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Instagram Stories promotion through images
Instagram Stories promotion through images
Promotion through Stories helps to increase the attendance of your account. However, everything must be done wisely, otherwise, there will be no effect from the creation of the Stories.
Hello! Sit back comfortably, because right now you will learn about the main secrets and novelties of Instagram Stories just from us. It will be better if you immediately implement the received knowledge.
Briefly about the latest Stories updates
Stories Highlights — How to make and use permanent stories
Instagram Stories appeared in the autumn of 2016. Tens of millions of users have tasted and really liked it. Over the past term, developers have implemented many functions. Let's see what updates were released in the last six months.
Archiving. Stories appeared at the beginning of winter in 2017. They are immediately sent to the archive and don't disappear in a day. If necessary, they can be viewed again or added to new publications. If the function gets boring, you can always turn it off.
Stories Highlights. They have appeared literally after archiving. Stories Highlights let you collect Stories and pin in a personal profile.
Gifs. They came after the New Year holidays in 2018. From now on, you can get animated stickers in your own account.
New fonts. This function was released by the developers after gifs. To get new fonts, you need to download the Story, click "Aa" and write any text.
Text Stories. They can be used, but still, work in a beta mode.
Ads Converter. It was moved from the main feed for convenience.
Briefly, we figured out what's interesting appeared in Stories lately. Now let's take a look at the basic Instagram functions from the promotion point of view.
Stories: why it's important to use them
Free instagram promotion - the phase of active actions
This question can be answered in different ways. However, there are 3 main reasons:
Increases the coverage of posts in the news feed. Thanks Stories, you can make a whole intrigue! In addition, it becomes easier to communicate with your TA. And inexorable statistics say that more and more users are watching Stories. The usual feed scroll far fewer people. If you are a company representative or an IE and don't want to miss the boat, then you need to consider the above.
In April 2018, targeted advertising in Stories is inexpensive. Competition begins to emerge, but so far it's not high.
You can arrange various contests and quizzes in the Stories. Users often like these ideas very much.
Important secrets and tips
You are already twitching in the chair in the hope of learning how to stir up your audience on Instagram? Don't worry, we'll tell you everything!
Hide Stories from specific users
Are you unhappy that some specific subscribers know what is happening in your Stories? Or are you planning any kind of surprise? Then, let's hide your Stories together. This is done like this:
go to your personal profile;
open the options section;
get to the settings of the stories;
click "Hide my stories from...";
select persons you want;
save the changes.
Adding a link
Do you have 10 000 followers? Congratulations, because now you can add a link to your Stories. This can be done with the help of two services:
To insert a link, make a video or take a picture of something. Then click on a special icon that is in the upper right corner. Enter the link you would like to share. Now download the resulting Story.
Use the Hands-free mode
Went to the fitness center and decided to show everyone how you are actively engaged? Or did you decide to go on a trip and shoot everything on a camera? This experience should be shared with others necessarily. The "Hands-free" mode will help you to cope with the task:
open the news feed and click on "Your Story";
you will see shooting modes, then make a gesture to the left;
"Hands-free" will drop out, after which a video will be recorded for 15 seconds.
Apply the "Reverse playback"
This function is called Rewind. Entrepreneurs will find it very interesting, even though it has a small value. The reverse playback is done like this:
go to Stories and make a gesture to Rewind mode;
record a video;
please wait while it's being processed. After that, the video will be played backward.
Increase the size of frames
When creating Stories, you can significantly increase the size of your videos. To do this, hold down the record button and slide your finger up. So you bring the overall pic closer. To reduce it, the finger is shifted downward.
Use individual markers
Do you like drawing? Then this skill will be useful to you and while promoting Stories. They are allowed to draw with a marker. Moreover, this function can be well configured. It's necessary to understand in detail. Therefore:
record a video or something to photograph;
select a marker from the top of the screen.
Now adjust the width of the marker. To do this, it will be enough to move the size scale in different directions.
There are also color settings. Most often only 9 colors and their basic shades are displayed in Insta. But in fact, there are more of them, just until you know the secret! It means that you need to hold the button on any shade. The color map will be opened in a couple of moments.
Take the Eraser
Another way to attract the attention of an audience in Stories is to start erasing with an eraser. Really! There really is such a tool on Instagram. To start using it, make a Story and click on the marker icon.
The eraser is especially suitable when you get carried away and draw a bunch of objects. Or, in general, the whole background was painted with a marker.
Clarifying statistics
Each of you sees users who have watched your Stories. To do this, click on the "eye" icon, which indicates the statistics. If you want, you can understand who is your biggest fan. You need to work with these people particularly carefully.
In business accounts, you can view advanced statistics.
Masks
Snapchat hasn't caught on in our country. But many people liked the function of masks. They quickly began popular throughout the world. Instagram owners decided not to miss the benefits and introduced masks to their social network.
The Stories will be revived due to the fact that you try on the ears of animals or put on a crown.
To start using masks, go to the camera, expand it and select the icon with a smile. You will see the available masks below. After that, you can create a funny Story!
Geolocation and hashtags
Revolutionary search for accounts using geolocation and keywords - only in Zen-promo!
They will not work on photos, but for video clips are perfect.
Now, every Instagram user can see what's happening around him. And all thanks to the geolocation. If you really want, then you can watch videos from anywhere on Earth.
Hashtags will also help you. Thanks to them, everything is found on Instagram. In Stories, hashtags look like this:
Add gifs
Animated stickers are needed not only for entertainment. Using gifs from several photos you can make an interesting video. After that, you place a link to the result in Stories. After viewing new people will come to your account.
Since April 12th, 2018, iPhone owners are able to add reminder stickers to their Stories. They move around the screen and change in size. For Android owners, the feature is not yet available.
Cool Lifehacks
Use the recommendations below, and then your Stories will be watched by thousands of followers.
Building a chronology at the end of the day
Experienced bloggers know a very useful lifehack. They post Stories when the day has come to an end. There are 3 reasons why bloggers advise to do this:
You will avoid all kinds of technical missteps.
Subscribers will be able to track in the correct sequence what happened in the last 24 hours.
There will be time to add the necessary effects.
Create texts of any colors
Thanks to this lifehack you will get to use all your creativity. You will have perfect texts for new publications. This is done like this:
start the Story and begin recording;
in the upper right corner click on the "Aa" icon;
write down what you need, and click on "Done".
Add Polls
Still, don't know what content your followers like? Do you want to understand this very quickly? Of course! It's very simple - you need to do surveys. Through them you will know opinions of your audience:
about the topics of their interest;
about the more convenient way to contact you;
about the preferred time for broadcasts;
about the parameters of products, and so on.
In surveys, there are usually several options for answers:
The voting results hang in your account for exactly 24 hours.
Regularly communicate
Auto Messages in direct - Zen-promo update
There is no secret that users comment on their favorite Stories. Each of these comments appears immediately on Direct. The involvement of your profile grows, and this is very good.
It would seem quite an obvious action: can be there any innovations? Undoubtedly! You will need to organize a call to action and start communication. Thanks to this method, you will have a new content.
What is needed here is to:
offer subscribers to proceed to specific publications;
actively ask your target audience about something and providing answers;
arrange quizzes and contests for followers.
Use portrait photography
This function is still raw since it appeared in the early days of April 2018. It's called Focus. By turning on this function in Stories, you will be able to blur the background of photos and videos.
Master the profession of a director
Always dreamed of becoming an excellent director? Instagram gives you this opportunity! Consider that in Stories you will shoot a small film. Interesting movies always have:
a premise;
a plot;
a denouement.
No one today is surprised by simple frames since there's no need for them. A viewer looks at such Stories and closes it indifferently, without getting any emotions. Hence, it's necessary that he could experience the real effect of immersion. If you do everything right, then Direct will grab thousands of enthusiastic messages.
In winter of 2017, IKEA decided to show non-standard Stories to followers and clients on Instagram. The company made an unusual adventure calendar from a simple hanger. Every day they opened a box with the correct number. Inside was a small parcel. After the experiment, IKEA told that subscribers really liked the idea. They looked at each Story like spellbound.
Download the footage
In the settings of Stories, there is a function for automatically downloading each photo and video. Agree, you don't always know what materials will be useful to you one day. Suddenly, an old photo can be very relevant for a new Story.
Include gamification
What will you do if there are only polls and strange votings appearing in the Stories? Of course, quickly get tired of this. So your followers quickly get bored with the same type of quizzes. In this way, no one is involved in communication. As a result, the account bothers, and it is unfollowed.
But there is a solution to the problem, and it's very simple. You need to play with your audience! In other words, include elements of gamification.
Of course, it's not for everyone. You need to fulfill the following conditions:
make a significant prize that would appeal to users;
have active followers who give feedback instantly.
Use the Ad Converter
This chip isn't for everyone, but only for those who launch targeting ads on Instagram.
The system automatically selects the desired background and embeds the inscription under the Story publication. In addition, you can add active links.
Post lists of TOP-10 type
People really like figures. So, they should be used. Lists provide an opportunity to decompose the information received into shelves. Followers cling to the hook and want to know what will happen next.
What are the lists? There are plenty of options: 7 ways to use your product, 15 unusual facts about your business, 10 ways to travel profitably, and so on.
For example, the Anthropologie online store regularly publishes Stories with lists.
Show a behind-the-scenes life
In ordinary life, no one sees the working processes of entrepreneurs and companies. So, you need to show that to interested people! It's not necessary to disclose the whole truth. But after all, no one is stopping you to take imaginary pictures. For example, you can show how the cook fries a delicious meat.
There is also an illustrative example in which Nasa shows the following:
Tell the audience about events from the life of your company
Polls in Instagram Stories and the other “cool features” of Instagram.
After a backstage life, you can show what is happening in your company. A vivid example: the Southwest Airlines came up with a long series of Stories. The company showed how the 737-500 airplanes are retiring. Initially, there were short videos and then the thematic content. Recently was introduced the company storytellers:
Motivate followers with quotes
Motivational pics always go to cheers. It isn't necessary to search for rare quotes of some prehistoric philosophers and thinkers. Excerpts from interesting articles or your director statements are quite appropriate.
Special hashtags are not required, because most followers deal with the subject. For example, a businessman from the United States, Gary Vaynerchuk, turns quotes into animated videos:
Promote posts from blogs
Do you have a blog? You put a lot of energy into it, but there is no payback? Then the Stories on Instagram will definitely help you.
It's very simple! Take small pieces of useful materials from the blog and start sharing them with your followers. The most important thing is to highlight the strong points and basic thoughts in publications. These are moments that will interest people.
For example, the Apartment Therapy studio shares in Stories an interesting material:
Show your product in action
Do you have any interesting products? Then they can be shown in Stories to your followers and potential customers. Tell about best mechanism for using them.
Vitamix is a company that sells blenders and it regularly shows interesting videos. For example, in one of the Stories, viewers saw how to cook a green smoothie in all details.
Show events
Followers should see that you are an active person or company representative. Show in the Stories your participation in festivals, presentations, and parties. Let people understand that you do not only work hard but also able to get out somewhere and have a good rest.
Let's take a look at the Zara makeup studio. They often launch broadcasts in Stories. For example, the company once arranged a beauty meeting. For the guests were organized mini-tutorials. It looked like this:
Undertake limited sales
This format comes to users for several reasons:
an agiotage is created around a limited offer;
the decision must be taken quickly, otherwise, you will remain without something useful and classy.
Thanks to such promotions, you can improve sales in your online store. It's recommended to put geotagging and call people who see them, to come for a late bite.
For example, the JCrew store sold pink glasses on a sale in a limited number. In Stories, they showed photos of girls in these glasses. Take a look at their new Stories:
Make a portfolio
Suppose you are a blogger, an architect, a designer, a photographer, or someone else. In fact, this isn't so important. The main thing is that you can show your work "without walking away from the cash register".
Make an interesting learning content
NASA is an ideal example of how to use Stories. Moreover, we are not just talking about amazing images of space. The main achievement of the company is a quick opportunity to encourage people to learn something. In this case, the company proposes to study information from research in an interesting form. Each post is done in such a way that the motivation to look next appears.
You can make a useful experience from this. For example, the fact that you don't just need to advertise your products. First of all, create some value for people. Only then followers will regularly visit your profile and track all updates.
Make an interesting learning content
NASA is an ideal example of how to use Stories. Moreover, we are not just talking about amazing images of space. The main achievement of the company is a quick opportunity to encourage people to learn something. In this case, the company proposes to study information from research in an interesting form. Each post is done in such a way that the motivation to look next appears.
Twelve ways to effectively promote your account on Instagram
You can make a useful experience from this. For example, the fact that you don't just need to advertise your products. First of all, create some value for people. Only then followers will regularly visit your profile and track all updates.
Conclusion
Congratulations! Now you know not only unpretentious tips but also real secrets that you need to use in Stories! Don't forget to connect Zengram, and exactly your target audience will see the Story.
Read more about Zen-promo promotion:
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