Close up: how Instagram Stories can help your brand

Back in August, Instagram launched Stories, which allows users to post 24-hour photo and video slideshows that disappear, similarly to Snapchat Stories. Many hotels, destinations and resorts use Instagram to build their brand, so Instagram Stories offers a middle ground by bringing elements of Snapchat and existing Instagram audiences together. It’s also the perfect testing ground for brands to decide whether they want to move to Snapchat and use Snapchat Stories too. After all, building a whole new audience isn’t an easy job!

Here are five other benefits of Instagram Stories:

Larger audiences

Instagram is currently much larger than Snapchat. With 300 million daily active users and its connection with Facebook, Instagram has the upper hand when it comes to trialling new products. Plus, Snapchat is primarily aimed at a younger audience, whereas Instagram has all sorts of different age groups using its platform.

Easy to discover brands

If you want to find a brand on Instagram, it’s not that difficult. The use of hashtags and geotags assist when people are looking you up – it’s easy to find and connect with brands – and not so easy on Snapchat. This may sound like a simple detail, but it’s crucial if you’re looking to get your destination into the spotlight.

Visibility

Instagram’s algorithm change last year altered the way followers see posts. Instead of loading feeds in chronological order with the posts from users you follow, Instagram and Facebook now only show you posts from users you interact with the most. However, Stories shows up right on top when you open Instagram, increasing visibility, and is a great way to test real-time content to see what audiences go for.

Which brings us to our next point…

Different voices

Many brands use separate tones for Stories and their normal content. There are things you may want to share with your audience, but not want to have on your Instagram profile. It gives you a chance to diversify your voice and to test a variety of options. If you’re a destination, you could have beautiful pictures of your location on your main feed and then have Stories recount people’s holiday experiences. This would give a more personal ‘feel’ to your brand, and you could also test engagement.

The end of oversharing

We all know what it’s like to be constantly be bombarded with unnecessary information on social media networks! As Stories allows you to separate major developments from your main feed, you don’t have to interrupt your main posting schedule. This way, you can ensure that you maintain a good relationship with your regular followers, while updating on live events in Stories.

The travel sector can utilise Instagram Stories in a variety of ways to bring their hotels, destinations and resorts to life – and at the same time build new audiences and work out what best resonates with them. As Instagram becomes increasingly popular, Stories is an excellent opportunity to ensure you stand out and connect with consumers.