Ephemeral Content and Amplifying Your Brand Using Instagram Stories

With the rise in popularity of ephemeral content; that is the type of content which lasts for only 24 hours and then disappears forever, marketers and brands need to be sure to capitalize on this trend for a killer marketing campaign.

You may be wondering, why invest a large amount of time on content that will eventually just disappear? The beauty of ephemeral content is that is creates a FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) effect which can generate buzz and excitement driving audiences to engage, take-action and even make a purchase.

With approximately 300 million active users on Instagram, Instagram Stories is equipped with powerful features that when used smartly, can deliver key messages and content that cuts through the noise and make an impact.

Here are three simple tips and tricks to amplify your brand using Instagram Stories.

LEVERAGE THE TOOLS ALREADY AVAILABLE TO YOU

For a successful Instagram marketing campaigns, the key metric is to look at engagement. Instagram Stories and the Live option are two features that can drive and spark engagement in addition to regular posts. The integrated poll function on Instagram Stories is a great example that you can use to probe engagement, conduct basic market research and sentiment about a product, service or a particular message. Additionally, as simple and obvious as it may sound, commenting on posts, stories and responding to comments whilst Live can spark interest and a start a conversation around the brand.

To take things to the next level, using comments of a live video to trigger an on-screen event can really generate excitement and an emotional response.

An example of this is when fashion retailer BoohooMan went live offering prizes and vouchers to their target audiences. When the brand went live, the audience would see a balloon and for every one comment that says ‘Pump’ the balloon will inflate. The last person to comment ‘pump’ and the balloon bursts, will win the prizes.

PLAY WITH A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT CONTENT TYPES

The basic format of viewing through Instagram Stories is to just ‘tap through’ them, however there are ways to make the process more interactive. For instance, you could do a before and after, tap to reveal a new product or a piece of a puzzle. On top of this, with Instagram’s new addition of the stop motion and instant zoom feature coupled with a variety of stickers and camera effects, you are encouraged to be creative and show off what your brand is all about.

At the end of the day, the delivery of a diverse range of content from video, animation to collages and music integration can make the difference between someone remembering and being an advocate for the brand, or forgetting it.

REMEMBER ADDING A ‘CALL TO ACTION’

In order to make your content really pay off, it is important to add a call to action. With business profiles, you can now include URLs to your stories. This means that you can direct users off the Instagram platform to a landing page or a website for instance. Adding a call to action is a perfect way to create a sales funnel and generate conversions.

Usually all audiences have to do is to swipe up from a story they are viewing to be directed off the platform to a particular page, however you can make the call to action more exciting and engaging by creating short video and image graphics with the call to action actually written on them. This strategy is likely to lead to more conversions and buzz around your brand.

And there you have it, 3 handy tips to cut through the noise using Instagram Stories. As millennials and Generation Z audiences start to rely on Instagram as a medium to interact and communicate with their favorite brands, it’s more important than ever to ramp up your Instagram marketing efforts.

MANIT SETHI IS A SOCIAL & DIGITAL EXECUTIVE AT VERO, ORCHESTRATING CREATIVE DIGITAL STRATEGIES FOR BRANDS AND DEVELOPING KILLER CONTENT THAT EXCELS ON SOCIAL.