If you’ve spent any time on Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat, you know what social media stories are. YouTube has joined the story world too with YouTube Reels. All of these are short videos, photos, or memes that will disappear within a set amount of time.
Why Social Media Stories are Important
For marketers, this is a great way to reach those customers with FOMO (fear of missing out). It’s a great way to share a one-day secret sale, a quick giveaway, or informational content about your product.
A few of the benefits of social media stories include:
- Increasing your brand awareness
- Reach a younger audience
- Cost-effective
- Gives you more engagement with your followers
- Increases traffic to your website
Need more convincing? These statistics will show you why social media stories should be part of your marketing plan:
- 57% of women, 48% of men, and 61% of young adults (18-24) use Snapchat.
- 52% of men and 43% of women use Instagram Stories.
- Over 35% of Instagram users worldwide use Stories.
- There are over 450 Million active users each day on Snapchat, Instagram Stories, and WhatsApp Status combined.
How to Use Social Media Stories
It’s clear that social media stories are a big part of the time people spend on social media now. If you’re not already using them, you’re missing out on a big part of your market.
Not sure what you should post? Try some of these ideas:
Add links to your Stories
Yes, you can add links to stories just as you would with your posts. You can create stories around some of your articles or videos that are on your website, then add a link to the Story.
Create a poll
Instagram now has an interactive poll feature available for their Stories. Ask your followers to choose between two things with a poll. Do they like your product in green or red better? Are they a cake person or a pie person? The possibilities are endless.
Create your own Snapchat Geofilter
A geofilter is an overlay someone can use on their photo. For instance, McDonald’s was one of the first brands to create their own filters. Snapchat users can post a photo with a frame of McDonald’s fries and a hamburger, thereby marketing for McDonald’s whenever they use it.
Add location tags
Instagram Stories has a search feature that allows users to search for local businesses. Adding a location tag to your Stories, or even your posts, can help improve your visibility to social media users.
Go live
Creating a short, live video is a great way to give your followers a behind-the-scenes look. It allows them to feel like they’re part of your community and builds a connection with your brand. A live video also allows followers to comment live, which creates more engagement.
Try a Social Media Story
If you’re not already using social media stories, it’s time to start. They’re easy, fast to create and remember, they’re short-term. It doesn’t matter if they’re not perfect, they won’t be around for long and you’ll get better with each one. Try a social media story this week.
