| Why You Need To Be Using Stories

Why You Need To Be Using Stories

By Bobbie Anne Williams, Marketing Assistant

The Story feature has made a massive jump in popularity this year! Since arriving on the scene on Snapchat back in 2013, the feature now stretches to other platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and even YouTube. After surpassing  feed views on Facebook and Instagram this Spring with around 500 million daily users you can’t deny that if you haven’t been utilizing the Story feature, it’s time to dive in. If that doesn’t have your attention then let me tell you about the great tools you’re missing out on that currently exist within Facebook and Instagram Stories.

Features

Links – It’s no secret that links do not perform well on Facebook and Instagram doesn’t even give you the option to add one to a post, but you may have noticed the “swipe up” feature in an Insta Story. That’s the perfect way to incorporate a link with no push back from the platform. A link can be added to an Instagram Story from a business profile with 10,000 followers. Facebook is beta testing this same idea in their Stories now, without the restriction of needing a certain number of followers.

Stickers – Each platform has it’s own but they aren’t just for adding a bit of flare to your picture. Stickers can be used for gathering helpful data from your followers by using the Polls, Questions, or Quiz options. You can help spread awareness about an event by adding a Countdown or tagging it with a Facebook Event Sticker. Raise funds for your favorite charity with the newest Donation Sticker!

Location – Help open your discoverability by tagging a location in your Story. This will allow your Story to be seen by more people and shows your Page or business profile to a more broad audience.

Music – It’s been a frustration of all music lovers since Stories debuted to not be able to include the perfect soundtrack with our content. Luckily this frustration has been remedied recently with approved music options. No more worrying about having your content flagged or removed! (At least for us here in the U.S., this isn’t available for all users internationally.)

Filters – Entertaining, yes, but also a quick and easy way to edit pictures or videos to use in your feeds. No need for additional apps or software. Simply edit them right in Stories before posting and save it directly to your deivce for later use.

Bonus tip – Stories have their own algorithm, so be sure to post daily. With over 1 billion active users you can’t assume that those who follow you will see your post in your feeds. The best part is that you can see exactly how many people are viewing your Story and whether they passed it by vs the general stats that come with posting in the feed. Have I convinced you yet? Take this week to pull back the curtain on your industry and show some behind the scenes in your Stories! You’ll be glad you did!

Need help getting started? Let’s set up a one on one session! BobbieAnne@Germono.com or call 757-822-8665

Bobbie Anne Williams
BobbieAnne@Germono.com