Social media stories provide an avenue of opportunity that many businesses have overlooked. According to Facebook, over a billion people use stories across their social media platforms. These include Instagram and Snapchat. Many people access their stories daily, and it can be the way for you to take your business to the next level.
How Do Stories Work?
Social media stories are a separate feed that allows people to share full-screen vertical images and videos. They cater to people who want to focus more on this content, as made popular by websites such as Instagram. Platforms like Snapchat, YouTube, and Facebook allow stories to appear for 24 hours.
While they are temporary, some sites like Instagram allow storage into collections for later viewing. However, it doesn’t derail from the advantage that stories provide. Stories are an avenue of content that is only available for a short period. The temporary nature appeals to a broad audience who doesn’t want to miss out on their favorite brands.
Since they are short term, they become more personal. It makes your audience feel like they are the first ones to experience your post. The full-screen aspect of it is also immersive. Stories have been so popular that at least 75% of all users access them regularly.
The Target Audience
Most users who access social media stories are from the millennial and generation Z eras. A study showed that more than half of all millennials frequent stories. At the same time, around 70% of generation Z uses them. This trend exists because the stories feature began on Instagram, which was already used by these generations. While stories are now more widely used, they remain as the majority of the audience.
There is an opportunity for businesses who have these age groups in mind. Around 25% of these users browse stories to learn about new products and services. It has become a selling tool that many can take advantage of. Not only that, it is these generations that are also becoming a significant part of the world’s purchasing power.
Stories also have a high lead rate, with around 15% of all viewers checking the links associated with branded stories. Since stories only last for a short period, your audience will view the image or video through to the end.
Using Social Media Stories for Your Business
While stories are a relatively fresh avenue you can take advantage of, many don’t know how to start. It is a different type of media, so you should use its strengths to your advantage. Here are some ideas you can use for your content.
Develop a Series
Creating a story series you update weekly is a way to connect to your audience and build your brand. You can use it for discussion, updates, Q&A, and more. The trick to creating a series is to find content that matches your brand. You may need a more creative name or be more experimental.
A weekly series helps people stay tuned to your business. Those who want to learn more about you will have something to look forward to. It builds brand loyalty and makes you more interactive.
Behind the Scenes
For most consumers, all they see is what is at your storefront. They view the website, the products, and the services. You can use stories to help bring people deeper and give them the information they might want. By doing so, you transform otherwise generic content into something more engaging.
Sharing insights into your business, crazy events, and even simple things you use can be captivating. People love learning more about the endeavors of people behind the scenes. It gives you personality and makes you relatable. Here are some ideas of what behind-the-scenes content can look like:
- Making the product
- Stories/Background about team members
- Favorites in your inventory
How-To Content
Content that brings value to its watchers is very popular. We see videos of instructional videos, tips, and hacks everywhere. They are a hit for a reason. Think about your ideal content and think about how you can help them.
If you’re a food business, teach them more about picking ingredients or give them fun facts. Give them an idea about how you create food and the history behind it. You can even cover local events and interact with your audience.
Promotions
People are always looking for deals. They are looking for value with their purchases. By providing promotions in stories, you give your audience a feeling that they got something only a few people were able to snag. It keeps them tuned in, and they will start to monitor your feed regularly. It opens the door for you to do more marketing or build your brand.
Promotions are also easy to do, as you won’t need a lot of resources to give them discounts. You can even add something unique to your promotion to make it stand out from your competitors.
Shaping Your Story Content to Success
When it comes to creating social media stories, it is important to keep up with trends. Learning more about what is popular at the time can help you stay in the conversation. Here are some other tips that can help you build a business.
- Post Regularly: Create a schedule and stick with it. You don’t need to post every day but go at a pace that works for you. If you stick with it, you start to build a regular audience.
- Social Media Challenges: Challenges appear from time to time and become a trend. You can use these challenges to your advantage and bring more visibility to your business.
- Hashtags and Advertising: If any avenues can bring in more people, do it. You may need to spend a little to advertise. Also, don’t forget your hashtags, as it helps people when they are doing searches.
Social media stories will be one of the defining features of social media moving forward. While you have the chance, you should jump on the train before everyone else does. We all understand the value of being one of the first in any industry. Doing so will help you yield the rewards.
Interested in learning more about optimizing your social media? Ready to start your business’s social media strategy? Check out our social media marketing agency in Philadelphia and start building your digital marketing strategies!
Related items
In a digital age where the success of small businesses often hinges on their online presen
Anything is possible within the realm of social media, making it one of the most powerful
Are you looking for a way to drive more traffic to your website? If you want to grow your