Jeweller - December 2020

BUSINESS
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Make the most of Instagram Stories by
creating a structured content plan
One of the most versatile and dynamic ways to engage with potential customers is through
Instagram Stories – but it requires proper planning, writes SIMON DELL.
Instagram stories may have only been
around since 2016, but in a short time
they’ve gone from a fun gimmick to a
powerful digital marketing tool. They
can help engage with your audience and
boost sales.
However, like everything, it all works better
with a plan. Here’s how to create a content
plan for your Instagram Stories.
Keep it on-brand
Instagram Stories give you a lot of freedom
in terms of what you’re posting, and
whether it be video, text or photos, you
want to make sure your posts align to your
brand’s unique style. If you are consistent
with your themes and aesthetics, you can
help build more brand awareness – that is,
customers are more likely to remember you
and perceive you in a positive light.
One simple first step is to think about the
colours associated with your brand and
incorporate this into your Instagram Stories.
For example, if in-store signage is red, use
that same shade of red in your Stories.
Consider the font style and colour, filters –
stick to one or two – background colours,
text blocks, and stickers. Obviously, all
photos and videos will look different, but
matching these other elements ensures
your content looks cohesive.
Understand your goals
Before you start planning your content,
think about what you are trying to achieve.
Is it all about generating sales? Maybe you
simply want to build brand awareness or
increase your follower count – and therefore
your pool of potential customers.
Once you determine what your goals are,
you can start planning content. Ideally,
each Story should have a single goal to
avoid confusion. Bear in mind that you can
work towards different goals with separate
Stories, which appear at the top of your
business’ Instagram profile.
Selecting a content type
There are three types of posts that can make
up an Instagram Story – photo, video, or text.
Entertaining, engaging, and informative Stories will produce real results.
Photos and text slides run for six seconds,
and videos can be up to 15 seconds.
When using photos, you can add features
like stickers, text, or emojis to make the post
look more dynamic. You can also add videos
to a photo post with certain editing apps,
such as Canva and Wave.video.
Again, there’s no perfect method – just
keep the content consistent, entertaining,
and useful for your audience. You may
prefer a four-post Story with just photos,
or a six-post Story with a mix of photos,
video, and text.
The only must is to ensure the call to action
– that is, any invitation to interact, such as
“Shop”, “Discover”, “Try”, or “Watch” – isn’t
always on the last post in the Story. People’s
attention will wane, and you want your key
message to reach as many as possible.
Mix it up
The beauty of Instagram Stories is that
you can use multiple posts and slides to
tell a story.
For example, on different days of the week
you could:
• Advertise a product and direct people to
visit your website
• Share images and videos of your
business’ everyday routine to show your
human side
There are plenty
of features
you can add
to Instagram
Stories that
invite your
audience to
engage with
your posts,
such as polls,
question-andanswer
boxes,
emoji sliders,
quizzes, and
countdowns
• Provide your followers with some lighthearted
entertainment
• Share useful tips relating to your products
or industry
One important point is to not focus on selling
exclusively. If all your Stories advertise
products and ask people to buy, they will fall
flat. Remember that engaging with people is
an integral step towards future sales.
There are plenty of features you can add to
Instagram Stories that invite your audience
to engage with your posts, such as polls,
question-and-answer boxes, emoji sliders,
quizzes, and countdowns.
Not only is this fun and interactive, but it
also opens up a connection. Depending on
your reach, you can even contact those who
engage and start a conversation.
Frequency and scheduling
Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours,
so if you post a two-slide story in the morning,
and add another two slides the next day, the
first two will ‘drop off’ before the newer ones.
For a full Story with an intended purpose, it’s
best to post the whole thing at once.
Next, think about when your intended
audience is most likely to see your Stories.
After some time, you will get a feel for the
time of day or night when you get the highest
number of views and reactions.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to ‘schedule’ an
Instagram Story through the app. However,
there are separate digital tools, such as
HootSuite or Later, which allow you to create
and edit Instagram Stories and schedule
them to be posted at a certain time.
Your content should be easy to read,
enjoyable and informative. If you target each
of your Stories towards a specific goal, you
can quickly build your audience and turn
Instagram into an easy, and very valuable,
marketing tool.
SIMON DELL is co-founder and CEO
of Cemoh, a Brisbane-based firm that
provides marketing staff on demand.
He specialises in digital marketing and
brand management. Visit: cemoh.com
63 | October 2020