IG Stories for Business

1. IG Stories for Business Direct Quote from Source: Benjamin Chacon,13th July, 2018, Producer: later; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories Prepared by: Celeste Ng, Date: December, 2018

2. Why Use Instagram Stories for Business? • Instagram Stories isn’t a copy of Snapchat, it’s a better version of Snapchat. • And not just for regular people… but for businesses too! • Instagram Stories is one of those special channels that’s equally attractive to both regular people and businesses. • Sign up for our free Instagram Stories Course for tips on how to get more followers, traffic, and sales with Instagram Stories! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

3. How to Use Instagram Stories for Business -1 • 1. Swipe right from your home screen or tap the camera icon in the top left corner of the screen to open the Instagram camera.  Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

4. How to Use Instagram Stories for Business -2 • 2. Take a photo by tapping the record button or take a video by pressing down on the record button for up to 10 seconds. You also have the option of taking a type, live, boomerang, superzoom, rewind, or hands-free video.   • Other buttons: • Photo: Select your most recently taken photo or video • Thunderbolt: The flash button. • Arrows: Switch from front-facing camera to back-facing camera and vice-versa. • Smiley face: Instagram’s face filters feature Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

5. How to Use Instagram Stories for Business -3 • 3. You can also upload a previously taken photo or video from your camera roll by swiping up or down. • If you select a photo from over 24 hours ago, a date sticker with the day, month, and year that the photo was taken will automatically appear. You can remove the sticker by dragging to the trash icon at the bottom of the screen. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

6. How to Use Instagram Stories for Business -4 • 4. Tapping anywhere on the screen will bring up the text tool. You can play with text size and color, and you can also use the “@” sign to tag another account, or the “#” sign to share a hashtag. • Instagram recently launched the ability to search for Instagram Stories by location and hashtag, meaning that if you include a hashtag in your story, other users can see it even if they don’t follow you! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

7. How to Use Instagram Stories for Business -5 • 5. Select from one of three different pen styles to doodle on your photo. You can also erase any drawings that you add to your story with the eraser brush. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

8. How to Use Instagram Stories for Business -6 • 6. You can also add stickers by selecting the sticker button in the top right corner of your screen or by swiping up on your story. Some of the more important ones include the location sticker, hashtag sticker, mention sticker, selfie sticker, poll sticker, emoji slider, and question sticker! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

9. How to Use Instagram Stories for Business -7 • 7. You can also swipe right or left to apply different filters. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

10. How to Use Instagram Stories for Business -8 • 8. When you’re done, tap the “Next” button to share! • Your story will appear at the top of your followers’ feeds, but it will also be visible on your profile page by tapping your profile picture. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

11. How to Use Instagram Stories for Business -9 • 9. You can find out how well your Instagram story is performing by swiping up while viewing your story. This will display the number as well as the names of people who have seen each photo or video in your story. • To see insights for your Instagram story, head to your profile and select the Insights icon in the top right corner. Next, scroll down and tap “Get Started” in the Stories section. • … will be included in your Instagram Insights under the Content heading. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

12. How to Create an Instagram Stories for Business Strategy • When Instagram added the suggested Stories section to the top of the Explore page last year, they introduced a new way for people to discover content on Instagram. Like with the Instagram feed algorithm, the Instagram Stories algorithm makes it easier for people to find content that they might be interested in, even if they don’t follow the account that creates it. • In other words, if you’re able to get your story featured on the Explore page, it can mean a ton of new followers and engagement! And the great thing is that it’s possible to optimize your stories to have a better chance of appearing on the Explore page. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

13. How Often to Post on Instagram Stories for Business • This likely has to do with the ephemeral nature of Instagram Stories: because a story only exists for 24 hours, there isn’t much pressure for Instagram to prioritize some posts over others on a users’ feed. • A few months after releasing stories, Instagram introduced the ability to mute other users’ stories. • To mute someone’s Instagram story, all you need to do is tap and hold on their Instagram Stories avatar. This moves the story to the end of the queue and prevents it from autoplaying. • At the end of the day, there’s really no “optimal” frequency for Stories, but it’s good to have enough throughout the week that people look forward to seeing yours without getting tired of your content! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

14. When to Post on Instagram Stories • When it comes to regular Instagram posts, it’s very important to post when your followers are most active. But this isn’t the case with Instagram Stories for business. • Due to their ephemeral nature, Instagram Stories can only exist for a maximum of 24 hours. That’s 24 hours of being at the top of your followers’ feeds! • In other words, don’t stress out too much about posting your Instagram Stories at optimal times. The whole point of Stories is for the content to be current! • That being said, if you’re looking for immediate engagement on your Instagram Stories, posting when your followers are most active will help. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

15. What to Post on Instagram Stories for Business • If you’re using Instagram Stories for business, it’s good to post a mix of fun, lighthearted content and promotional content. • So don’t be afraid of posting something goofy: a short video of your office dog or a picture of your team out for post-work drinks! • You can get as creative as you like with your stories — and there are a ton of great examples out there! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

16. Use Location and Hashtag Stickers to Increase Your Discoverability • When Instagram first introduced stickers to Instagram Stories last December, they were more fun than useful. • Since that time, Instagram has added a ton of new functionalities to stickers, including the ability to see location-based stories on the Explore page, and, most recently, the ability to search for stories by location and hashtag. • These features have made a huge difference. Whereas at first you could only share Instagram Stories with your own followers, stories are now searchable by location and hashtag, meaning anyone can see your stories now! • That’s why we recommend always using location and hashtag stickers in your stories. If you can get enough people to engage with your story, you might even end up on the Explore page. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

17. Use Links in Your Instagram Stories for Business • Instagram recently rolled out the ability to add links to Instagram Stories and it’s a pretty big deal. In fact, it’s the first time ever that users can add a link to Instagram that isn’t the link in their bio! • It goes without saying that the ability to send your followers to specific landing pages from your stories is extremely useful. Whether that’s a product page or a new blog post, you can use this feature to drive Instagram traffic to relevant landing pages! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

18. Tag Other Accounts in Your Instagram Stories for Business • We all know how effective Instagram contests are for driving engagement and getting new followers, and with the ability to tag other accounts in Instagram Stories, there’s yet another way to drive traffic to your contests. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

19. Tag Businesses in Your Sponsored Instagram Stories  • Speaking of influencers, Instagram’s new paid partnership feature makes it super easy to tag businesses in your sponsored Instagram Stories! • Only a handful of celebrities, influencers, and businesses have been given access to the feature so far, but an larger-scale rollout is expected in the next few months. • You can learn more about the feature and disclosure in general here. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

20. Share Polls & Emoji Sliders in Your Instagram Stories for Business  • Have you ever wanted to survey your Instagram audience about their interests, likes, dislikes, and more? Well, now you can! • Instagram recently launched new interactive poll stickers on Instagram Stories which lets you ask questions and see results from your followers as they vote. • Whether you want to collect feedback on your products, crowdsource ideas, or simply entertain your followers, poll stickers offer an entirely new way to engage with your Instagram audience! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

21. Ask Questions in Your Instagram Stories for Business  • Unlike poll stickers and emoji sliders, both of which allow users to “vote” on questions that you submit, when you add a question sticker to your Instagram story, others users submit questions for you to answer. • Whether you want to collect feedback on your products or crowdsource ideas, questions stickers offer an entirely new way to engage with your Instagram audience!  Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

22. Share Instagram Live Videos in Your Instagram Stories for Business  • Prior to a recent update, Instagram Live videos could not be replayed or shared after the broadcast. • Once your Instagram Live video ends, you can share a replay of it. But like other photos and videos you share to Instagram Stories, live video replays will disappear after 24 hours! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

23. Tools to Make Better Instagram Stories for Business  • Make Instagram Stories Longer than 15 Seconds with Storeo  • Rather than recording several 15-second videos for your Instagram Stories (which can be surprisingly difficult!), Storeo lets you record or upload a single long video and then it slices it up into neat little 15-second packages for you! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

24. Tools to Make Better Instagram Stories for Business  • 1. Make Instagram Stories Longer than 15 Seconds with Storeo • Once you’ve downloaded the app, simply upload a video from your mobile device’s library or record a new one. • From there, tap “Export” to slice your video into 15-second clips. You can either upload directly to Instagram Stories from the Storeo app, or download the video and post it manually. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

25. Tools to Make Better Instagram Stories for Business  • 2. Share GIF-like Loops on Instagram Stories with Boomerang • Instagram’s Boomerang app, introduced in 2015, snaps a handful of photos in quick succession, and then turns them into a GIF-like loop that plays forward and backward. Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

26. Tools to Make Better Instagram Stories for Business  • 3. Share GIF-like Loops on Instagram Stories with Boomerang • It’s super easy to make Boomerang’s in Instagram Stories now, but if you want to create them ahead of time (and upload to Instagram Stories later), you can use the original app. • All you need to do is tap the record button to stitch together a burst of photos to create a short animation that plays forward and backward! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

27. Tools to Make Better Instagram Stories for Business  • 4. Create Amazing Instagram Stories for Business with Canva • Canva’s mobile app is fantastic for creating stunning social media graphics. But did you know that you can also use Canva to create amazing Instagram Stories for business? • Thanks to their library of Instagram Stories templates, Canva has become one of our favorite tools for designing unique, and eye-catching Stories! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

28. Track and Measure your Instagram Stories Performance with Later Analytics • Did you know that with Later, you can track and measure your Instagram Stories anayltics and performance? • If you want to optimize your stories and get more views, check out Later’s Instagram Stories analytics! • And unlike the analytics in the Instagram app, which only saves your stories metrics for 2 weeks, you’ll be able to analyze up to 3 months’ worth of Instagram Stories with Later! Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories

29. Track and Measure your Instagram Stories Performance with Later Analytics • With Later, you can track and rank stories by impressions, reach, completion rate, average views per user, and the number of replies each story received. It’s never been easier to pinpoint what type of content works best for your brand and audience! • Upgrade to a Later paid plan for access to Instagram Stories analytics and all the other Pro Analytics features, like engagement rates, audience analytics, and Linkin.bio tracking.  Direct Quote from Source: Later, 13th July, 2018; URL: https://later.com/blog/instagram-stories-for-business/#sponsoredstories