Right now may be difficult for businesses to know how to go about maintaining a connection with their audience. In order to help with this, Instagram has come out with some great story tips on how to effectively and appropriately connect with your audience.
These tips include:
1. Make supporting your business easy
You can utilize Instagram’s new gift card and food ordering stickers on your stories in order to easily allow your audience to support your business. Add these stories to your highlights in order to increase their reach.
2. Share positive messages and encourage health precautions
Instagram encourages and advises to share positive messages on your stories in order to build a sense of trust and community with your audience during the time of a crisis. Encourage generosity and sacrifice during this time through your stories, and also spread messages about the importance of safety and staying home from trusted sources. Utilizing Instagram’s, “Stay Home” sticker in your stories is a great way to do this. According to research conducted by Twitter, consumers want to see businesses provide accurate information and assist their local communities.
3. Be organic and share your story
Instagram suggests to share what is really going with your business as a result of COVID-19. Customers like seeing the behind the scenes, so show key issues, your plans to address them, and how your business is going to support your suppliers/communities.
4. Increase engagement by starting a conversation
Instagram recommends using the question feature to ask how your audience is feeling in order to increase engagement. You can also use the question sticker to ask your audience what they have been doing during their quarantine, what new recipes they have tried, and/or what new skills they have picked up. Instagram also suggests using the countdown feature as a way to countdown your businesses’ digital events. All of this builds a sense of community and makes things exciting.
5. Answer your FAQs
Instagram recommends a good way to answer common questions your business is receiving at this time is through your stories in order to clarify everything going on.
6. Connect/engage with your community
According to Instagram, stories are “where people like to express themselves.” With that being said, post templates/challenges to your stories for people to re-share/engage in. For example, create a quiz template for your audience to fill out of their favorite restaurant, store, coffee shop, etc. They can re-share on their story then tag their friends to fill it out too. This makes things fun and increases your reach.
Stories are hotter than ever right now, and these are some great tips for businesses to effectively use stories in order to further connect with their audience while also increasing their engagement/reach during trying times like now.