Why are Instagram Stories important for brands?
Posted: Tue Dec 17, 2024 7:17 am
Stories skyrocketed in popularity quickly, despite the usual resistance that comes with any new feature launch. Users loved the bite-sized, short-form content and the authentic, unpolished nature of Stories compa japan phone number list red to feed posts. Since they disappear after 24 hours, there's less focus on aesthetics and scripted storytelling, helping users and brands post more freely.
The Instagram algorithm has moved away from using the social graph in favor of a recommendation algorithm. The content users see is based on a mix of interests and app usage behavior rather than who they’re connected with. As the feed and Reels become less connection-focused and chronological, Stories has become one of the last places where users can connect with the accounts they purposefully follow — including brands.
That makes Instagram Stories an essential tool for community building on the app, and a powerful way to nurture and retain audiences. Here are a few reasons Stories remain an effective part of a brand's Instagram content mix:
Frequent usage: Despite the rising popularity of Reels and new DM features, Stories have remained a frequently-used feature since its launch, both by creators and users.
Links: There aren’t many ways to share clickable links on Instagram beyond the bio on your profile. Stories are the exception to this rule, offering brands a way to insert calls to action that point to landing pages, product pages, and other marketing campaign properties.
Audience analytics: Stories opens up granular audience data — you can see which followers regularly tune into your content. For growing brands with small followings, this can help identify potential brand advocates and strong audience niches.
Exceptional visibility: Stories appear at the top of users' feeds, and users that engage with your content the most will see your Stories more often. This helps brands stay connected to their most loyal audiences. Plus, Stories dominate the entire screen (like Reels), capturing peoples' attention with no other distractions.
Engagement-focused features: Tools like Stickers allow brands to create polls, open it up to user questions, mention other brands, and more. You can collect feedback with customers, nurture relationships, and generate both social proof and new content ideas for your marketing campaigns.
How to create Instagram Stories
Creating Stories is exceptionally easy, though it may require a touch of creativity if you want to go all out. Here are the basic steps for posting a Story — stay tuned for best practices that will help you use Stories to their full potential.
The Instagram algorithm has moved away from using the social graph in favor of a recommendation algorithm. The content users see is based on a mix of interests and app usage behavior rather than who they’re connected with. As the feed and Reels become less connection-focused and chronological, Stories has become one of the last places where users can connect with the accounts they purposefully follow — including brands.
That makes Instagram Stories an essential tool for community building on the app, and a powerful way to nurture and retain audiences. Here are a few reasons Stories remain an effective part of a brand's Instagram content mix:
Frequent usage: Despite the rising popularity of Reels and new DM features, Stories have remained a frequently-used feature since its launch, both by creators and users.
Links: There aren’t many ways to share clickable links on Instagram beyond the bio on your profile. Stories are the exception to this rule, offering brands a way to insert calls to action that point to landing pages, product pages, and other marketing campaign properties.
Audience analytics: Stories opens up granular audience data — you can see which followers regularly tune into your content. For growing brands with small followings, this can help identify potential brand advocates and strong audience niches.
Exceptional visibility: Stories appear at the top of users' feeds, and users that engage with your content the most will see your Stories more often. This helps brands stay connected to their most loyal audiences. Plus, Stories dominate the entire screen (like Reels), capturing peoples' attention with no other distractions.
Engagement-focused features: Tools like Stickers allow brands to create polls, open it up to user questions, mention other brands, and more. You can collect feedback with customers, nurture relationships, and generate both social proof and new content ideas for your marketing campaigns.
How to create Instagram Stories
Creating Stories is exceptionally easy, though it may require a touch of creativity if you want to go all out. Here are the basic steps for posting a Story — stay tuned for best practices that will help you use Stories to their full potential.