Making Instagram Story Highlights Work for You
By Stanley Meytin
Hundreds of millions of users are looking on Instagram for people, brands and influencers.
Instagram has grown rapidly since its launch in 2010. With new features like Instagram TV and Instagram Live, it seems to have become a one-stop-shop for online socialites. But one of the most important (and user friendly) features in showing users your brand story is Instagram Highlights.
Highlights make your Instagram look professional and keep people on your page for longer, making it more likely that they’ll click a link in your bio or follow you. They also enable users to categorize older stories and allow them to keep those stories posted indefinitely, rather than their usual 24-hour lifespan.
Highlights have become vital to an Instagram page to keep people engaged. Without them, you risk losing customers due to a lack of brand identity and connection to users. No matter the industry your in, there are several categories you must hit to show your followers who you are and why they should work with you.
Who You Are
People don’t invest in brands or products or slogans, they invest in people. In order to grab the attention and business of a user on Instagram you need to show them who you are. You can do this by featuring your team members, shouting out your interns, telling the story of your company’s start, or any other way of putting a face to your company name. This sense of human connection can be achieved through images and text, but will often leave a larger impact on viewers with video. This is one of the simplest ways to implement video marketing, since you can shoot clips on your phone and send them directly to your audience’s pockets.
Your Company Culture
After your introduction and some basic information about who you are, show users what your company culture looks like. Through this Highlight, you can show viewers the lighter side of your work with fun clips around the office, shots from company parties, footage of holiday celebrations, and much more. This is your golden opportunity to let users know that while you are a professional, you are a person they can enjoy working with.
What You Do
Above all else your company or branded Instagram account is there to sell either a product or a service. This Highlight gives you the chance to show off everything you’ve got in one place. That way, when a client comes looking for a product, not only will they know exactly where to find it, they’ll also see all of the other wonderful things they can buy from you as well. I’d call that a win/win.
Behind the Scenes
Whether you’re an animator, a doctor, or a fashion blogger, you put in a mountain of work that clients never see. Don’t let it go to waste. Use a behind the scenes Highlight to show off the work that only you usually see. This reinforces the connection you’ve already made with your viewer in a more professional way, showing them that your work is the best it can be because it doesn’t stop when the cameras stop rolling.
Call to Action
You’ve shown them who you are and what you can do for them. Now, tell them how they can make it happen. Provide a clear call to action for users to act on as soon as they arrive on your page. Provide incentive and all necessary information for them to get in touch and begin working with you. This can be as simple as urging them to respond to your story (which they can do by selecting “Send message” at the bottom of your story.) It can be a direction to click a link in your bio. It can be a poll or question, which Instagram recently added. Whatever you choose to do, Instagram has provided the tools to make it simple for you and users to connect, now it’s up to you to use them.
Reading Time: 3 minutes
By Stanley Meytin
Hundreds of millions of users are looking on Instagram for people, brands and influencers.
Instagram has grown rapidly since its launch in 2010. With new features like Instagram TV and Instagram Live, it seems to have become a one-stop-shop for online socialites. But one of the most important (and user friendly) features in showing users your brand story is Instagram Highlights.
Highlights make your Instagram look professional and keep people on your page for longer, making it more likely that they’ll click a link in your bio or follow you. They also enable users to categorize older stories and allow them to keep those stories posted indefinitely, rather than their usual 24-hour lifespan.
Highlights have become vital to an Instagram page to keep people engaged. Without them, you risk losing customers due to a lack of brand identity and connection to users. No matter the industry your in, there are several categories you must hit to show your followers who you are and why they should work with you.
Who You Are
People don’t invest in brands or products or slogans, they invest in people. In order to grab the attention and business of a user on Instagram you need to show them who you are. You can do this by featuring your team members, shouting out your interns, telling the story of your company’s start, or any other way of putting a face to your company name. This sense of human connection can be achieved through images and text, but will often leave a larger impact on viewers with video. This is one of the simplest ways to implement video marketing, since you can shoot clips on your phone and send them directly to your audience’s pockets.
Your Company Culture
After your introduction and some basic information about who you are, show users what your company culture looks like. Through this Highlight, you can show viewers the lighter side of your work with fun clips around the office, shots from company parties, footage of holiday celebrations, and much more. This is your golden opportunity to let users know that while you are a professional, you are a person they can enjoy working with.
What You Do
Above all else your company or branded Instagram account is there to sell either a product or a service. This Highlight gives you the chance to show off everything you’ve got in one place. That way, when a client comes looking for a product, not only will they know exactly where to find it, they’ll also see all of the other wonderful things they can buy from you as well. I’d call that a win/win.
Behind the Scenes
Whether you’re an animator, a doctor, or a fashion blogger, you put in a mountain of work that clients never see. Don’t let it go to waste. Use a behind the scenes Highlight to show off the work that only you usually see. This reinforces the connection you’ve already made with your viewer in a more professional way, showing them that your work is the best it can be because it doesn’t stop when the cameras stop rolling.
Call to Action
You’ve shown them who you are and what you can do for them. Now, tell them how they can make it happen. Provide a clear call to action for users to act on as soon as they arrive on your page. Provide incentive and all necessary information for them to get in touch and begin working with you. This can be as simple as urging them to respond to your story (which they can do by selecting “Send message” at the bottom of your story.) It can be a direction to click a link in your bio. It can be a poll or question, which Instagram recently added. Whatever you choose to do, Instagram has provided the tools to make it simple for you and users to connect, now it’s up to you to use them.
What story would you like to share?
Whether you want to launch an idea, spark a movement or simply get people talking about what you do, you have one shot
at delivering your message in a way that matters. Let’s make sure you do it right.
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