As a small business owner, you're always looking for ways to market your product. Social media is an excellent way to do this, but you probably have stuck with primarily Facebook and Twitter, right? There is another option that has really increased in value thanks to the release of Instagram Stories, a new feature of Instagram.
This is a new Instagram feature modeled after Snapchat’s features. It allows you to tell a “story” in pictures throughout the course of a single day. These images will not appear on your regular Instagram feed, though. Instead, the photos appear at the top of the feed and, this is important, they disappear after 24 hours.
The story will appear chronologically and it cannot be commented on or liked. You’ll also be able to see who watched the story. The story is editable with finger paint, emojis, and text. You can also feature a specific photo from Instagram Stories in your feed by using the share button, and you can post content from the past 24 hours directly from your camera roll. Recently, the feature was updated to also allow tagging and the use of “Boomerangs” (zoom in and out) in any story.
Your customers will love to know how the products they purchase are created, and with Instagram Stories, you can make this a reality. Imagine, for instance, that you own a small cabinet installation company. By taking a few pictures during the manufacturing or installation process, you can show your customers exactly how you work your magic. You may also use an Instagram private profile viewer to see some of the Influencer's work.
Another way that you can use Instagram Stories for your small business is to provide special offers, such as discounts or coupons, to your customers. These special offers really stand out to your customers, and it is a win-win for both of you. You get to market your products and your customers get a deal. Just remember, Instagram Stories only last for 24-hours, so make sure your customers know when you post the story. Remind them that they only have a limited time.
You can also use Instagram Stories to drive traffic to your website, your Facebook page, or Twitter feed. When using social media, it is best to use these accounts across the board, unless you have a very good reason for only using one of these over another. For instance, suppose you are doing a Facebook Live session, and you want to make sure you have viewers. Set up your Instagram Stories to remind your followers that this session is going on, and you can direct that traffic from Instagram over to Facebook.
Remember, Instagram is a free social media site, so the only thing you're spending is your time. This is extremely important for most businesses, especially start-ups because you don’t have a lot of cash to work with. Give Instagram Stories a try. You might find that it's the marketing tool you've been looking for. The demographics have expanded and it’s not just a youth and young adult play network any longer. It’s full of adults and with integrated advertising options available via Facebook. Instagram has surpassed Twitter in users and daily activity.
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