When I choose a marketing strategy to focus on, it needs to tick a few boxes. It has to be easy to implement, deliver multiple benefits, show a track record of success, and most importantly – be enjoyable to do!
That’s exactly why using Instagram Stories more strategically is at the top of my list.
The stats speak for themselves – Instagram Stories aren’t just a passing trend, they’re a really useful marketing tool.
With over 500 million accounts reported to use stories daily, businesses are seeing major opportunities for growth.
In fact, a third of the most-watched stories come from brands, showing that audiences are eager to connect with businesses in this space.
A recent survey found that 58% of people have become more interested in a brand after seeing it featured in stories.
If you’re looking to get noticed and drive meaningful results, stories offer a great opportunity to engage your audience where they’re already paying attention.
In this post, I’m sharing my strategies and some useful tips to help you learn how to use stories more strategically in a way that will actually help grow your business.
If you’re not using Instagram stories to connect, engage, and convert your followers – you might be missing out on a nice-an-easy lead generation strategy.
So stories aren’t just for sharing behind-the-scenes moments (though those are great too) – they’re a great way to start meaningful conversations with people.
They’re a space where your audience can get to know you, trust your expertise, and see the heart behind your business.
It’s not just about being seen – it’s about being remembered and sparking meaningful interactions that can lead to inquiries about your offers.
Ultimately, the more interactions and conversations sparked via your stories, the more leads you’ll generate for your business.
The stories algorithm loves engagement. So every poll answered, question responded to, or DM sent boosts your stories visibility, meaning more eyes on your content.
The first thing I recommend is to ensure your stories are instantly recognizable as yours with consistent colors, fonts, and design elements to reinforce your brand identity.
Polls are simple yet effective for gathering insights and starting conversations. Ask your audience about their preferences, struggles, or even fun, light-hearted topics.
For example, “Which do you prefer: bold designs or soft neutrals?”
Questions like this give you valuable info (helpful for your future offers) and also allow your potential customers/clients to feel heard.
Use question stickers to invite responses like “What’s your biggest challenge with [your niche]?” or “What would you love to learn more about?”
You don’t have to just ask questions, you could also ask people for their recommendations. For example, I saw one recently asking about the best kind of camera to use.
When followers reply, simply reply to keep the conversation going. You don’t have to try and sell anything, I like to use these types of stories to find out more about my audience’s challenges in my niche.
Mix in engagement-boosting features like emoji sliders, quizzes, and “tap to vote” polls to encourage interaction. The more your audience interacts, the higher your stories move in their feed.
Don’t just stick to one type of story – you can have fun getting creative with different types of content. You can combine behind-the-scenes content, tips, testimonials, and product showcases – all to help keep your audience engaged.
Don’t forget to have a call-to-action on your stories. Encourage viewers to take action by linking to your website, promoting offers, or inviting them to DM you for more information.
This is where the lead generation strategy comes into play – as the actions they take get them closer to becoming warm (or even very hot) leads for your business.
I know how time-consuming it can be to create engaging, eye-catching stories that actually work.
So if you’re looking to take the guesswork out of crafting engaging stories, I’ve got something to help: Impactful Instagram Stories Canva Templates.
These templates are designed to boost engagement, encourage interactions, and save you hours of design time.
This Insta Story Canva Templates kit provides story designs that can:
Click here to check out the templates and start creating stories that captivate and convert!
Share to…
Sign up to get 10 free Canva templates for your social media.
Created with solopreneurs in mind, these templates offer a variety of content types to help boost your online presence!
