Social Media Stories: A Vital Part of Your Marketing Strategy

By: Team WTI | Date: August 27, 2021

Categories: Social Media Management, Team WTI Articles,

Tags: Digital Marketing, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Social Media, Social Media Management, Stories,

Social media stories are taking the world by storm. They aren’t anything new, but more and more businesses are starting to use them to promote their brands. If you are not incorporating them into your digital marketing plan, now might be the time to start. 

What Are Stories?

Stories are quick clips, usually about 10-15 seconds long, that allow a person or business to show a different side to their social media. Stories can be photos, videos, or a mixture of both that are designed specifically for mobile. The unique aspect of stories is that they are only up for 24 hours, and then they disappear.

The temporary nature of stories makes them the perfect platform to post more personal and spontaneous content. For example, a feed for a pizzeria probably has posts with beautiful pictures of pizzas, but their story might include a video of how high the chef can toss pizza dough. It’s a fun, spontaneous glimpse behind the scenes. 

Where You Can Find Them

Across the board, stories are typically displayed across the top of whatever social media platform they appear on:

This is why it is a great way to increase exposure to your brand. A lot of social media users will flip through stories as soon as they open their apps. This gives you the chance to put yourself in front of them sooner than you would if you were to simply appear in their feed. Let’s take a look at the social media platforms that offer stories:

Snapchat

Snapchat is the originator of stories, giving brands the ability to create more casual disappearing content. Stories on Snapchat can include geofilters and gifs as personal touches and are popular among younger demographics.

Instagram

Instagram is your go-to for stories. Snapchat may have originated the trend, but Instagram ran with it. They offer a wide range of customizations, like question stickers, poll stickers, shopping, hashtags, and song lyrics.  

Facebook 

Facebook stories look fairly similar to Instagram stories, however the platform doesn’t dominate quite as much. It is still an effective way to increase visibility. 

Pinterest

Pinterest stories, or “Idea Pins” are a unique approach to stories. They appear at the top of the user’s app just like other apps, but these stories will not disappear after 24 hours. Brands on Pinterest can share their content and actually have it live at the top of the app as long as they like.

TikTok

TikTok’s story feature is so new, it hasn’t even rolled out yet! But it is coming. After testing it out with a small group of users, TikTok has plans for a story feature much like Instagram. The only difference will be that TikTok users will be able to publicly comment on stories and see who has view the content.

Benefits of Social Media Stories

Stories are not only a fun way to show different aspects of your business, but also a valuable tool to allow users to interact with your brand. Here are some of the many benefits of adding stories to your social media plan.

• High Visibility. Since stories are located at the top of whatever social media app is offering them, they are usually viewed first by users. They also cycle through automatically, giving you a higher chance of exposure.

• Add Transparency. By using stories to show behind-the-scenes content, you are letting your users in and making them feel like they are getting to know you on a more personal level.

• Interactive. Stories have useful features that allow users to feel like they are interacting directly with your brand. Asking questions is a great way to gain insight on how people perceive your brand.

• Experimental. The temporary nature makes it easy to experiment with different types of content. If something doesn’t work, it will be gone in 24 hours and you can continue to refine your content strategy. 

Ways to Use Social Media Stories

• Behind the scenes. Stories are a great way to show content that users don’t see on a regular basis, like how employees interact with each other or how products are made or packaged.

• Get Feedback. With features like poll stickers and Q&A stickers, you can give your users a voice. A “this or that” poll with your products is an example of how you can gain interest and insight at the same time. 

• Livestream. When you are streaming live content, like an event, new product demonstration, or a question & answer session, you can put that livestream into your story, putting it in front of more eyes in real-time. 

• Repurpose Successful Posts. If you have a post that performed well or a blog post you want to repurpose, a story is a good place to do that. Stories will put that past content back up to the top of your audience’s apps, giving it new life. 

Step Up Your Social Media Game With Social Media Stories

No matter which platform you prefer to use to promote your brand, it’s clear that stories should be part of your plan. Stories are fun for users to view, but they can also be fun for you to experiment with. If you would like help getting your social media plan started, Team WTI is ready to help! Contact us today to move your brand online and upward.