You have an Instagram account dedicated entirely to your network marketing business, and you share content on a regular basis with targeted hashtags on every post. Your posts get comments and likes, and you even get sales from time to time based solely on your Instagram posts. You might think you’re doing pretty good with your Instagram marketing, but we’re here to tell you that you might be missing a big piece of the puzzle… Instagram Stories.
If you’re not sharing Instagram Stories on a regular basis you could be limiting your potential. According to TechCrunch, over 300 million people are using the Instagram Stories feature every single day. That’s almost twice the number of people that are using Snapchat! So are you taking advantage of this feature that is currently more popular than the entire app it’s based upon?
Why Creating a Story is Smart Business
Chances are, you’ve watched plenty of Instagram Stories, but you might have held off on creating your own because you weren’t sure what to share. It makes lots of sense for bloggers or influencers to use Stories because they make more money when they can get people interested in their personal life. However, it’s just as important for brands and business owners to show a little bit of their non-business side, too.
Have you ever heard the saying “people buy from people, not companies?” It’s true! People are likely familiar with the brand you’re selling, but they’re going to buy from you because of the connection they feel with you. When you pop on Instagram Stories and share your latest personal success (whether that has anything to do with your business or not) it creates an opportunity for people to connect with you. If you create a poll and ask a question, it allows people the chance to share themselves with you (and hopefully bond over a follow-up message you send). It’s all about building a connection and creating more ways for your followers to feel like real friends.
Stories That Hold Their Interest
The hardest thing about Instagram Stories is knowing the difference between what’s interesting content and what’s going to get skipped over. Lots of companies that use Instagram Stories to market themselves discover that the pages at the end of their stories get far fewer views than the ones at the beginning. This means people are losing interest before they make it all the way through the story. A great way to combat this problem is by storyboarding your content.
Storyboarding sounds complex, but it’s just the process of mapping out the content you’re going to share beforehand. It helps you to create a cohesive theme (especially with any graphics you’re using) and identify your goal for creating the story in the first place. This will keep you from rambling or forgetting why you wanted to hop on Instagram Stories in the first place.
Ideas for Successful Storytelling
Stuck on what to post on your next Instagram Story? Here are some ideas for you to try:
- An authentic look into your life – share a photo of your pet, your makeup haul, your date night… anything that gives people the chance to connect with you. Be open, but don’t let it take over your life. One photo or short video is plenty, then put the phone away and enjoy your life!
- Create a teaser – do you have a new blog post coming out or is there a new product about to launch? Tease it in your instagram Stories! Use an on-brand image and overlay some text to get people excited for what’s to come.
- Shine a light on someone – has someone made a big impact on you or done something really inspiring? Shine a spotlight on them in your Instagram Stories. Don’t forget to tag them!
- Encourage engagement – Use polls, questions, or calls to action that encourage people to drop a message in your DMs. This is a great way to get a conversation going! People always want to share their thoughts on a topic, so all you really have to do is ask. What could be easier?
Instagram Stories is a great way to get real and create more connections with your followers. The best part is, you can do it from anywhere. This kind of flexibility is probably the reason you were drawn to network marketing in the first place, so get out there and tell some stories!
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