Six Ways Brands Can Use Instagram Stories to Connect With Audiences Amid COVID-19

Coronavirus came when nobody expected, for marketers, it’s more than an economic or health crisis as it has become difficult to understand where marketing efforts should be focused on, how to connect with new customers, and how to engage and maintain a connection with audiences at this time.

To help with this, Instagram has this week shared some key tips on how brands can maintain audience connection via Instagram Stories.
Here are Instagram’s six tips to get the most out of Stories during COVID-19.

1. Make it easy for people to support your brand

Instagram’s first tip is to promote ways that people can support your business by using Instagram’s new gift card and food ordering stickers in your Stories frames. You can then save your Stories as Highlights to maximize their reach and response.

2. Start a conversation

Instagram suggests that brands use the question sticker to engage with customers and ask how they’re feeling.
Instagram also recommends using tools like the Countdown sticker to build engagement around digital events.

3. Add your website URL 

This is one great way to engage your community, unfortunately, the feature is only available for people with over 10k followers. Sadly, many of us do not even know that this tool exists.
We all know that Instagram does not support hyperlinks in the newsfeed and you can only add a link in your bio and recently they allowed hyperlinks in the direct message section, well, this feature is great for sharing links to your articles, landing page, website, other social media channels and more.

4. Share your story

Instagram says that brands should look to share behind the scenes insights into what’s really happening at their business as a result of COVID-19, and how they’re looking to address key issues, and assist their suppliers and communities.

5. Uplift and inform

Instagram advises that brands should also look to ‘share positive stories around kindness and sacrifice, and support health and safety messages from trusted sources’.

Instagram also advises brands to use tools like its ‘Stay Home’ sticker to reinforce key health messages.

6. Answer FAQ

Instagram also suggests that brands consider using Stories to answer common questions they’re receiving at this time, helping to clarify what’s happening.

Also Read: HOW TO CONFIGURE YOUR INSTAGRAM APP TO USE LESS DATA

And finally, Instagram notes that Stories are ‘where people like to express themselves’. Some people can easily react with an emoji and from there you can start a conversation.

If you are not already using stories, maybe because you don’t have a strategy or you are looking to get ideas, now you have it all to get started.

Also, you should consider Facebook stories. And if you have an active Facebook group, start using it.On average, I get 800-1000 group stories views in our Naira Diary Facebook group. And hey, you should join for insightful articles and stories.