So you have Instagram, and you make a few posts per week. But did you know you can post Instagram stories that show at the top of the feed and last for 24hrs? These stories will not be saved to your profile so you can use them to share a huge range of content. But what are the benefits of Instagram stories?
You can make live videos and have them show for 24hrs
Previously, when you shot a live video on Instagram, it would disappear after it ended- now you can choose to share it as your story! This means there is more value in shooting live video.
You can create behind the scenes content
Share things like your face, something you’re working on or what you do on the side! Give your brand some real personality- show couples who you are and they are more likely to book you or be an avid supporter of your business.
You can add #hashtags to stories now
You might not have noticed, but you can add #hashtags to your Instagram stories now, and these will be discoverable by searching that hashtag! Instagram has introduced a bar for stories at the top of the screen when you search for a hashtag where you can view the stories.
They’re discoverable by location
If you post a story in a specific location or event, others can see that when they search that location! This gives you even more ability to be found by users.
You can add direct links to stories
If you have more than 10k followers, then you can add a link to your stories so that when users swipe up while viewing the story, it takes them directly to a link that you’ve input. You can direct them to your website or an enquiry form or a video on youtube- anything! We use this feature to promote real weddings, vendors, and articles. If you aren’t yet at that 10k follower’s mark, do not fear, we anticipate that this feature will roll out to more and more users soon- as at the time it originally launched it was only available to people with a million followers or more- so don’t fret.
Don’t be tempted to buy followers to get you over the 10k mark- it’s shady and it’s better to use what you DO have (like the link in bio) than to risk your account- it is part of your business after all!
You can tag people in your stories
When you tag people in stories, it sends them a direct message to let them know (just in case they miss it) and this is invaluable for growing your community! You can also give credit where due to the photographer who shot it, the MUA or whoever else was in the wedding dream team with you on that day! Perfect for building connections in the industry.
