Nicole Frost, writer at Advertisemint, facebook advertising agency
If you aren’t already using Instagram to promote your brand, you’re missing out on a powerful way to reach and connect with your followers. Stories is one of the site’s most popular features, and now you can save your favorite posts to your profile even after they’ve exceeded the 24-hour limit, thanks to the rollout of Story Highlights.
Story Highlights claims a prominent spot on your profile, appearing underneath your bio. Its placement and function gives you an opportunity to summarize your brand—what it is and what is has to offer—to users so they don’t have to spend hours scrolling through your feed to get to know your brand. Here are the ways you can use Story Highlights as a branding tool.
Focus on a Specific Topic
When creating highlights, make sure to focus on a specific topic or theme. This makes it easier for followers to find and view the topic they’re interested in seeing. If you own a clothing line, you might categorize your Highlights by collection. For example, you may publish four different highlights, one for your spring collection, one for your summer collection, one for your winter collection, and another for your fall collection. If you run a consulting business, you can use Highlights to organize testimonials about the array of services you offer. If you offer travel planning services, you can organize your Highlights by locations or events to appeal to potential clients.
Create a Consistent Look for the Thumbnails
Near the top of your Instagram grid, Story Highlights appear as a single, horizontal line of circular images. These images are small, but they are a powerful tool for anyone who uses a specific aesthetic. To maintain your brand’s aesthetic, you can use your logo or you can use graphics that incorporate fonts and colors that align with your brand. It’s important to choose your own thumbnail because otherwise, Instagram automatically uses the first image.
Feature Your Customers or Followers
If you have an established brand, you can curate content from your followers as long as they add your handle. This allows you to engage and collaborate with your audience and establish clout for and loyalty to your brand. Don’t be apprehensive about featuring followers on your Highlights. If users tags you in a post, it is likely for the purpose of gaining exposure, so they surely won’t mind being featured in your Stories.
Instagram’s Story Highlights is a useful and visually appealing feature that has the potential to enhance your brand presence by giving followers a quick and organized way to get to know your brand. If you use Instagram to market your business, there is no reason you shouldn’t be using Highlights to increase engagement and brand presence.
Written by Nicole Frost, writer at AdvertiseMint, best facebook advertising agency
