Instagram Stories Yay Or Nay?
If you haven't heard or scene by now Instagram has just introduced stories. It might be a complete rip off or copy of snapchat but it is going to change the way we Instagram. Now I'm not sure if they worked in collaboration with snapchat or just decided to outright copy them but the truth is people are loving it. And as a blogger, entrepreneur or a small business owner this is your time to shine.
Few things I would like to go over is that it is harder to grow a following on snapchat. You need to invite people one by one to grow your following. The nice thing as a business is that anyone and everyone can see your Instagram story. It allows you to have more influence, boost your presence and have more people view your content. But maybe to you that's not the best thing, having strangers view all your stories.
So the big question is what is everyone's reaction to it? In my opinion, I'm loving it. I wasn't using snapchat because it ate up to much of my battery and I was having issues with it. So I felt like I was missing out on a huge social media platform so I'm glad Instagram has stories. Also with Instagram's algorithm members had to work harder to create engagement on their accounts to be seen in the feed and with the option to have stories your content is always at the top ready for your followers to see. People are also able to share more without feeling spammy. They can add multiple snaps to their story throughout the day where as before if someone posted multiple times a day it wasn't received well .
So let's talk about the pros here: It allows you to create an even better relationship with your ideal audience. It allows you to show even more behind the scenes photos and how to videos. What you shouldn’t do is use it how you would a personal account. Don't share videos of your dog playing with a chew toy or your cute little baby eating cake. Yes it may be fun for you and your friends to share and watch but isn't good for the niche specific following you've worked to create. Share things that pertain to your brand. For example I shared behind the scenes of me setting up for a periscope or launching my e-course.
Personally I'm enjoying a peek into the lives of people I've looked up to and been following for years. I'm able to experience more than just a perfectly constructed edited photo, I'm able to see the real human part of it.
My tip for you is to stay true to your brand focus.
Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom explains that “It basically solves a problem for all these people who want to take a ton of photos of an event or something in their lives, but want to manage what their profile looks like and not bomb feed, obviously, as that’s one of the no-nos on Instagram.”
I would definitely suggest you add this to your Instagram strategy. If you want to grow your Instagram and learn how to target your ideal audience I'm sharing my FREE Instagram e-course for a limited time. Click here to Sign Up!
Be sure to follow @CharlotteLaila on Instagram for more tips and chat with me for live Q+A.
So the question is are you going to stay loyal to snapchat or join this new Instagram story revolution?
Let me know in the comments!
