A Quick Guide to Instagram Stories for Business

Instagram Stories for Business

Instagram stories are proving to be very popular with users. Stories are different to the usual posts you find on Instagram. The content you add to your story can be viewed as a slideshow but they only last for 24 hours. Instagram stories provide you with an opportunity to get real with your customers. You can show real-time snapshots and videos and edit them with stickers, text and other fun features.

One of the reasons businesses are jumping on board with Instagram stories is the size of the audience. Within just 6 months of release, there were 150 million daily ACTIVE users. One-third of the Stories now come from businesses.

How to Post an Instagram Story

  1. Swipe right from the home screen or tap the camera button on the left-hand corner at the top of the screen. From there you’ll have access to the camera to use for Instagram Stories.
  2. Choose the type of content you want to share. The camera offers Live, Normal, Boomerang or Hands-free. You can also choose between front and rear facing camera and have flash on or off.
  3. Take the photo or video and edit it by adding text, drawings or stickers. You can remove any added elements by holding and dragging to the trash can. If you don’t like the image or video as a whole you can delete it by clicking the X and try again.
  4. Save the content when you’re happy with it. Press the down arrow in the bottom left-hand corner.
  5. Post your content to your story. You can press the + button in the left-hand corner or press the arrow in the right-hand corner and select Your Story.

Live Video

Instagram Stories offers a simple way of live streaming. Simply follow the first instruction above and select LIVE. By pressing Start Live Video you will go live to your audience. What you do on your broadcast is what they will see. All of your friends will be notified of your live broadcast. Your broadcast might also be shown in the Explore Tab. It’s also a good idea to inform your fans and followers on all other platforms about your live stream. Instagram live broadcasts can last up to one hour. Your audience will be able to comment and ask you questions, it’s the perfect way of interacting in real time.

Adding Links

Verified accounts are able to add links to the bottom of some Stories. The viewer will see your content and See More at the bottom. They will need to swipe up in order to see the link.

Learn more about using social media to market your business. Ask us about our digital marketing training or our social media marketing services.