Friend,
A year ago, Instagram launched its ‘Stories’ feature, enabling users to post photos and videos that disappear 24 hours later, similar to social competitor Snapchat. With 250 million daily users, Instagram stories is dominating this ephemeral medium, not only for your 13-year-old daughter but also for brands intent on engaging consumers.
According to Instagram, Stories has increased the average amount of time people spend on the platform to more than 32 minutes/day for those under the age of 25 and 24 minutes/day for those 25+. Over 50% of businesses on Instagram produced a Story in the past month.
Stories is an ideal place for brands to communicate their cause messaging, particularly to the millennial audience. Since Stories only stick around for a day, it also serves as an ideal testing ground for new messaging and content.
Experts counsel that Stories should be highly authentic and provide users with a behind-the-scenes look at what’s happening or upcoming. Brands can also direct users to a URL that can serve as a specific call to action.
For example, skincare brand Kiehl’s turned to Instagram Stories to promote the final day of its LifeRide in partnership with The Foundation for AIDS Research in Nashville, featuring a stop at Dillard’s and then an event with a beauty blogger.
Zappos is using Instagram Stories for a timely promotion of its new ‘Friends On Us Fridays‘ campaign in partnership with the North Shore Animal League in which the company will sponsor adoptions at select shelters across every Friday.
Beyond time-limited events, Stories would be an ideal place to:
- Go behind-the-scenes on employee engagement efforts
- Highlight up-close-and-personal stories of impact
- Thank consumers for their participation in cause-focused campaigns in a fun and light-hearted way
Are you using Instagram Stories for social good? We want to hear about it! Click “reply” to this email and share your experience.
David Hessekiel
President
Engage for Good
(914) 921-3914