Instagram Stories were launched four years ago this month, in August 2016. Today, more than 500 million users post to Instagram Stories daily. With content expiring after 24 hours, unless it is saved to your Highlights, Instagram Stories are a great place for your brand to post the latest announcements, share behind-the-scenes looks, give sneak peeks and gear up for big reveals.
Since Instagram Stories first launched, new features have been added to help personalize your Story content. Just this week, new fonts were added to give users additional text styles to overlay on video and photo content. Instagram’s interactive Story features are some of our favorites to use for brands. We are taking a look at how Instagram’s interactive Story features can be used for your business and how you can implement these features in a professional way.
To access all of the interactive features we discuss, be sure your Instagram app has the latest update. Once you’re in the app, swipe to access your Instagram Story, either choose the Create feature, record a video, take a picture or upload one directly from your camera roll. Swipe up to see all of the interactive features that can then be used for your business.
Quiz and Poll Stickers
Quiz stickers can be added to your Stories to give followers a multiple choice formatted response after you pose a question. Poll stickers allow you to ask a question and provide two choices for viewers to choose from. We like using both of these interactive Story concepts to connect with your customers, receive feedback and hear ideas.
For example, a candle company looking to create holiday scents can have customers vote on their favorite combinations. A restaurant can poll followers to help select a new cocktail special. A doctor’s office can use these features as a learning tool to share something that their patients might not have known. Always be sure to follow up after the poll/quiz is complete to share responses or results. This helps to take the process full-circle for your followers and encourages future interaction and engagement.
Question Sticker
Question stickers can be edited to ask a question, hear feedback, ask for suggestions and start a conversation. Use Question stickers to spark up a Q & A session, receive ideas from your individual followers or answer frequently asked questions. This feature can be used to help center your brand on its customers.
A clothing retail brand can ask it’s followers to respond with what styles they are wanting to shop for the upcoming season. A coffee shop can do a fun Q & A on tips and tricks for their customers’ favorite drinks. A dentist’s office can offer to answer questions about dental health. These ideas can also be taken from the Instagram questions and used on your brand’s website for blog topics or future content inspiration!
Countdown Sticker
A customizable Countdown sticker can be added to any of your Instagram Stories to give your followers a timeline before a new product launches, an announcement is made or an event takes place. Use it to create hype and excitement for your followers. Be sure to customize your Countdown to detail what you are counting down to. It can be placed on a Story days before the launch/event/announcement, but it can also be helpful to include it on a Story within 24 hours so that followers can follow the excitement.
A retail brand can use the Countdown sticker to countdown to the release of a new product. A venue can use the Countdown sticker to encourage last minute sales before a big event. A lawyer can use the sticker feature to countdown before revealing a new office location announcement.
Instagram is known for staying on top of trends with new rollouts, updates and feature launches. Their interactive Story features are some of our favorite ways to encourage follower engagement, hear from customers and receive feedback directly from your audience. Try including these stickers in your upcoming content and let us know what you think!
Look for updates on Instagram’s newest feature, Reels, and how you can use it for your business!
