With over 500 million daily active users, Instagram is an invaluable resource for brands and businesses who want to build their following and reach new audiences. The platform is constantly updating to offer new opportunities for its users to build their brand.
Posting Instagram Stories builds your brand and drives engagement for your business. Following hashtags allows you to stay up to date with the latest happenings in your industry. Scheduling Instagram posts helps you streamline your brand’s processes and content.
The latest step in the evolution of Instagram involves its successful Stories feature. In December, Instagram introduced an update that makes Stories even more essential for your business: Story Highlights.
Here’s what you need to know about Instagram’s Story Highlights, and how your business can use this new feature:
What are Story Highlights?
Story Highlights are archives of your saved Stories. Highlights appear below your profile photo and bio, available for your audience to view any time- not just for the 24 hours a post is included in your Story.
You can add highlights from your profile or directly from current Stories. Since the feature rolled out, all of your Stories are archived automatically, meaning you can choose former Stories to include in your Highlights (you can turn this off in your settings, but we recommend taking advantage of it).
From there, you can name your Highlights album and choose a cover image for the reel. You can find a step-by-step guide for how to create a Story Highlight here.
When taking photos or videos to use for content, keep in mind that the optimal size for Instagram Stories and Highlights is 1080×1920 px.
How can Highlights benefit my business?
Stories are on track to take over posts as the best way to reach and engage your audience. Therefore, it’s important to embrace every aspect of Instagram Stories- including Highlights. Plus, it’s just a great way to promote your business.
When used prudently, Highlights can help build your brand, giving insight into who you are as a business, and better establishing your organization as an industry leader. You can also better connect with your target audience by posting content they want to see. Not to mention, using the feature proves that your brand is on top of the latest trends.
How do I make the most out of the Highlights feature?
There are so many ways that your brand or business can use Story Highlights to your advantage. The following are a just a few ideas to get you started, but remember that not every idea will work for every brand. Consider which options make sense for your business, and go from there.
Firstly, you can use Highlights as a place to announce new products, updates, specials, or any events lasting beyond the 24-hour time limit on Stories. Have a sale going on in your store? Share the details in your Highlights! Changing your business hours over the holidays? Post the special hours in your Highlights to keep your followers in the loop.
Another great way to use Highlights is to give your followers a peek behind the curtain of your business. Behind-the-scenes looks at office life and employee spotlights will give your audience a better glimpse into who you are and what your brand represents. Followers want to connect with brands on a more personal level, and a look at life in your office can help you form that connection.
Highlights are also a great place to showcase how your business is involved with the community at large. This is particularly beneficial for smaller local businesses, allowing you to show your audience how you fit into and engage with the community. You might post photos or videos from around town, or connect with other businesses in the area to strengthen B2B relationships.
When creating highlights, it’s important to think about the kind of content your followers want to see. Based on your brand and business offerings, what are some things your audience might be interested in? A few ideas might include how-to videos, tutorials, or seasonal tips.
Other ideas for Story Highlights include promoting blog posts from your website, repurposing and enhancing old content, hosting giveaways, and the list goes on. No matter your brand or business, you can find a unique way to make Highlights work for you.
Story Highlights are yet another tool your business can use to take your brand’s social media presence to the next level. Instagram is a vital tool for connecting with your audience, and Highlights are yet another way you can deliver engaging content that your followers want to see.
Social media is evolving every day, and it can be hard to keep up with the latest trends. That’s where we come in.
At TargetMarket, we can help make your digital footprint something to be proud of. If you have questions about how your business can take advantage of the latest social media trends, give us a call at (888) 632-4499.
