Oct 23 | Categories: Social Media

Social Media Stories for Advertising

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What You Need to Know About Social Media Story Ads 

The latest in social media’s continuous advancements and developments are “stories.” This new medium has become increasingly popular – not only to the average user, but to companies looking for new ways to advertise. Stories, most prevalent on Instagram, Snapchat, and occasionally Facebook, mostly consist of photos or videos with text and image overlays. Photos and videos disappear after 24 hours, which makes it important that any ads make a lasting impression. 

Instagram Story Ads

Since their start in 2010, Instagram has grown to 800 million users. An average of 53 minutes per day is spent using the app by at least 500 million users. Additionally, 250 million stories are published on the app daily. Through Instagram Stories, marketers are able to not only share photos or videos, but also to take the consumer directly to a landing page where the product is offered through a “swipe up” feature.

Instagram Story Ads have been proven to have higher engagement and click through rate (CTR) versus ads featured on a user’s feed. If you’re unfamiliar with Instagram, you may be wondering how Instagram Story Ads and Instagram Feed Ads differ from each other. Instagram Feed Ads are integrated seamlessly with the user’s feed and can be easy to scroll past or miss. Engagement rates with Instagram Story Ads is higher because they occupy the user’s entire screen, making it a more captivating experience.

While Instagram Story Ads are great for boosting customer engagement, the simple act of increasing online presence is a win for companies. As people continue to increase their activity on social media, showing a consistent presence on social platforms is key for companies who want to engage more customers. 

How to Best Optimize Social Media Stories

To make the most of stories, you’ll want to be aware of all the features available. The most popular, most common, and simplest feature to use are hashtags. Hashtags are a large part of advertising because they allow users to find your content through a simple search for phrases or words.

Let’s review the Instagram Story features that will help you boost engagement and drive sales:

• Polls – polls on Instagram are stickers added to any story to engage a customer and find out more about them, like which one of your products they are most excited about. Polls are a great way to drive more audience interactions.
• Emoji sliders – sliders are great for getting a quick reaction from your audience. Emoji sliders are most commonly used to indicate what type of content or product the customers want to see next.
• Questions – question stickers are significant when encouraging more interactions. The question sticker option allows the audience to submit their questions, concerns, and opinions.
• Product stickers – product stickers allow specific products you offer to be linked in stories. This makes it simple for your audience to click on something they like rather than search for it separately.

Creating an authentic connection between a brand and a consumer is important. When audience members and customers feel like they’re part of your community, they gain a sense of belonging, develop brand loyalty, and are even more likely to click “add to cart.”