Stories, Stories, Stories! The Stories sponsored on Instagram are converting very well (in general) and are becoming more and more popular.
You already know how I feel: Stories are a real booster to increase brand awareness, get more followers and improve your sales!
Jump! The time is right because – for now – they are not yet too exploited.
Let’s start from the data:
- 400 million people around the world use Stories every day,
- 1/3 of the most viewed stories come from brands or companies.
Why you should start to publish Instagram Stories
- Sponsored Stories are perfect for reaching new segments of the audience and making your brand, your business and your products known to an already committed audience.
- They have high rates of involvement: IG reveals that 1 in 5 stories receives a direct message from viewers
- Instagram Stories Ads are an essential part of an Instagram marketing strategy.
- They allow you to unleash all your creativity.
The options for creating Ads in Stories are unlimited: try them all, from videos to photos to Carousel formats.
- Video: the video ads are played for up to 15 seconds, you can create them with Creative Hub or with the Facebook Ads Manager. Alternatively, you can design and edit your ad and upload it to the Facebook Ad Manager.
- Photo: An ad with still images will play for 5 seconds. You can create photo ads with Creative Hub 0 with Facebook Ads Manager, or upload a file directly from your projects.
- Carousel: Carousel Stories ads allow you to reproduce up to 3 contents (videos and photos) within a single ad.
But, if you’re starting from scratch and looking for inspiration, or just simple ways to turn your Stories IGs into sales, these 9 tips will help you cut the starting tape!
9 tips how to make your stories work great
#1: Start experimenting with Instagram Stories video ads
Considering that the average threshold of attention is lowering more and more while we take a look at the Social, it is better to jump on the videos because they attract 5 times more our attention than still images.
Concentrate well on the first 3 seconds of your ad: make sure that they are attractive. You know what the essay says “You won’t get a second chance to make a good first impression”!
#2: Be concise in the message and go straight to the point
Your key message should be short, pleasant and straightforward.
As you know, Sponsored Stories are marked “sponsored” in the top right corner of the post to reveal that your post is an Ads and not just a private Story.
This rule of transparency can make your life more difficult because the viewer, when he sticks to the label, feels an irresistible urge to move on!
If you want him to convert, publish a short, powerful and easy-to-read message.
#3: Don’t forget to always include your brand logo
Don’t forget to put it in. Your IG Stories are not only seen by your followers, but also by the target audience you select when you set up your advertising campaign, which means that people watching your ads may never have heard of your brand or products before.
If you forget to strategically place your logo in the ad, you run the risk of throwing your money away because the viewer might shake without noticing that that ad is yours.
#4: The aesthetics of your brand must be consistent with the aesthetics of Ads in the Stories
Make sure that your Stories fit well with the overall aesthetics of your profile: your brand will be more recognizable and people more involved.
Everything you create on your profile should always reflect the aesthetics of your brand: use colors, fonts and images in tune with your brand. If you prefer to use IG Story templates, continue to use them for your ads as well.
For example @happysocks has created a video for the IG Stories that is perfectly in line with both their product brand and the aesthetics usually used on Instagram.
It is bright, colourful and shows off the products in a carefree and fun way.
How to convert more with Instagram Stories Ads
#5: Not always glossy stories are the best
You don’t need to spill blood, sweat and budget into sponsored Stories to make them effective!
On the contrary, the new trend wants them to be authentic, real and “housewives”.
People are used to watching their friends’ stories. If they see a video that’s too sophisticated, they’ll immediately sense that it’s advertising and look elsewhere.
Any advice? Speak directly into the camera to make your ad more informal and friendly: it will be easier to capture the attention of your target audience.
And if you are in the habit of using a certain font or GIF, use it in sponsored Stories to be consistent with your style.
#6: Create a strong invitation to action with your Instagram story ad content
Nothing pushes you to the impulse to buy more than a limited or, even better, exclusive offer!
Creating a sense of urgency or fear of FOMO [Fear Of Missing Out, fear of being cut off] in your Ads text in Stories is an easy way to encourage viewers to scroll up and visit your website and hopefully make a purchase!
#7: Be strategic in positioning your text in IG Stories Ads
You should never forget that Instagram users are wary of sponsored posts and Instagram Stories advertisements.
Untangle the attention from the “sponsored” tag in the upper right corner of your Instagram Stories ad by placing your main or graphic message in the middle of the screen or closer to the “scroll up” link.
Remember: every second counts when it comes to engagement, so if you can immediately capture a viewer’s attention with your message (and not with the sponsored tag!), it could make a huge difference to the opening rates of links in your ads.
How to convert more with Instagram Stories Ads
#8: Use Carousel Instagram Stories Ads format for longer messages
If what you’re saying doesn’t fit in a 15-second video or photo, use the Carousel format.
The Carousel, which can consist of three images or three 15-second videos, allows you to create the message of the ad divided between the three parts, which users can:
- touch just like they would with a Story of their friends,
- to scroll back and forth,
- to pause whenever they want,
So it’s still important to be creative and engaging right from the start!
The use of Carousel, as revealed in an Instagram case study, generated 73% more clicks than in the previous Instagram campaign!
#9: Add music to your Stories
Instagram recently revealed that 60% of ADS are displayed with audio activated!
Adding audio (voiceover or music) makes your IG Stories more engaging: increase Engagement and Lead Generation.
