Say it with (Social Media) Stories

Telling your brand’s story on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn just got easier thanks to social media stories. Are you currently utilizing stories in your social media strategy? Where do you tell your brand’s “stories”? The data shared here may blow your mind.

If you are new to stories check out my blog post, The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Instagram Stories before you continue. Great, now that we are all caught up…

Stories on Snapchat and Instagram are commonly used, but what about Facebook and LinkedIn? Facebook and now LinkedIn stories (still in beta) are still foreign territory for some as they were the last to adopt the feature, but if you aren’t utilizing them you may be missing out and here’s why.

• 70% of consumers surveyed by Hubspot said they prefer to watch stories on Facebook. Only 17% said Instagram and another 13% responded with Snapchat

• Facebook Stories surpassed 500 million daily active users in 2018, just a few months after Instagram reached the same milestone

• Facebook is still the most used social media channel with 1.59 BILLION daily users vs. Instagram’s 500 million

While this blog post may be leaning towards the wonders of Facebook stories, the glory of social media is that you don’t have to choose just one platform! Since Facebook owns Instagram, the story features can be connected among the two, utilizing the same content. Use both and truly benefit.

The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Instagram Stories

Stories were launched on Instagram back in August of 2016, but there are still TONS of lingering questions out there so without further ado, here is the 4-1-1 on all things stories.

First things first…What are Instagram Stories?

Instagram stories are “magical” posts of short videos (up to 15 seconds) or photos that after 24 hours, POOF! disappear. These stories are visible to the user’s followers and can even be sent to specific followers.

Where can I find Instagram Stories & how can I view them?

These stories don’t live within the traditional, tiled-grid profile. Stories are published separately. Your story and the stories of those you follow can be found above your “Home” (house icon) feed within their profile photo. Having a colorful circle around the profile photo means there is a story you haven’t viewed. A white circle means there isn’t a story or you have already viewed it.

P.S.A. Instagram stories are NOW available for viewing through the desktop website.

What else I should know about Stories?

• As mentioned above, story videos can be up to 15 seconds BUT they can continue with another follow up video allowing you to complete your message.

• Your past stories can be reviewed after the 24-hour time period by only you

• Story highlights are great ways to keep your story content alive past the 24-hour mark.

Why are Stories Successful?

Although Instagram Stories are only available for 24 hours, they are driving TONS of engagement! A total of 250 million users are utilizing stories, surpassing Snapchat. Stories have also increased the number of minutes spent on the app by nearly 10 minutes every day.

Need assistance to make your Instagram stories shine? Let’s get started!

For more information on Instagram, read my Instagram blog series, including The Real Deal about Instagram Reels.

Instagram 'Restrict' is Here

Trolls be gone! Instagram, one of the leading social media networking sites, just released their latest featured called "Restrict”. The Restrict option will now allow users to limit comments from chosen individuals on their posts.

As Instagram explained…

"You can restrict someone by swiping left on a comment, through the Privacy tab in Settings, or directly on the profile of the account you intend to restrict. Once Restrict is enabled, comments on your posts from a person you have restricted will only be visible to that person. You can choose to view their comment by tapping “See Comment;” approve the comment so everyone can see it; delete it; or ignore it. You won’t receive any notifications for comments from a restricted account."

See it in action below!

The Importance of the Hashtag

If you are a relative newbie to social media you may be asking yourself, what is the story behind the word(s) following the # symbol? If you read # as "pound", this blog was especially written with you in mind.

When I first wrote this post in 2015, it was specifically for Twitter, but since then social media networking sites have evolved and you can find hashtags across most social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. You may even notice hashtags on the corner of your TV screen while watching your favorite shows in order to build engagement on social media.

# (or Hashtag) is more than just a silly thing all the kids are doing nowadays, it's an important element of your business's social media strategy and here's why!

Hashtags are a great search tool - Did you know clicking on a hyperlinked hashtag is similar to using Google search but within the social media platform you are using? Incorporating appropriate hashtags to your content helps broaden your visibility to people who may not be following you, but are exploring the hashtag. 

Using hashtags is also a great way to promote a trade show or event. Most trade shows have an official hashtag. Be sure to incorporate them to increase visibility and impressions on your posts, you may even gain new followers!

Hashtags can be branding gold (sometimes). When used right, including a hashtag in an advertisement or campaign can be the perfect addition to your creatives. Here’s several examples of what NOT to do.

Looking to perfect your branding hashtag or expand your visibility with hashtags? Let’s get started!

Get Noticed on Instagram with the Explore Page

Are you one of the 25 MILLION businesses on Instagram? Maybe you have a personal account where you like to casually browse and explore.

The keyword here is EXPLORE.

What is the Explore Page?

The Instagram Explore Page is where users venture outside of the accounts they are already following. It is tailored to the users account based on their previous likes and latest follows.

The Explore page now includes IGTV, Shopping shortcuts, and topics all within one centralized page.

Why is getting your brand featured on the Explore Page important?

60% of users say they’ve learned about a product (or service) through Instagram. Getting your brand featured on the Explore page makes it easier to organically get noticed and grow your following with users who are more than just a number.