.png)
In the world of social media, Instagram has become the fastest growing and dominant platform. However, while IG is a great tool to market your business and grow your awareness, it can become overwhelming leaving people wondering if they are "Doing Instagram correctly". IG is ever-changing adding new features often, and it is important to stay up to date and use them regularly.
Look no further! I've put together a quick guide on a few of the many different features IG has to offer with a breakdown on how to use them effectively.
IG STORY STICKERS:
Instagram stories are incredibly important and should be prioritized in your social media plan. This is because the IG algorithm favors story engagements, meaning that, the more people that view and engage with your stories, the more people will see your main feed posts as well. Stickers should be used in stories to help boost you engagement rates and overall performance. You can find them by clicking on the smiling square button within IG Stories.
Here are a few stickers to get you started:
QUESTION STICKERS:
Asking questions is an easy way for you to learn more about your audience and what they are interested in. This is also a great tool to host a Q&A and allow your following to ask you questions.
--
Don't forget to share all the great responses afterwards!
POLL STICKERS:
I suggest using polls over questions when applicable, as people are more likely to engage in this simpler task over typing out an answer. This is another great tool to learn more about your audience and learn their preferences.
--
Again, don't forget to share the results afterwards!
IG LIVE:
IG Live is a very effective way to connect and engage with your following. Many people stray away from using this feature as it can feel awkward at first. However, once you get passed the awkwardness it can actually be very fun getting to directly interact with your followers.
From a follower perspective, this humanizes your account and shows them that you are just another person out there doing your thing, and they are more likely to engage moving forward.
IG Live Session Ideas:
- Live Q&A
- Introduce the team or a new campaign
- Bring on a guest to interview
- GET CREATIVE ⭐️
Lastly, don't forget to save your live session so you can share it through IGTV and expand the content's shelf life.
IG REELS:
Instagram reels are relatively new and essentially are IG's version of TikTok. You might be asking, what's the difference between a story post and a reel? While they are very similar, reels are more creative, fun, and often, humorous (Peep my angry cat Griffin below). Again, think TikTok. Another key difference between the two is that stories generally only live on the platform for 24 hours, (Unless saved in highlights), while reels live on and are constantly being reprocessed in the algorithm and shown to new people.
Once a reel is posted, it can live in multiple places at the same time. They can be shared on the main feed, shared in your story, and they will also populate in the "Explore" section for viewers who aren't currently following you. Because of this, your impressions will generally be much higher when it comes to reels, and you'll gain new followers. I encourage you to play around with this feature, you might be surprised by how many people you can reach.
I know that was a lot to take in, but you just need to get started and I promise you will have fun! If you found this helpful, please give it a like and share with your network, and if you want more, just let me know in the comments.
For any further questions you can always contact me HERE.