Live video is finally getting the attention it deserves. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter have already jumped aboard the bandwagon, rolling out their versions of this feature. Now, we see Instagram doing the same thing, with “Stories.” This is going to take social media marketing to another level for companies that are already on Instagram.

Instagram is owned by Facebook, so it’s no surprise that they decided to go this route. Whenever someone goes live on Instagram, you will see a “live” icon show up in the profile’s Stories bar. Only followers will be able to see this alert. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, Instagram story viewer doesn’t hang on to the live footage you shoot. Instead, the video disappears after 24 hours. This was to accommodate folks who are worried about their videos becoming a part of internet history, which may one day come back to haunt them.

So how can you start using Instagram Stories for your brand? You can either hire services from social media marketing companies or follow these instructions.

Quick Guide to Using Instagram Stories

This is a simple step-by-step guide for setting up your live feed on Instagram:

1. Click the plus sign found in the left corner at the top of your screen.
2. Next, hit the round button to capture an image, or press down on it for 10 seconds to start capturing video.
3. Now, you can use one of the three pen types to start drawing on your photo/video and adding emojis. Color filters are also available.
4. Once you’ve done, click on the check mark icon.

This will publish your video to your feed. You can check out who’s seen the video by swiping up on your story. If people are viewing that you’d like to block, just simply click the “X” next to their name.

Building Credibility and Followers

Regularly creating Instagram Stories can drive more followers to your channel and make your profile more discoverable. Just make sure you’re promoting your company content on other social media channels you’re marketing on. If you need help in this area, you can hire an internet marketing agency to handle this for you.

What makes Stories a neat addition is that it fits perfectly with Instagram’s ideal of showcasing beautiful, curated content from your daily life. With the right strategy, you can come up with creative ways to use images and videos to enhance your brand.

7 Instagram Story Ideas To Build Your Following

Keeping your Instagram busy is a good way to build your following. An active account is more interesting than an inactive one. Plus, using Instagram to share all types of content with your audience in many forms is going to be much more interesting to them than if you shared only one type.

Let’s look at some ideas that you can incorporate into your stories to build your following.

1. Show a Day in the Life

Great use of Instagram viewer is to take a day and show up a few different times of the day to share what you’re doing as it relates to your audience and your business. For example, if you’re a business coach, you might want to share how you run your own business and team with others.

2. Go Live

Take some time to go live each day even to share just one exciting tidbit of news. When you go live randomly, your audience will get notified if they signed up to be notified. They’ll pay more attention to you and will even be sad if they miss it live, but they’ll also watch the recording if you leave one.

3. Provide a Sneak Peek

Creating a new product or service? Provide a sneak peek about it. Trying out a new software you want to recommend? Do a story about it. The more reasons you can find to show up in stories, the better for your quest to find more followers.

4. Conduct a Poll

Instagram allows you to conduct polls, which is a good way to find out what your audience is thinking. Keep polls short and sweet to avoid any confusion, since these polls aren’t very scientific. If you want accurate results, consider keeping choices limited.

5. Trade Instagram Stories for a Day

If you have a colleague that serves a similar or same audience as you do, you can trade Instagrams for a day. You run their stories, and they run yours. This is a wonderful way to get cross-promotion and more followers.

6. Count Down to Launch

If you have a launch or an event coming up, use Instagram story viewer to do a countdown for the launch. This is a fun way to get everyone excited about your new offer.

7. Use Stickers and Special Effects

Instagram has ways for you to grab your audience’s attention; use them. Add special effects, use stickers, and add great hashtags. Call out the right people. Make yourself known so that you can grab those followers who like you.

When you do share a story, always remember to include a call to action. Your audience will not act (or only very rarely) if you don’t tell them what to do. Each time you make any content, you should know what you want the results to be after your audience views it.