 24-hour visibility, similar to Snapchat. There’s also the option to create Highlights on your social page that showcase the stories you want other users to watch without the time restriction.
As of the time this is written, there are 5 types of Instagram Stories to use.
- Standard: The typical image or video sharing. Despite IG Story only allowing up to 15 seconds of video, you have the option to segment the long video into 15 seconds increments.
- Text Create: This feature allows users to post text-centric stories with a solid background.
- Boomerang: A short video that plays on loop.
- Layout: A collection of a number of photos to be posted as one story. The maximum number of photos to be shared at the same time is 6.
- Multi-capture: Multiple photos taken in quick succession.
- Level: Normally used for landscape or horizon, according to Instagram is perfectly levelled.
Instagram Story Stickers
IG Story could serve as a powerful tool to drive engagement and values. It is a perfect way to humanize your brand and connect with your audiences through relatable and interesting stories.
With tons of IG Story Stickers, you could splash your creativity all over the stories to attract attention. These stickers are text, cartoons or GIFs that could be added and placed over on your IG Stories to make them more entertaining and interactive.
Add Yours Sticker
Released in November 2021, the Add Yours Sticker allows creators to create a public thread with the same theme. It is a kind of User Generated Content (UGC) where users could participate and add their own images to the thread. This sticker also makes it easier for brands to be discovered as it shows you who contributes to the chain.
Stories Caption Sticker
This sticker increases the accessibility and convenience of Instagram. With it, users could read the story captions instead of listening to them.
Quiz Sticker
This sticker allows you to ask multiple-choice questions on the story.
Questions Sticker
Questions Sticker can go two ways; either you ask your audience a question, or you let them ask you something about your brand or product.
Poll Sticker
Poll Sticker lets your audience choose between two options.
Quiz, Questions and Polls stickers are 3 effective ways to engage with your audience and do a little casual market research. Many brands use this way to test out their products before officially launching them.
Link Sticker
Before the link sticker is released, only creators with more than 10000 followers have the freedom to insert a swipe-up link on IG Story that links straightaway to the website. Now, as of October 2021, everyone could insert links to their story, even personal accounts. This is especially useful for brands who want to backlink to their website, eCommerce or blogs.
Countdown Sticker
Countdown Sticker is specifically made to promote events. Be it a sale day, performances, ceremonies or anniversaries, brands are able to add the countdown sticker to remind their followers of the event. Not only that, the users are able to use the countdown sticker that you’ve created on their stories too.
IG Story Ads
How to slip your ads into your audience’s view seamlessly? Try IG Story ads!
It is a kind of vertical ad that appears on IG Story. These IG Story Ads could immerse seamlessly into your audience’s viewing experience without the need to follow your brand page. So, this means that you’re able to reach your followers as well as non-followers.
Different from the organic IG Story, IG Story Ads won’t disappear after 24 hours. You are even allowed to target the ads according to reach, video traffic or brand awareness. IG Story Ads appear in various kinds of formats, videos, images or carousels. A video ad only plays up to 15 seconds whereas an image ad will play for 5 seconds. A carousel, on the other hand, allows you to play videos and photos in the same ad.
Instagram marketing does not only limited to feeds. Instead, there are actually many different ways to creatively and innovatively promote brands. If you’re not sure how to fully utilize Instagram, a creative agency may be able to help you!
