Dhariana Lozano — December 12, 2017 — December 12, 2017
(December 12, 2017) Instagram rolled out Stories Highlights, so today I’m here to break down how you can utilize the new Instagram Stories Highlights feature for your brand or business!
What Are Instagram Stories Highlights?
With the Instagram Stories Highlight feature you can now extend the life of your Instagram Stories for – forever AND they live at the top of your profile! This opens up a world of possibilities when it comes to getting a little more traction from your Instagram Stories or giving your followers some more value.
A Quick Walk Through Of Instagram Stories Highlights
Once you’ve posted an awesome Instagram Story there are several ways you can create a highlight. The first (and probably easiest) is from your profile screen. Simple hit the “New” circle under “Stories Highlights” and add the stories you’d like to compile into your highlight. You can also go back into your stories and click on the heart icon on the bottom right of your story. A box will pop up to ask if you’d like to add this specific story to an existing highlight or create a brand new one. One last way is to pull a story from your archive and follow the same easy steps.
When you create a new Stories Highlight you’ll be able to give it a name (up to 15 characters long) and choose a cover image (if there is more than one image within the highlight). You’ll also be able to click on any current Instagram Stories Highlight and edit the name or cover.
Now that we’ve quickly covered the basics, let’s get to what you came here for!
7 Ways To Use Instagram Stories Highlights For Your Business
1. Extending The Life Good Stories/Promotions
The most basic way you can utilize Instagram Stories Highlights is to bring more visibility to a good story. This may come in handy if you created a great story to promote a contest or sale and you don’t or can’t continue creating new Stories for the particular campaign. Pop the promotion story into your Instagram Stories Highlights and let it live there until the promo is over.
2. Driving Web Traffic
Instagram Stories Highlights can come in handy for driving extra traffic when you have the “Swipe Up” feature. Why not pop the Instagram Stories that feature links into a Highlight or create one based around the link you want to promote? Anyone who visits your profile will see the highlight and hopefully click through to check it out.
3. Attract Followers
Instagram Stories on their own are a great way to reach more people and attract followers. They are Instagram exclusive content (until you download these and use them on other channels or initiatives). Now, Instagram Stories Highlights is a great tool for getting more eyes on this exclusive content giving potential followers a hint of what great content they can expect from you.
4. Highlight Products/How To’s/Tips
If you have a product based business it would be great to use the Instagram Stories Highlights feature to show your followers and potential followers how to use your products, create a highlight of tips based on your products. Think along the same lines for any service or learning based business.
5. Recap Events/Behind The Scenes
Instagram Stories are a fun way to go behind the scenes of an event or activity your company may be a part of. Use your Instagram Stories Highlights to create a fun recap or just as the name implies, highlight the best parts of an event.
6. Round Ups
I love round ups! They are a great way to add value to your customers. You can make them about you, or feature others (like your influencers or resources). Create round ups based on your industry topic or around your target audience’s interest.
7. Tell A Story
Finally, Instagram is a visual story telling telling tool. Create a compelling story to tell and add it to your highlights to add personality and build connections with your followers. For some ideas on how to get started with Instagram Stories check out: 5 Ways To Up Your Instagram Stories Game and Gain More Exposure For Your Brand and 4 Ways To Use Instagram Stories for Business.
I can’t wait to see how creative brands will get with the new Instagram Stories Highlights feature! Do you have any ideas in mind? I’d love to hear them – leave it in a comment below.
This article was originally posted on Dhariana Lozano’s blog.
Digital & Social Articles on Business 2 Community
(113)
