How to Promote Your Business on Instagram Stories
By Marisa DiPaolo
Showing up consistently on Instagram Stories can help you strengthen your connections, build trust, establish authority, and generally transform your business on social media. If you haven’t been taking full advantage of IG Stories to promote your app, it’s OK. There’s no time like the present to get started! Instagram Stories is the perfect place to share who you are and truly get personal with your followers and anyone checking out your profile — and you don’t want to miss out on that opportunity. It’s that personal connection that will help followers feel like they know you, and that will make them want to sign up for your app — and whatever else you have to offer!
Show Your Face
Your current and future followers want to see who you are, what you do, and how you do it! How do you expect them to invest in you and your app if they don’t know you well enough to trust you?
The best and easiest way to build that trust and establish authority in your field is by showing your face on Instagram Stories. It’s an intimate but informal way to directly connect with your audience, and it will make your followers feel like a part of your everyday life.
Of course, chatting with your followers through the camera lens may feel a bit awkward at first, but the more you step out of your comfort zone, the easier it will become. Soon enough, you'll be an Instagram Story selfie pro.
Be Yourself
If you’re particularly nervous about talking on camera or worried you’ll ramble or lose your train of thought, don’t beat yourself up over needing a re-take — or several. Preparation and practice will help, but remember, Stories don’t have to be perfect. Stories are informal and prove you’re human, and humans make mistakes, so stop sweating every detail and just click “post.”
Use Your Analytics
There's a reason your best posts do so well, and it’s important to clearly identify them using the analytics provided by Instagram. That way, you can replicate what works to see similarly awesome results every time.
The truth is that all of your followers don't see and read every single thing you post. Plus, you're likely growing your audience and have new followers to impress. Repeating the same sentiment or style every once in a while is great for developing your personal brand, and can be helpful for creating regular content on days you’re feeling less than inspired to come up with new Story content ideas.
Just Do It
Ready to step in front of your audience but unsure of where to begin? Here are just a few ways you can show up on Stories:
Say "good morning" and share what’s on your schedule for the day ahead.
Sell your app by explaining what it is, what you get with it, and how much it costs. This is a great opportunity to share your free trial!
Tease a new feature or program you plan to launch on your app.
Share a behind-the-scenes look at where you work out and record your app content.
Share a sneak peek of one of your workouts or programs.
Share a sneak peek of your personal life. If you’re at the gym, out somewhere awesome, or hanging with your family, sharing it with your followers will help them get to know you better.
Call upon your community to contribute. Ask them to give you and your app a shoutout on their own Instagram Stories as they’re following along with your workouts and then repost
Host a Q&A. Instagram’s question box sticker allows you to collect questions from your followers, and you can reply to each one by talking to the camera. (Pro tip: If there’s a question you want to answer but haven’t been asked, submit it yourself! No one will ever know.)
End your day by talking about a great client, project, or conversation you had earlier.
Of course, the number of Instagram Stories you post is dependent on your schedule, but it’s important to hop on as often as possible, whenever possible! Showing up — and especially showing your face — on Stories at least once every day will make a big difference in growth, engagement, and conversion!