Are you looking for accurate information on how to use Instagram stories to market in Singapore? Here is a comprehensive article to help you do it properly. Instagram Stories is a feature on Instagram, which allows you to post videos and photos in a chronological succession. Unlike regular Instagram posts, whatever you post as an Instagram Story will automatically disappear after 24 hours.
Why Should You Use Instagram Stories for Business?
Majority of people perceived Instagram stories as a copy of snapchat the first time it comes out. It was viewed as an attempt to the snapchat market share. However, even if true to some level, Instagram stories represents an improved snapchat version. This is not only for usual social media fun, for also for business.
The same way in which Instagram was able to use video and photo, it is the same way in which it has managed to effectively use transient messaging to a useful business tool without ruining it for Instagram users. Undeniably, Instagram stories provide a unique channel that is appealing to businesses and regular users.
You will be able to do everything from sharing lighthearted content, sharing fun, promoting your marketing campaigns to driving ecommerce sales.
If you are looking to use Instagram Stories to market in Singapore, this is the best time to do so. Instagram Stories are a fun and creative way of engaging your audience. Likewise, you can use them to drive traffic to your site and social media pages thus building brand awareness.
Ways of Using Instagram Stories for Business
Similar to the easy to use Instagram interface, it is straightforward to create Instagram stories.
Nevertheless, Instagram has released a lot of new features in previous months regarding Instagram stories. It may hence be a little hard for you to understand them all. Below are the steps you need to follow in creating Instagram stories for business.
- Login into your Instagram account. Open the Instagram camera on the left top edge or by swiping the screen right.
- You can either decide to capture a photo or record a video for a maximum of ten seconds. You will choose the type of video you want including live, type, superzoom, boomerang, hands-free or rewind video.
- By swiping up and down, you can opt to upload an existing photo or video from your camera roll.
- Tap the screen to get to the next tool. One can also edit the textual color and size. Moreover, incorporating hash sing enables sharing of a hashtag while @ is useful in tagging other Instagram accounts. Instagram has now enabled searching of Instagram stories by hashtag and location.
- Choose one pen style to write or draw on your photo. Use the eraser brush to erase any drawing you add to your story.
- You can select the sticker button to add stickers to your content. Stickers of much significance include selfie, hashtag sticker, location sticker, question sticker. Emoji slider, poll sticker and more.
- Apply different filters by swiping right or left.
- After you are through, share by tapping the ‘next’ button.
- To follow up on the performance of your stories, you will swipe up as you view the stories. This shows names and tally of who have seen each video or photo in your story.
It is important to note that you will click on the insight icon to check the insights of your posted stories. You have to create a business Instagram profile to be able to view analytics from your Instagram stories. After opening your business profile, Instagram insights will display reach, impressions and other metrics related to your stories under the content heading.
The Instagram Stories feature gives you a platform to showcase your services and products to clients. They will feel that they are part of your business.
Here’s how to use Instagram Stories to market in Singapore.
Provide Value
Singapore has a highly competitive business environment. For your business to thrive, it must provide value to its clients. Your audience may derive value from the entertainment that you offer through Instagram Stories.
Besides entertaining your audience, you should use Instagram Stories to offer tips and advice through how-to posts or even inspirational quotes. Using your Instagram Stories platform, you could also do Q&A sessions whereby clients ask you anything they wish to. When using Instagram Stories to engage your audience, you can upload images or even a video to your page, accompanied by a captivating text.
The availability of dozens of text and image formatting options means that you can play around with your images, videos, or texts to bring out your creative side. The bottom line, however, is ensuring that whatever content you amplify via Instagram Stories resonates with the target audience.
Go Live
The Instagram Stories Live feature can allow you to engage with your audience in real time, thus creating conversations about your brand. During live sessions, you can easily take questions from your followers. If your audience is small, you can even collect some questions a few days before the live stream so that you address them when you go live.
Using the live feature, you can broadcast highlights and news about your business and its products. You can even teach a mini class via the platform. Whatever you choose to do during your live sessions, you should always aim at creating positive conversations about your brand.
Cross Promote Other Social Channels that You Own
Any social media-savvy Instagram marketer out there will tell you that cross-promoting other social channels that you run on Instagram Stories helps you gain followers across different social media platforms. It similarly expands your network, clout, and market reach.
From your Instagram Stories page, for instance, you can give your followers a sneak peek of things that you share on Facebook. You could even use your IG stories platform to promote your YouTube video or announce an upcoming Facebook live post. The idea behind this is to direct your audience to your other social media network.
Be Real
When it comes to the use of social media, many people get tempted to falsely present themselves to fit what others want them to be. If you are using Instagram Stories to market in Singapore, you should try to be real as much as possible.
It is an excellent thing to infuse a touch of glamour to your IG stories posts. Nonetheless, avoid overdoing it since you will ultimately come out as inauthentic. Be professional and show your audience who you are. Being true to your audience will help you attract the right tribe. You will connect with people who easily relate with you, and those that you can quickly engage and work with.
Provide Variety
The secret to marketing via Instagram Stories is mixing things up. We live a time when social media users have access to tons of content. The only way to keep them glued to your IG page is by providing variety in your posts. Each post should have something new and unique.
No one wishes to click through 10 videos or photos about the same thing. It is a good thing to provide visual consistency. Even if you choose to post five pictures about the same thing, ensure that each of your images has unique and valuable information.
Give Shout Outs to Your Fans
One of the coolest things about Instagram Stories is that you can give shout-outs to fellow Instagrammers as well as your fans. Instagram allows you to tag other profiles in your posts and therefore, you can leverage this feature to give shout outs to individuals in your tribe.
These shout outs can be in the form of thank you messages to your most adherent fans, congratulatory messages to your main clients, or recommendations for complementary products or services. This way, you will not only be providing value, but you will also show your audience your human touch and that you care about your fans, clients, and other businesses.
Similarly, Instagram has a paid partnership feature that enables you to tag other businesses in sponsored Instagram Stories easily. In as much as this feature is currently not widely available, it’s expected rollout in the next few months will make it even easier for you to use Instagram Stories to market in Singapore.
Use Instagram Stories to tell Stories
Just like the name suggests, IG Stories is a platform designed to enable you to engage with your audience through stories. This is the best platform for you to share random posts with your audience. In marketing, spontaneity is a great thing since it helps people see who you really are.
When using Instagram Stories to market in Singapore, you should always ensure that the stories that you put out there resonate with your brand image. If you are an events organising company, for instance, you can use IG Stories to share behind the scenes videos and photos about what it takes to host a successful event.
You must keep in mind the fact that telling stories is an art. It might be as simple as sharing the highlights of your day with your audience or holding Q&A sessions. Therefore you should establish what works for your brand so that you can improve your storytelling ability as you continue using IG stories.
Use IG Stories’ Polling Feature
Instagram Stories’ polling feature is an excellent way to encourage engagement with people. With this feature, you can ask your audience what they want by holding a poll. These polls can give you an insight into what they feel about your products and services, and areas where improvement is needed.
Likewise, a poll can help you make crucial decisions about your business, or you even use it for fun. When launching a new product or services, IG polls can help you gauge the interest of your audience towards that product or survive. Simply put, surveys offer you an opportunity to conduct easy and real-time market research.
Utilise Location Tags and Hashtags
You probably know how to incorporate doodles, text, and other fun elements to your Instagram Stories. Not many people know how to geotag or even how to use hashtags in their Instagram Stories. Unbeknown to them, the use of relevant and popular geotags and hashtags can lead to an impressive surge in reach.
Anyone who searches for keywords that relate to your hashtags or location tags will see your IG story. Therefore, the use of hashtags goes a long way in helping reach out to Instagram users who do not follow you. If they are interested in whatever you are sharing through Instagram Stories, they could end up being your new fans.
Geotagging works particularly well for businesses that target clients in a particular region. If you are looking to attract clients in Singapore for instance, geotagging the city-state in your Instagram Stories will draw the attention of Instagram users in the city-state. This will not only grow the number of your followers but also opens your business to new opportunities.
Incorporate Links in Your Stories
Recently, Instagram introduced the ability for users to add links to their Stories. This is great news to businesses since they can add links that are different from the one on their bio. The ability to add links to your Stories means that you can direct your followers to specific landing pages on your website. Therefore, it is easy to drive traffic to specific and relevant landing pages.
Creating an Instagram Stories Business Strategy
You need a strategy in place once you decide to use Instagram Stories to market in Singapore. Given the fact that more businesses are using IG Stories to engage with clients, a good strategy will help you reach more clients thus generating more followers and business opportunities.
Instagram recently added the suggested Stories segment at the top of its Explore page. This means that Instagram users have a way of discovering stories just the same way that they discover ordinary posts. The Instagram Stories algorithm works the same way as the Instagram feed algorithm. It helps users to see your Stories even when they are not your followers.
This means that if you can get your Instagram Story featured prominently on the Explore page, you will undoubtedly draw the attention of dozens of potential followers. Incredibly, you can even optimise your Instagram stories to enhance the chance of appearing at the top of the Explore page.
How to Use Instagram Story Highlights
When people open your Instagram profile, what’s the first thing they see?
Your profile picture? Maybe. Your bio? Possibly.
But it could also be the Instagram stories highlights you have posted at the top of your profile – and if that’s not engaging enough, viewers may never scroll down to see what else you’ve posted. If you want people to take action on your Instagram account in any way, then you need to make sure your story highlights are interesting enough to capture their attention for at least a few seconds.
What Are Instagram Story Highlights?
Instagram stories highlights are a curated, image-based list of your most recent Instagram story posts.
While Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours, Instagram stories highlights remain on your profile until you decide to delete them- just like your bio, contact information and Instagram photos.
It’s a great way to increase engagement with your followers and potential customers – provided you know how to write good story highlights!
How to Create Instagram Story Highlights
Story highlights are created from Instagram stories. You have to begin by posting the Instagram stories that you’d like to include in your highlights; the stories can be posted sequentially or all at once.
To create your Instagram story highlights:
- If it’s less than 24 hours since you posted the story, tap on it to open it, then tap on ‘Share highlights at the top of the screen.
- If it’s been longer than 24 hours since you posted it, tap on your profile icon in the bottom right-hand corner, followed by the menu icon at the top right corner (three lines). Next, tap on “Archive and find the story that you’re planning to share and tap on it.
- Now go ahead and tap on the “highlight icon” on the lower right corner of the screen.
- Choose the highlight that you’ll be featuring the story in or go ahead and create a new highlight.
- Click on the Add icon, and that’s pretty much like it.
What Makes a Good Instagram Stories Highlight?
Not sure how to make your story highlights interesting? Here are some tips for writing a good story highlight:
- Keep it short and sweet.
- It’s just like writing a bio; the shorter, the better. Many brands write long stories that don’t keep viewers engaged enough to scroll to the next screen.
- Any information that isn’t essential, like your website address or a longer description of what you do – can be put into your Instagram bio.
- Share images and short video clips
- One way to make sure your highlights stand out is by including videos and images rather than just text in the form of captions and hashtags.
- Videos are particularly effective in getting viewers to watch the full story highlight since they can be hard to tear yourself away from once you’ve started watching them.
- Your highlights don’t have to include sound, though; mute videos will still keep your followers engaged as long as the visuals are captivating.
- Write clear, action-focused captions.
- Make sure your caption is as clear and to the point as possible, with a strong call to action that encourages the viewer to engage with you in some way.
- Rather than saying something like “New post up” or “I’m on holiday! Enjoy!”, try something like “My top picks for summer 2016” or “Check out my new office space and stay tuned for a blog post on how I built it!”
- Use your Highlights to promote events or give exclusive previews.
Make your highlights more valuable than just a collection of the same old boring stories by using them to give sneak peeks of things that you will be officially announcing or special promotions that your followers won’t be aware of unless told.
For example, some brands use highlights to reveal new products or designs that haven’t launched yet and ask their Instagram community to rank which one they like the best – this engages followers who’ll love being an integral part of the creative process.
How to Add More Stories in an Existing Highlight
To add more photos or videos to an existing highlight, be sure to follow the steps below:
Go to your profile and tap on the highlight to edit.
Next, tap on “edit highlight.”
Select the story that you want to add, followed by “done.”
Note that you can also delete the entire highlight should you want to. All you need to do is tap on the highlight followed by “delete highlight.”
How to Design Instagram Highlight Cover Icon
The Instagram highlight cover icon is the circular icon that appears on top of your highlight.
You can design one using Canva.
Canva is the world’s largest graphic design platform, with over 35 million subscribers.
You can choose from tons of templates and customize them to suit your brand perfectly.
The best part? Everything is free, and it works directly from your browser.
How to use Instagram Stories polls
Instagram Stories Polls allow you to ask your followers a question and take advantage of their input. You can ask a question on your Insta story or add a poll sticker to an existing photo or video. When you post a poll on Instagram, it will show up on your followers’ home feed and timeline depending on the option you chose while creating the poll.
Why Story Polls?
Story polls have been around for a while on Instagram. They are simple to set up and can help you get direct feedback from your followers. You can use Story Polls to ask people what they think about a certain topic, post or offer, or even poll them in general (e.g., Would you rather A or B?).
The polls are also a great way to engage your followers and encourage other Instagram users to like or comment on your polls.
Where Can I Use Story Polls?
The polls can be used on your Instagram Stories or anywhere else you post your photos or videos. Note that they can only be added to photos and videos. Meaning, can’t add a poll to your profile or feed.
It’s also worth mentioning that your followers will see the Story Poll once they swipe up on your post.
How to Create an Instagram Poll
Instagram polls are easy to create.
Follow the steps below to create one:
- You can start by creating your Insta Story
- But before you publish the photo or video, tap the sticker icon (found at the top of the screen).
- Choose “Poll Sticker.”
- Enter your question.
- Choose your two potential responses. The default responses are Yes or No. You’re allowed to type up to 24-character responses, with an option to include emoji.
- Let the poll run.
- Remember to share results.
How to Measure Results/Responses
You can measure how many people participated in your poll. You can also see the number of people who voted, as well as their votes.
Instagram also shows the results in a graph, which shows the percentage of people who voted for each option. The chart or graph will also show the rate of participation over time.
You can copy this graph and share it in other places on Instagram or any other app, like Twitter or Facebook.
That’s what the poll looks like when you’re posting them to your stories,
and here’s an example of how they appear on your followers’ home feed:
What Can You Do with Poll Results?
You can use the poll results in different ways, whether it’s to get more engagement on your post or build content ideas for future posts. Here are some examples:
#1: Share the Results on Your Own Story
To share your story results, you’ll need to use another Instagram account. You won’t be able to see your poll from beyond your own profile.
You can go into that person’s feed and simply check off the polls they’ve participated in. Then copy this data and share it on your feed.
#2: Share the Results in Another App or Post
If you don’t want to use another account, you can just copy and paste the results from Instagram into a third-party app. For example, you could share them on Twitter or Facebook. You can also choose to create an image with the poll results using a tool like Canva.
#3: Create Content Using Poll Results
Polls can be used to get feedback on product ideas, too. For example, you could ask questions that are relevant to your brand or industry and post their results in an Instagram story. This way, users can see what they’re thinking about and help you shape future content.
Example Poll Questions:
- What color do you like the best?
- Would you buy this type of candy?
- What’s your favorite fruit flavor?
You can also use polls to get free feedback, ideas, and content ideas for future posts.
Example Poll Questions:
- What hashtags should we use for this post?
- If you could choose one thing to make your dream outfit, what would it be?
- What’s the best outfit for fall?
How to Use Instagram Stories
Like Polls, Instagram Story questions are a great way to interact with your audience and get valuable feedback. The key to success is asking questions the right way so you don’t annoy them or make it hard to respond.
Creating a successful Instagram story question will require some practice, and here are four easy ways to get them right:
What to Ask
Ask your followers about things they’re interested in or curious about. These types of questions get great responses because viewers feel like it’s an opportunity for them to share their knowledge. The most effective story questions are ones where you can get many different answers, so they’re fun to see the results.
Ask questions like:
- What are your favorite events in [town]?
- What is the best thing about [activity or topic]?
- What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever seen at [location/event]?
Don’t be too Pushy
Don’t be pushy with your story questions. You want to engage with viewers authentically. So be sure not to make it sound like you’re telling them what they should do or how they should respond. That’s especially important if you’re asking about something personal or controversial, like politics.
Include a Good Call to Action
Once you’ve collected responses, highlight them in your story with text or graphics so they can be easily seen by viewers who didn’t get a chance to respond. You could also use the poll feature to conduct quick polls and let others vote on their favorite choice.
Engage in the Comments
If your viewers have thoughts, opinions, or other ideas to share about what they read in your story comments, be sure to respond and acknowledge them. If you don’t reply to their comments, it makes people feel unwelcome and won’t be as likely to participate in the future.
If you’re having trouble coming up with new Instagram story questions, try looking at your previous blog posts or your website as inspiration for topics that have worked well with your readers. You might also want to share popular comments from previous stories people made on social media like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Remember to be creative, and you’ll have a great way to engage your followers!
How to Create Story Questions:
You can start by creating an Insta story.
Once the photo or video is ready to go, go ahead and tap on the sticker icon at the top right-hand corner of your post.
Then tap on the “Question Sticker.” Next, type in your question. Be sure also to customize your question prompt.
Click “Done,” and that’s pretty much like it.
How to Use Instagram Stories Shopping
Instagram stories shopping is a great way to create a real connection with your followers and customers. You can easily throw in photos of different products, styles, colors, or even information about the material used or where it was made.
If you are a fashion blogger, you can include clothing items that go along with your feed so that people know which ones to click on.
How to Use Instagram Stories for Product Specs
This is another great way to include information about the product you are selling. Still, it can be used as a general interest question that your followers may also respond to. The key here is to make sure the related products aren’t too intrusive to match your feed.
How to Use Instagram Stories for Education
Instagram stories can be used for education in many different ways. The best way is to start with a question that opens up a conversation about something the viewers might want to know. It’s important to add detail with graphics and images so that it gives a complete explanation.
If you are a non-profit organization, you can create an Instagram story about upcoming events or opportunities for people to get involved with. You could also include notes from your board meeting and share them with your followers so they feel included in the decision-making process. This will help build trust among supporters and also allows them to know more about your organization.
How to Use Instagram Stories for Sponsored Posts
You can also use sponsored posts in your Instagram stories, especially if you have a product you would like to promote. You could include just the link or image with an open question for viewers to respond with their thoughts on it. Before you advertise any products, make sure that you have them cleared with the company first. The best way to do this is to ask if they are interested in a sponsored post when you initially set up your campaign or do a calendar sync between Hootsuite and Instagram.
How to Use Instagram Stories as a Q&A
If you’re looking for a way to make your brand more personal and friendly, consider using an Instagram story question & answer session. You can also use this feature if you have a particular product or service that many people are interested in learning about. Think of it as similar to the old-school radio show format where the host answers listeners’ questions in real-time.
How to Use Instagram Stories for Product Reviews
If you are an online retailer, you can use your Instagram stories to share reviews or ideas about specific products you offer. You can also link to the product page and include a hashtag with your related posts so followers can easily find your store.
You have to be careful about doing this, though, because it goes against Instagram rules and regulations. But you can still use it if you are careful with how you do it and keep your posts at a reasonable level instead of spamming them.
How Often Should You Post Instagram Stories for Business?
Regular Instagram posts are often subjected to the picky Instagram algorithm. Therefore, there is no guarantee that your posts and videos will appear on the Explore page. This isn’t the case with Instagram Stories since the site never penalises or charges users for even when they post dozens of Stories at a go.
The fact that Instagram Stories expire after 24 hours could perhaps explain their ephemeral nature. As a result, Instagram doesn’t face too much pressure to prioritise some Stories over others on users’ feeds. You can take advantage of this to post as much as you want without getting charged or penalised. However, this could change in coming years particularly as more Instagram accounts start using Stories.
To reach as many people as possible with regular Instagram posts, it is advisable that post them when your followers are active. Nevertheless, this is not the case when using Instagram Stories to market in Singapore. Instagram Stories lasts for only 24 hours. This means that you will just be at the top of followers’ feeds for 24 hours.
Even if you post your Stories when most of your followers are offline, they will still see your posts at the top of their feeds when they log in to Instagram. Therefore, you shouldn’t worry about posting Instagram Stories at particular times of the day. The idea behind Instagram Stories is for your content to be as current as possible. Even so, posting your Stories when your followers are active will ensure immediate engagement.
What Content Should You Post in Your Stories?
Just like regular posts, it is recommended that your Instagram Stories incorporate a mix of promotional content, lighthearted content, and fun. Therefore, you shouldn’t shy away from posting goofy Stories on your Instagram page.
The availability of numerous tools means that you can be as creative as you wish with your Instagram Stories. You can make your posts promotional without making it look like you are forcing your followers to buy your goods or services.
What Should You Post on Instagram Stories for Business?
Instagram stories provide a calm and relaxed platform where quality standards are relatively lower compared to the regular posts. You should not feel frightened to post something silly such as a short video of your team having post-work drinks. It is an excellent place to publish a blend of happy content, fun and advertising content.
The best thing about Instagram stories is that you can be as creative as you like with the adequate cool tools available. To attract user’s attention, you need to create funny and cheerful promotions stories. There are a lot of creative ways in which you can use Instagram stories for business. Below are some of the things you can do to get the most out of the promotional content on Instagram stories.
When Should You Post on Instagram Business Stories?
Normal Instagram posts are recommended to be posted when your followers are mostly online. However, this is different from Instagram stories. Instagram stories have a short-lived nature of twenty-four hours. These are twenty-four hours of being at user’s top news feed. Your followers will see your story despite the time of the day that you will post it. The main point is that as long as the content is valuable and current, you should not stress yourself about the optimal times of posting it.
#1. Incorporation of Links
Instagram made a huge announcement recently by making it possible to put links in Instagram business stories. This is a massive pact as beginners can place a link that does not belong to their bio. You can now send your followers to a different landing page of your business from your Instagram stories. This is very useful in driving traffic to your relevant landing pages.
#2. Use Hashtag and Location Stickers to Increase Your Discoverability
Immediately after Instagram stickers were introduced, they were mainly used for fun. However, Instagram has added the stickers functionalities. These include the aptitude to search stories by hashtag and location and power to view stories based on location on explore page. Today, anyone can see your stories as they are searchable by location and hashtag. This is different from the initial times when you would only share your stories with your followers. It is hence recommended that you ensure that you always incorporate these stickers in your Instagram stories. This way one will have more engagements and even perhaps make it on the explore page soon.
#3. Use of Live Videos
In the previous years, live videos were not shared and replayed after they were over. Now you can share live videos or reply a feature that has made Instagram live as great as Facebook live. However, the shared replay of your live video disappears after twenty-four hours the same way photos and videos disappear.
#4. Share Emoji Sliders and Polls in Your Instagram Stories for Business
Interactive poll stickers are a new feature on Instagram stories that was launched recently. In a bid to establish the type of content your followers are interested in, you need to survey their dislikes, likes, interests and more. This feature makes this possible by allowing you to ask questions and view your followers as they vote. This provides interaction way anew with your Instagram audience in many ways including crowdsourcing ideas, collecting feedback or entertaining followers.
#5. Tag Other Instagram Accounts in Your Stories
Tagging other accounts is specifically more useful in influencer or takeover campaigns. It provides another way of generating traffic towards your business goal. These effective Instagram contests are essential in finding new followers and improving engagement.
#6. Tagging Companies
Instagram has yet another feature for paid partnership. The feature has made it easy for you to tag businesses in your Instagram sponsored stories. Even though it is only some influencers, celebrities and companies, who can access this feature, for now, a more extensive scale rollout is anticipated.
Tools to Improve Creation of Instagram Stories
Boomerang
Boomerang app was created since the year two thousand and fifteen. It functions by snapping some photos and converts them to animations that function backward and forward. Just tap on the record button to put together a photo that will create a GIF.
Use Later Analytics to Track and Measure Performance of Your Instagram Stories
This is an Instagram tool that enables you to measure and track Instagram stories performance and analytics. It has the ability to Instagram stories of a duration of three months. This is different from the Instagram analytics that only keeps your story metrics for two weeks. Some of the parameters Later analyses include the amount of vies per users, reach, amount of replies and reach.
Storeo
Storeo is a useful tool that allows you to record a single video longer than fifteen seconds and cuts it into well-ordered 15 seconds parts. After downloading the app, you can either record a new video or upload one from your device. You then press export to cut the video into sections. One can opt to publish it directly or through the Instagram app.
Canva
Canva is famous for its ability to create amazing social media graphics. Canva is now useful in designing eye-catching and appealing Instagram stories. After you have downloaded the application, you can browse its library of professionally designed prototypes to use on your Instagram stories.
MediaOne Feels that the Trend of Instagram Marketing will Evolve into The Following Ways:
1# Authenticity will be the Secret to Connecting with Target Customers on Instagram
Just like other social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, Instagram algorithm is continuously being updated to offer the best experience to users. The algorithm will continue to accurately identify and delete pseudo and bot accounts in a bid to ensure that the legit Instagram accounts get the reach they deserve. Needless to say, without such stringent measures, the platform will not be effective in helping Singapore businesses connect with prospects.
How to prepare:
One of the obvious things you need to do is avoid buying followers. Fake followers will rarely interact with your content. Come up with smart ways of spurring engagement with the existing audience. One way of achieving this goal is by being real and authentic.
More importantly, keep track of each post’s stats to know which type of content best resonates with your audience. Check out the comments left by followers to understand their needs and expectations.
2# Instagram Influencer Marketing will Continue Gaining More Traction and Become More Expensive
At the moment, there are plenty of outreach services that are tailored to help businesses connect with influencers in Singapore. However, we project that the market will continue to grow steadily and more streamlined to offer the best results.
Instagram will continue to be the go-to platform for influencer marketers who want to run sponsored posts for their clients. We strongly believe that Instagram developers will introduce new features that will make it easier for the influencers to create and post.
How to prepare:
If you are yet to venture into influencer marketing, give it a try. Start with a small budget as you learn the ropes and also determine which influencer best suits your brand.
3# Pushed to Pay for ads to connect with Existing followers
Facebook is already implementing strategies that are designed to encourage marketers to pay for ads to connect with their potential customers. Instagram will soon introduce such strategies. We also think we will notice a gradual drop in organic reach and a strong push for paid ads in the near future.
How to prepare:
Start getting ready for this change and prepare accordingly. A majority of businesses that used to rely on Facebook for marketing had no option but to pay for ads when they noticed a drop in organic reach. Since then, Facebook ads have become very effective in helping businesses scale up. Engage with your digital marketing team to come up with plans on how to leverage Instagram paid promotions.
4# Stories will Continue to Grow in Popularity
Since their inception, stories have become Instagram best success to date. Businesses that are keen on leverage social media marketing are spending more on paid stories. We think this trend will continue and stories will become a prominent feature. Instagram will also introduce more features to make the process of creating stories user-friendly.
How to Prepare:
Keep testing different stories to know which type of content best resonates with your brand. Unknown to most people is that even the simple basic stories can get massive traction on the platform. We are currently carrying out tests in this area and will shed more light on this topic soon.
5# Successful Businesses Will Focus More on Engagement Levels
Currently, account growth is one of the primary objectives for most businesses. However, as Instagram evolves, the successful businesses will focus more on the engagement level. That is, engaging with the target audience will be their primary goal.
Already, we have noticed large brands not only here in Singapore but also abroad preferring micro influencers than large celebrities.
How to prepare:
Take advantage of this window of opportunity to promote your business on this platform more. Make sure that each post is of high quality to get responses from the target audience. Include CTA in each post to encourage the target users to take the desired action.
Conclusion
There has never been a better time for businesses to use Instagram Stories to reach out to clients. There are lots of cool features on Instagram Stories, which can help you personalise your posts. If you are marketing a small business, it is advisable that you tweak your strategy regularly so that you can try out new tools on the platform. You have to keep in mind the fact that with IG stories, you can easily test new content as well as find out what works for you.
