When Instagram launched its Snapchat-inspired “Stories” feature a month ago, questions raised on whether the social network could imitate its competitor’s accomplishment with advertisers.
This feature already appears to be echoing with Instagram’s audience. Stories offer a new way for people to share content, allowing them to display another side of their persona and add new framework to better connect with their Instagram followers.
The space for more content, brands hope, will convert is to more viewers, more revenue, and ultimately more success.
DSIM blog shares how five brands have used Stories to spread their brand message and add a new height to their Instagram presence.
Here are the examples they’ve emphasized.
1) Endorsing a Sale
Instagram highlighted first brand is J.Crew, which used an Instagram Story to highlight a recent one-day pre-sale of its new “Jane in Pink”” sunglasses. A “pink-themed photoshoot”, is a great way to extend the promotional massage of the upcoming sale in an Instagram-centric way.
2) New Ways to Link
Travel media brand AFAR Media mostly posts beautiful, inspiring travel images to their Instagram feed, taking their viewers on a sort of visual journey.
Stories have allowed them to spread that AFAR used their first Instagram Story to take viewers on a trip around Germany’s Mosel Valley.
AFAR showcasing beautiful scenery and travel content and giving their audience a beautiful way to look in.
3) More Appealing Campaign
Starbucks has used the new Stories feature in a more basic, promotional way.
Starbucks has showcased some of their top drink choices and used Instagram’s drawing tools to give the Story added effort and color. It helps the brand extend its messaging and reach their audience in a new way.
4) Behind the scenes
The most popular brands on Instagram are already posting great photos and images. Mercedes-Benz has used Stories to spread the appeal of that content by providing a behind the scenes glimpse of how they’ve actually gone about making those great images.
Mercedes-Benz’s Story shows how the option can be used to cover the demand of your content by providing your viewers with another outlook.
5) Spreading Brand Themes
Taco Bell extends fun, with Instagram Stories, which they’ve done through inspired use of Instagram’s drawing tools.
Taco Bell’s social media marketing team have edited their Stories content to highlight more of what they want to see, covering the brand’s low-fi, engaging approach to public.
These are some great examples of the ways in which brands are experimenting with Stories which highlight the opportunities for brands in the new feature. Brands use Stories to expand their on-platform messaging and Instagram will no doubt be looking to provide new marketing opportunities through Stories.
