So… the Facebook-owned Instagram released Stories last week. Have you tried them yet? If you don’t see this new feature on Instagram you will probably need to update the app on your phone.
Instagram Stories work exactly like Snapchat Stories: you post as many photos and 10-second videos as you want and they disappear after 24 hours. However, Instagram Stories appear at the top of the feed and your followers will have access to your stories right on Instagram. This way, you don’t need to build a new audience in a different app.
To see a list of all the features you can just google “Instagram Stories” on your computer and you will find several posts and tutorials on how to create, post and view stories. You will also learn how to “embellish” your pictures and videos: you can use emojis and different brush types for drawing including a very cool color-outlined neon, plus great color palettes to match your brand. There are not many filters at the moment but I’m sure this feature will soon offer more choices.

What I love about Stories is that you don’t have to be following someone to view their Instagram Stories since these can be viewed from their profile (if they’re public). This means, anyone will be able to see your Stories and get to know you before they follow you. You can also see who watched your Stories and you can check out their accounts, maybe they’re great ones to follow and to connect with!

I heard people complaining because Instagram Stories are definitely very similar to Snapchat in many ways but I think this amplifies your exposure. My Snapchat followers are not the same I have on Instagram so it will definitely be very useful for me to start using Instagram Stories and connect with my followers there. I’m also thinking about repurposing Snapchat content on Instagram Stories if needed.

I think Instagram Stories offer a great way to showcase our business (wedding design and planning), we can finally share our daily life with more personal details which is what people love to see on social media today. You want to be more personal, show the real you.

5 Tips to promote your brand with Instagram Stories Click To Tweet

Here are 5 tips that you can use to promote your brand on Instagram with Stories.

More About Me

As I always tell my coaching clients, people love to know who you are, they love to know who they’re doing business with, and Stories is an excellent way to show your daily life. Be more personal and take your followers with you shopping or working or hanging out with friends. Why not, be closer to them and let them be closer to you. Encourage them to reply to your Story and tell you what they like about you, your business, and engage in a real conversation.

Behind The Scenes

People love to know about you beyond the perfect and beautiful posts you share on Instagram. So go ahead and show your studio, your desk, your house, what you eat for breakfast, what you’re going to wear that day, how your day is organized, meeting with a client, and so on. You probably wouldn’t post a picture of you waiting for a client on your Instagram feed but you can definitely do a quick video saying “Waiting to meet with this amazing client, we’ll be talking about her vision and I have many fabulous ideas on how to incorporate teal (her favorite color) into her wedding. I’ll post images of the project soon, stay tuned!” Stories gives you the ability to complement your beautiful and picture-perfect feed with the behind-the scenes of your life.

Announcement

Think about a styled photo shoot or a product creation, a webinar or a course you’re putting together. You can show the content being created (your notes, your desk, you working at the computer, putting together the finishing touches, scheduling the launch, etc.) and then post the actual invite to your landing page with the webinar or course in your Instagram feed. The caption can say something like “My webinar is here! Join me next week at 5pm – More in my Story”
If you are putting together a special event (a wedding show, for instance) Stories are an excellent way to create excitement and anticipation by posting the details: a quick shot of the hosting location, the setup plans, people participating (band, photographer, floral designer). If the setup takes more than one day, then you can tell the story by showing the work backstage (this is something that people attending an event don’t see), then you can post a clip or an image on your feed saying “It’s here! Our big event is finally starting today or tomorrow”

Industry Event Coverage

I get invited to a lot of industry events from venues or professionals who want to showcase their location, their new services or their products. On those occasions I usually take pictures, short video clips and I post little snippets (on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). I also create a story of my experience at the event on Snapchat. Now you can do the same: create a story for your Instagram feed. Now you don’t have to post a ton of photos of the event on your feed anymore, you can just post one on your feed and then tell the story of the event in Stories. The caption will specify where you are, what the event is for, and then something like” Watch My Story for more”. Again, you will use Stories as an add-on to something you tell your followers in your feed.

Wedding Day Love Story

For us wedding professionals Instagram Stories are ideal to document the special day of our couples. From the bride getting ready to the groom hanging out with his groomsmen, the ceremony, cocktail hour, the reception with toasts and the dances, cake cutting, and at the end a beautiful testimonial from the couple raving about your services. Wouldn’t that be cool? Then, you just post one of the pictures from the day on your feed. This could be the moment when the bride walks down the aisle or when the couple dances their first dance on the dance floor) and you will invite your followers to watch the entire story in Stories. Of course, you will need permission from your client to post pictures or videos from the event, this is something that you will need to clarify before the event. I have a paragraph on my agreement entirely dedicated to images and videos being used for my website, portfolio, promotional materials, social media, etc. (You can read more about my agreement HERE.)

~~~ LEAVE A COMMENT ~~~ What are your thoughts? I would love to know from you! Will you use this in addition to Snapchat or instead of Snapchat? Do you love Stories?

~~~ LET’S WORK TOGETHER ~~~ Do you have a hard time to incorporate a social media strategy into your business?I can help you with that! Let’s connect today for a FREE Clarity Call

Sabrina Cadini

Holistic Precision Life Coach, Brain Wellness Coach, and Life-Work Balance Strategist helping busy professionals and high achievers live and work better by prioritizing themselves. I use different modalities (epigenetics, neuroscience, chronobiology, and positive psychology) to implement effective lifestyle changes.