Anyone who said Stories were supposed to be a flash in the social media pan has turned out to be pretty wrong — the Stories feature continues to increase in popularity, and it has great potential you can harness for marketing your business. An estimated 500 million users post and watch Stories every single day, and a quarter of all Millennial and Gen Z consumers say they find products and services they want to invest in via Stories on social media.

That’s cool! Remind me again what Stories are...

If you’re not completely savvy to Stories, that’s okay. They seem silly until you get the hang of them, and then you realize just how many possibilities you have for engaging with your customer base.

Stories actually started out with the platform SnapChat in 2013. Stories were easily consumable posts that focused primarily on photos and short video clips that would only stay online for 24 hours. Think of it as a way of finding out what your friends — or, in this case, favorite businesses — have going on here and now.

Stories were later adopted by Instagram, which popularized the feature, particularly as SnapChat diminished in popularity. Stories later spread to Facebook, then to LinkedIn. Twitter launched its own version known as Fleets, and YouTube created its own version known as Reels (not to be confused with the Instagram feature Reels, which was a response to content creation on TikTok).

Because they are available only for a day, they create a sense of urgency among social media users. They want to look at Stories once they become available because otherwise, they might miss out on the fun. And if you’re not using Stories, your competition probably is — more than one-third of businesses say they promote their products or services on Stories.

It’s all about a fast, fun flow of information

If you’re using social media the way you always have, you’ll be left in the dust. Businesses need to evolve to use social media the way their customer base is using it.

Social media is no longer about basic text posts that are sent out from a desktop computer — you might already know that in theory, but what does that mean in practice? It means your social media presence needs to incorporate in-the-moment content with pictures, video, music, and interactive elements. Stories are an easy way for your clientele to interact with you and perceive your brand as interesting and relatable.

Because Stories only last for 24 hours and are intended to be scrolled through on a phone, they don’t need to be big professional productions. You can use pictures and video captured on your phone, and the social media platform provides all the editing tools you need. What’s most important is that you have a creative mindset when approaching it.

Stories provide more opportunities for you to get your brand in front of your followers, thus creating greater brand awareness. Additionally, there are more chances to engage, as people who view your Stories will have the chance to respond to them and strike up a conversation.

Stories will also prompt some people to visit your page and see more of what you share in the form of posts, or even to your website (although you need at least 10,000 followers to link a website to your Stories). They’re a great way of driving traffic!

Need some Stories inspiration? Here are some ideas

So, you’re now sold on the value of Stories and you’re curious about all the capabilities you’ll have. When you’re playing around with Stories, you’ll have the chance to create:

• Polls: As your followers a question and share the results with your followers. If you’re an ice cream shop, ask them whether they prefer rainbow sprinkles or chocolate sprinkles. If you’re a realtor, ask them whether they prefer hardwood floors or carpeting. It doesn’t have to be a poll where you’re seriously counting on an answer — people just like to weigh in on stuff.

• Q&A: Similar to a poll, you can ask an open-ended question and receive brief responses from followers. If you receive really good responses, you can share them in a future Story.

• Live videos: Live videos are always a popular option for drawing people in. Once you’ve finished streaming live, you can opt to publish the video to your Stories.

• Hashtags, Location Tags, and Mentions: Don’t forget to add these — they’ll increase your exposure for anybody who is following those hashtags or locations. If the user you mention wants to, they can share your Story to their own Stories timeline, and all of their followers will see what you posted. It’s a great way for new followers to find you!

Want more in-depth guidance on how to use Stories for promoting what your business has to offer? The team at Ann’s Social Media & Marketing can help! Reach out today by emailing ann@annmarkets.com or calling 443-679-4916.