How Brands Are Using Instagram Stories

A few weeks ago, Instagram released a new feature that is almost a carbon copy of Snapchat – Instagram Stories. Though there was a lot of talk around if this new feature would take off or if Snapchat would still overtake it, users and brands have been flocking to Instagram Stories. While there are no fun filters like Face Swap (yet), brands can find a lot of other ways to capitalize on this platform.

Here are a few ways in which brands are using Instagram Stories to their advantage:

Giving an in-depth look at fashion

If you’re a fashion brand, posting one-dimensional photos of your clothes isn’t enough. With Instagram stories, you can show models moving in the clothes, running errands, attending events, etc. Sure, you can do this with Snapchat but if your latest Instagram post was a shot of a particular outfit, you can point to your Stories to see how the item wears.

Providing promos and giveaways

Let’s face it – it’s hard to do a promotion on Snapchat. You have to direct your followers to a website, then click on another link. With all of this, you’ll lose customers along the way because of extra steps. If you’ve got a promotion going on, put it on your Instagram story and tell your followers the link is in your bio. Then voila! You’ve got a one-click promotion and will retain more customers.

Gaining followers elsewhere

We’ve seen this a lot and it’s a good tactic: you probably get more views on Instagram stories than you do Snapchat because you have more followers on Instagram. Currently, Instagram says that they have 300 million daily users, while Snapchat has around 150 million. Brands and bloggers have been posting smaller Instagram stories and then directing their followers to their Snapchat to see more and go more in-depth. This is a great way to gain followers over on Snapchat that you might have missed out on.

Going Behind the Insta

We know you spent over 30 minutes getting that perfect Instagram photo. Having Stories as an added feature now lets users expand on the moments surrounding the great Instagram shots. You’ve just got a backstage pass to how your favorite Instagram bloggers take those beautiful photos!

Letting influencers contribute

While Snapchat is also using this feature, Instagram has always had an advantage when using influencers. Brands like Travel Channel have been letting influencers take over their Stories and share their own experiences with Instagram followers. As always, this is a useful tactic for both brands and influencers, as influencers will gain more exposure and brands will gain new followers.

These are just a few of the ways we’ve seen brands begin to use Instagram stories. As Instagram continues to roll out new features and improve on their product, we’re sure we’ll see even more ways that brands are utilizing the platform. For now, take a look at what your favorite companies, brands and influencers are posting on Stories and try it out for yourself!

Header image: Robert Katai