Recently Instagram launched a new feature called Stories that strongly resembles Snapchat’s section of the same name. You can add a photo or video to your story just by tapping the “+” button in the top left hand corner of the app and choose to take a photo or 10 second video. You can draw on the picture or video by taping the pen tool in the top right hand corner, and add different filters by swiping left. You can also type directly onto the photo or video then resize the text by zooming in and rotating it. If you tap “My Story” on the homepage and swipe up, it will show you who has watched each photo and video.
In the past Snapchat has proven there’s a huge market for sharing fleeting, everyday moments of our lives and if Instagram can make stories work alongside its current offering, then this could be one of its most important updates because content on Instagram is simply more sharable, easier to understand, and far more universal than other types of content.
A recent study by Forrester Research found that Instagram users were 58 times more likely to like, comment, or share a brand’s post than Facebook users and 120 times more likely than Twitter users. All data indicates that users are moving away from Twitter and Facebook and shifting their time to Instagram. With this new feature, Brands can take advantage and create “behind the scene” stories. This stories could be a way to add some authenticity to the content that appears in the feed. If you have an active audience base on Instagram, you should jump on Stories quickly, you also have the opportunity for increased discoverability. In order to capture the attention of that audience you must be active on the platform, creating content that is not only engaging but also shareable for your target audience and keep in mind, you still want to be strategic with what you share, so make sure to have a solid content plan, and have an ultimate purpose or goal. The most powerful marketing comes from friends, family, someone you follow, or someone you trust. To reach the ideal audiences for your brand you must connect with and utilize these influencers. Given the proper guidelines, they can create content for a product or idea that will resonate with your audience and will have a lasting impression.
