3 New Features Added To Instagram Stories
It’s safe to say that Instagram is one of the most popular social apps out right now - and only growing. In August, Instagram launched Instagram Stories. Instead of posting single individual carefully chosen photos throughout the day (or just choosing one), Stories lets you post a bunch of photos in one place - and at the end of the day, voilà! They dissapear. Just like Snapchat.
This month, Instagram has launched 3 more features that will impact brands - postively. Meaning higher engagement and user participation (and the potential for click throughs to your site!!) In this blog, Hollywood Branded takes a look at how Instagram Stories new features can engage your consumer, and lead to more brand sales.
Boomerang
Instagram launched Boomerang late last year as a standalone app to create short videos. The purpose of Boomerang is to stitch together a quick burst of various photos that then make a GIF-like "mini video" which will play forwards - and backwards! This new feature works to Boomerang right onto your story camera. You can also switch from front camera to regular camera as well as create shorter gif's if you prefer.
To shoot a Boomerang video on your story...just look in the bottom right corner and you will see options “normal” or “Boomerang”.
Mentioning Friends
Move over Snapchat! Instagram stories now allows a user to mention a brand or friends with a click through link to their page. When you use the mention feature, it sends your friends or the brand a direct message to notify them of being mentioned.
To mention a brand or friend, it’s similar to mentioning on a feed photo. Just press “@” and start typing their name, it will pop up and then click it!
Click Through Links
Links on Instagram in other places than just our bios! This is like music to a brand’s ears. Instagram is introducing the feature on stories but it is only available to verified users at the moment. This means there’s hope for the feature to roll out elsewhere on the app...aka the pictures we post!
If your account is verified and you want to use a click through link on your story, click the link icon at the top of the screen. An “add link” page will open and just type in your website!
What All Of This Means For Your Brand
Mainly the mentioning of @ friends or brands and click through links are the winners with brands here. Facebook and Twitter make it easy for people to click from the platform to a webpae - Instagram and Snapchat, not so much. Until now on Instagram at least! Marketing on SnapChat can be successful, but also tricky without click through links. Mllennials like easy. Instagram Stories has just made it easier to get higher engagement and possible sales. Having a social influencer post on their story about your brand, with a link to your webpage where the item they are mentioning lives is not only a home run, but a super organic way to promote. Being able to have the viewer click the mention and make their way to your page will work to raise your brand awareness.
Click through links on Instagram Stories is also amazing for brands because for instance, say you have a clothing and lifestyle brand, you can snap pictures of the product on your story and link directly to that item. This should lead to more traffic - and generate more sales of that product! It is also an easy way to show your viewers that “cool kids” are using your product. You can simply repost the image to your story of an influencer using the product, and link back directly to the product on your site!
What’s Coming
As we mentioned in a previous blog post, the next big thing to make an impact for brands is Instagram shopping! The platform is also testing Instagram live which will be similar to the new and successful feature on Facebook. Instagram is actively developing ways to keep the engagement strong which is fun for users and exciting for brands who use the platform as a tool for marketing. Everyone wins!
Are you interested in learning more on how your brand can work with social media influencers? Download our infographic that provides case studies, rates and strategies for success when creating a social media influencer program.
