If you’re anything like most creatives we know, you probably get hooked into watching Instagram Stories at least a few times a day. That’s cool. I do it, too. I love seeing what our clients and friends are up to. But, wouldn’t it be even cooler if your potential ideal clients were getting hooked into watching your Instagram Stories?!
Wouldn’t it be rad if you knew how to get their attention, give them value and how to use Instagram Stories for business?!
We see this tool being way underused by creative entrepreneurs. Yes, it’s fun to see some random flybys of where you’re at and what you’re up to, but a lot of the time I just feel like I’m either 1) being sold to over and over and over again or, practically the opposite, 2) there’s little intention or direction with what’s going on!
It’s an easy-ish fix to get those Stories up to par, but if you’re anything like me, you want to know why you’re spending your time and energy on Instagram Stories in the first place…
(Important side note: Before we dive in, I’d be doing you a disservice if I gave you all the goods below about Instagram Stories without giving you access to the entire content picture that’ll work best for your creative business! But don’t sweat it! We’ve done the work for you with our Content Creation Kit…oh, and heck yes, it’s free! So snag yours super quick and then hop back over here.)
How does Instagram Stories benefit your business?
- Quick and authentic way to connect (Remember, the key to profitable marketing is connection, so there is so much potential here!)
- Gives viewers instant gratification (Blog posts, like this, and newsletters and other lengthier forms of content marketing are so great for giving meaty chunks of value, but IG Stories is perfect for delivering quick tips, humor and brief glances into your brand!)
- Works great as a supporting tool for Instagram and other platforms (Think of IG Stories as a place to show your audience a quick commercial of something else you have going on on your other platforms!)
- Easy way to show your everyday-ness, that you’re human, too (Beautiful websites are fab! It’s important to make sure your online storefront is a representation of your talent and passions as a creative entrepreneur, buuuuuut, it’s important not to hide behind them! Your people want to connect with the everyday you!)
Okay, you on board for using Stories more intentionally now?!
Sweet. Let’s talk about how to do this!
What should you say on Instagram Stories?
- Same stuff you’re talking about everywhere else! (Just say it in smaller pieces. Feel free to repurpose little pieces of your blog or even show a different aspect of your Instagram posts, for that matter!)
- What are you up to? How does it relate to business? (Are you out scouting for a shoot? We want to see! Are you prepping a rad client project? We want to see! Are you eating cereal the same exact way you do every day?! We probably don’t want to see! :-P)
- Value, vulnerability and entertainment! (What are your ideal clients interested in? What kind of questions are they emailing you about? What areas of your real life can they relate to…marriage, kids, travel? What’s your stance? What do you want to be known for? Creatively (we’ll show you how below!) show pieces of all of these things!)
- Show what it’s like to work with you! (We prefer to do this in more subtle, behind-the-scenes ways most of the time, so viewers can enjoy Stories without feeling like we’re selling all the time, because that gets old.)
Here’s a quick 24-second example of how we’ve used Instagram Stories to encourage a coaching client and simultaneously share a peek behind the scenes of what kind of clients we work with.
(Another quick side note: We have an entire workshop where we share everything we know about creating content that connects with your peeps. So if you’re looking for more direction on using not only Instagram Stories, but your blog, newsletter, social media and content marketing, just as a whole, click here to check it out!)
Next up…
What’s the best way to share your content on Instagram Stories?
- Personally – Show your face! Show us your quirks! Stay on brand!
- Creatively – Be an art director! Use all those funky filters and tools to bring your story to life.
- Concisely – Have a plan! Map it out! Get their attention and get to the point!
- Completely – Tell an actual story!
Here’s another quick example (this one is 55 seconds) from one of our real life IG Stories. Watch for transitions; watch for use of color, movement and different angles; watch for the beginning, middle and end!
We believe Instagram Stories is much, much more than a fun, filter-y way to horse around on social media. We believe it is a key tool to modern marketing, especially for creative entrepreneurs who have some helpful media skills up their sleeves! When approached with intention and plenty of practice, Instagram Stories is a powerful marketing platform that has potential to bring raving fans and clients in the door.
If you want to jumpstart your content marketing game plan, grab our free Content Creation Kit (it even includes a weekly posting schedule!) so you know exactly what to post about on all your favorite platforms 🙂
