Thomas Griffin — February 14, 2020 Are you optimizing all the social media features available to you to boost engagement?
Today, audience interactions go beyond the newsfeed. People also interact with ‘stories’, a relatively new social media feature.
Stories first became prominent with Snapchat. Short videos, pictures, and the ability to interact with AR technology quickly made stories popular with Gen Y.
Once Instagram added stories as a feature on its platform, followed by Facebook, it became all-pervasive. Stories have become a popular way for people to communicate and share personal content.
The use of stories is not a short-term trend; businesses need to be aware of the power of stories and how to leverage it.
Why Stories are Here to Stay
There are 5.11 billion unique mobile users around the world and it is projected that over half of all eCommerce sales will happen on mobiles by 2021.
You need to ensure that your digital marketing efforts are optimized for mobile platforms. Stories make it possible to create content in a vertical format, making it easy to share content and consume it. It’s fair to call stories the first real format that has been developed for the mobile phone.
Stories appear in a full-screen format, making them engaging and truly immersive. You can leverage them to grow your business by building audience engagement. Let’s explore a few ways that you can use stories to connect with people at a deeper level.
How to Boost Engagement with Stories
Stories offer a dynamic way to communicate with your audience. However, it’s not helpful to approach content creation for stories the same way you would for newsfeeds. Here are some helpful tips to help you create stories that win over customers.
Create Interactive Polls
Creating polls allows you to get feedback from your audience and also invites them to create content with you. They add an element of interactivity that gets your audience actively participating in your message. Encouraging your audience to take part in a poll makes your brand more memorable. you’ll also build positive associations that will lead to further engagement.
Leverage the Fear of Missing Out
You can leverage FOMO or the Fear of Missing Out to create more conversions and engagements for your brand. Instagram allows you to create a countdown timer that you can use for or limited period offers and discounts.
Stories only last for 24 hours which also increases the fear of missing out on an attractive opportunity. In this way, you can leverage stories to create an increase in engagement during a short time frame. Such strategies generate greater excitement especially during the holidays and other significant events.
Add Interactive Elements to Stories
Today, several social media platforms make it possible to add interactive elements to your stories. These elements can imbibe your content with greater meaning and make them more engaging. There are several options for you to consider.
- Location tags: After creating a story you can add a sticker or element that shows your location. Your users can find out more information about the place by clicking on the location tag.
- Text: It’s possible to make your story content more creative with the use of text. Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms allow you to add colorful text and interesting fonts. Use text to enhance your message content.
- Stickers, gifs, and emojis: Visual elements like stickers, gifs, and emojis make it possible to convey emotions and moods with little to no text. Ensure that you add stickers or other elements where it’s relevant to engage with your customers.
- Website links: Instagram will let you create links that send visitors to your website if you have over 10,000 followers. You can increase traffic to your website, boost conversions on your eCommerce Store, and increase app downloads.
Take a closer look at the stories feature available on social media. There are several options that give you an unlimited number of opportunities to be creative. Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook have special features that are available only to advertisers.
You can also generate reports on important metrics that will help you refine your marketing strategies and improve performance.
Showcase Insider Stories
Usually, when a person uploads content on their feed, it’s meant to stay for all time. Such content is often planned and created to highlight one’s best. On the other hand, stories last for just 24 hours, which is why people often use stories to share more personal content.
It’s important that you don’t create overly scripted material for your stories. Instead, focus on creating behind-the-scenes content of your brand. You can also create other kinds of content that feel unscripted and spur-of-the-moment. Such content allows your stories to flow smoothly with what real people are posting online.
You can also highlight your company’s mission and vision with images and short videos. This type of content feels authentic and will resonate with your audience.
Boost Engagement and Grow with Stories
It’s important for your brand to grow its presence on mobile platforms. Social media stories make it convenient to create content that makes the best use of a mobile screen.
Stories are highly engaging and offer your brand and important way to communicate with a wider audience.
It’s essential that you incorporate stories into your social media marketing strategy early on. Doing so will allow you to establish a presence on mobile platforms and stand out from your competition.
You’ll also build a connection with millennials and the Gen Y audience. Use the tips given here to create engagement and help your business connect with people in a meaningful way in 2020.
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