Need a Business Boost? Here’s How Stories Can Bump Up Your Game

Social media is evolving at a rate faster than most can keep up with. Except here at Officially Social, where our job is to stay up to date on what’s trending across social media platforms.

And if you’ve been active on Facebook or Instagram lately, you may have noticed a rise in the popularity of stories. They consist of visual content (either a still image or video) that appears in your feed for 24 hours.

Curious to learn more and start utilizing this tool to boost reach and engagement? Here are five ways adding stories to your social media toolbox will increase online visibility:

They Provide Free Content: Looking to add music to a boomerang or stickers and graphics to a sales post? If you can imagine it, there’s likely an option to include it in your story. This provides unique content for your niche. Stories also help keep your business fresh and relevant, allowing you to attract (and maintain) customers through social media. 

They Offer Real-Time Engagement: Interacting with followers is the best way to grow engagement. Consider social media like a dinner party. No one wants a guest who talks at them the entire time. The same is true in cyberspace. Create opportunities for discussion and feedback with polls and questions, both available options on Instagram and Facebook. And don’t forget to respond to messages and post results; following through is important!

They Drive Website Traffic: Linking social media pages to your business website is one of the easiest ways to increase sales. While Instagram won't permit live links like Facebook, utilizing stories offers a workaround. Simply direct followers to your ‘link in bio' by typing it out or including a sticker to any image or video. You can highlight products, promotions, or company news this way, too. With more than 500 million people using Instagram stories each day, they offer an enormous sales platform right at your fingertips.

They Increase Employee Efficiency: Use stories to highlight success and achievements in and around the company, especially with employees. Think office tours, live videos, customer Q and A’s, giveaways, and more. Let your team help provide social media content, and then watch as they become more invested (and more productive) at work.

They Keep You On-Trend: Consumers gravitate toward forward-thinking, creative businesses. Stay at the forefront of customer minds with curated images and videos reflective of your brand. Doing so will make you more memorable and create a sense of loyalty with followers.

We hope these tips encourage you to incorporate more storytelling into your social media planning. They offer maximum exposure with a minimal time commitment. Try creating some, and let us know what you think!