Every day, over 300 million people use Instagram Story Functions, the Snapchat-like function that makes an image and video sequences that disappear 24 hours after being posted.
That is great news for the millions of business profiles on the platform because, on average, one in five Stories gets a direct message. And when a potential buyer reaches out to your enterprise on Instagram, that’s a lead.
Want more leads? This article will help.
This article is for marketers who need to better understand the way to use Instagram Story functions.
Let’s go.
How to use Instagram Story Functions
When you are new to Instagram, this part is a great place to begin. It explains how to use Instagram Story functions with easy-to-follow, step-by-step directions.
When you are a more experienced user, feel free to skip to the Ideas section to discover the creative methods successful brands use Instagram Story functions to stand out. And below that, there are some tips and tricks that highlights the best practices every marketer need to know.
Now, let’s answer some beginner FAQs:
“How do I POST an Instagram Story?”
After setting up a Business Instagram account, it is time to create content to populate your Stories.
- Open the Instagram app
- Tap the camera icon at the upper-left corner
- Choose the format of your content at the bottom of the screen. You could create a TYPE, LIVE, NORMAL, BOOMERANG, SUPERZOOM, REWIND, HANDS-FREE, or STOP MOTION piece of content
- Tap the white circle at the bottom of the screen to take an image. Press and hold the white circle to take a video
Note: Shoot vertically, so your content will take up as much room on the screen as possible.
“How do I add a HASHTAG to my Instagram Story?”
Hashtags will help prospects find your content:
Step 1: Make a photo or video.
Step 2: Click on the Aa icon at the top-right corner. You will see a cursor appear in the center of the screen.
Step 3: Adjust the size, color, and location of the cursor.
Step 4: Tap the # symbol first, then write a word or sentence, without spaces, and press RETURN to create a hashtag.
Note: Instagram permits a maximum of 30 hashtags per post, however, you shouldn’t make that many. According to a study by TrackMaven, average interactions per post drops off after about 5 hashtags.
“How do I add a LOCATION to my Instagram Story?”
This is one of the best features when you use Instagram story functions. Most locations (read: cities) all over the world have their own Stories, that are curated by Instagram from posts that include location tags. Posts that get chosen for a Location Story get more reach, visibility, and engagement:
Step 1: Make a photo or video.
Step 2: Tap the folded smiley icon at the high of the screen, which will bring up an assortment of stickers.
Step 3: Tap the LOCATION sticker, then choose exactly where the photo or video was taken.
“How do I add a STICKER to my Instagram Story?”
Stickers are photos that you could pin to a photo or video. They add an extra dimension to your content, making it more fascinating:
Step 1: Create a photo or video.
Step 2: Tap the folded smiley icon at the high of the screen to bring up the stickers menu.
Step 3: Choose a sticker, pinch it to make it smaller or bigger, then move it anywhere on the screen. When it is ready, press the sticker until you see a PIN button appear in the bottom-right corner. Choose it.
“How do I add a POLL to my Instagram Story?”
Polls are interactive stickers that permit viewers to reply binary questions. It is an awesome tool for marketers who need to engage their followers while at once collecting valuable quantitative data:
Step 1: Create a photo or video.
Step 2: Tap the folded smiley icon at the upper of the screen.
Step 3: Choose POLL, which needs to be near the top, then type your question in the field that says, “Ask a question…” in gray. You could also change the text in the YES | NO field below.
Note: Users who take part in your poll will see the outcomes immediately after answering the question. As the administrator, you could swipe up on the post to see who voted and how.
“How do I add HIGHLIGHTS to my Instagram Story?”
Highlights are Stories that you have chosen to live on beyond their typical 24-hour lifespan. When you created a Story that you are particularly proud of, for example, you could select to show it at as Highlight on your profile page, giving viewers quick access to the content you most want them to see:
Step 1: Create a photo or video.
Step 2: Add it to your story.
Step 3: Open your story, tap HIGHLIGHT in the bottom-right corner, then press NEW to name the content and add it to the reel on your profile.
“How do I check the VIEWS on my Instagram Story?”
You made a Story. Now let’s see how it’s performing:
Step 1: Tap You along the top of the Home screen. It will bring up your Story.
Step 2: Swipe up to see a list of users which have viewed each individual post in your Story.
Note: If there is somebody on the list whom you do not want viewing your Stories anymore, tap the X to the suitable of that user’s name. It will hide future images, videos, and live videos from that person.
“What is the Instagram EXPLORE page?”
In its early days, Instagram had a “Popular” page that displayed the most-liked content on the platform. It is since been replaced by the “Explore” page, an incredibly powerful function that could help a business explode its reach, driving unprecedented brand awareness, engagement, and conversions.
Not like the Popular page, every user’s Explore page is populated with different content, which is curated based on their comments and likes as well as the activity of the accounts they follow.
For instance, if your enterprise posts an image, which I then like or comment on from the Hootsuite Instagram account (which has more than 76,000 followers), then your photo will appear on the Explore page of people who like or comment on Hootsuite’s photos.