What are Instagram Stories?
SnapChat was the first of its kind to have a 24-hour story model. Following Snapchat’s wildly popular model, Facebook and its later entities (Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger) now have the story feature allowing people to share stories for 24-hours before they are deleted. Of all these platforms, Instagram Stories have been the most popular and successful.
Instagram Story was introduced in August 2016. The feature allows users to create 1080px by 1920px stories through text, images and videos that last for 24 hours until they are automatically deleted. The stories aren’t stored anywhere and disappear after 24 hours. You can see views, interact with other users, create polls and use super cool effects to create interesting stories.
Since the time of its launch, Instagram Stories has been used by 500 million users and 1/3rd of those stories are from businesses!
Statistics clearly show that Instagram stories are quite successful for businesses and if you haven’t already joined the bandwagon, you should consider Instagram stories for your 2019 marketing strategy.
Why are Instagram Stories Important for Brands Nowadays?
The platform has a highly engaged user base as compared to Facebook giving businesses plenty of opportunities to share a variety of content. Instagram Stories are important for brands nowadays because it offers the following important features.
1) Ability to Post Multiple Types of Content
You can post multiple types of content with Instagram stories – be it fancy text or effects-laden images, there are literally dozens of options to make your posts fun and appealing for the Instagram crowd. Along with effects, you can also add music to your videos according to moods and genres. For an entrepreneur or a startup looking to connect with their audience through stories and interactive posts, Instagram stories is the best platform to do so.
2) Animated Stories Help You Gain Attention of Followers
Users would scroll past simple text and images but they pay attention to animated content which has a high possibility of going viral. While Instagram has some default animation features such as Boomerang, SuperZoom, Rewind and lots more, you can add even more to the options through various third-party animation apps. For a list of some of the best animation apps, check out this blog post by Later.
3) Live Features are Great for Product Launch or Discounts
Want to launch a product or make an announcement? Use the Live option that lets you inform your followers of the time and date you’ll go live. This can be quite helpful in getting the attention of your followers and have them anticipate the event, ultimately, leading to a high level of engagement.
4) Bring Followers to Your Website Via Swipe Up
If you’re a business with more than 10K followers, you can directly benefit from the Swipe Up action that allows users to add a link to their Instagram stories. So if you’re launching a seasonal product or giving away a discount, the Swipe Up action is perfect to get people to visit the website via the link. Remember though, not every business can do this as it’s reserved only for businesses with 10K followers.
5) Easy Collaboration with Influencers & Other Businesses
Instagram stories also allow for easy collaboration with influencers and other brands which actually works quite well in generating noise and bringing you more followers, showcasing your brand to an even larger audience. If you’re launching a campaign and awareness is your first priority, start by collaborating with influencers via stories.
Creating Custom Animation to Stand Out
While it’s easy to use Instagram’s default animation features and third-party apps (such as Powtoon, Moovly, GoAnimate etc), it’s not going to help you stand out from the crowd. If you truly want to grab the attention of your users and set yourself apart from competitors, you can indulge in creating custom animations for your stories.
Upload your own stickers, GIFs or animated emojis relevant to your brand and set a new trend. Followers crave for interesting content and follow brands that give them visual treats every now and then so if you want stories to work, the content should go beyond the typical filters and effects used by millions.
Some businesses are skeptical about Insta Stories because the content disappears within 24 hours and it seems like wasted effort. With their advertising option though, you can boost and push your stories reaching millions of people within a matter of seconds. Out of those millions, at least a few hundred may become new followers and many will definitely become leads or buyers! The level of engagement and visibility offered by Instagram stories within 24 hours far outweighs the marketing done on Facebook or other channels.
If you’re struggling with content marketing and are looking for ways to interact with your audience, it’s time you invest time and money into crafting high-quality Instagram worthy animated videos. Remember though that the more interesting and unique your content is, the higher your chances of having a successful campaign.
Where to order high-quality Instagram animations?
We are offering all kind of animation services including Instagram posts / stories at competitive price and with artistically directed quality. So you don’t need to look any further, get in touch with our team at: https://www.kasradesign.com/get-a-quote/
Remember to add as much details as you can in your animation brief. Let us know what style of animation you like (with sample URL), what you don’t like (Also with sample URL) and the estimated duration of your animation. If you already have a script, please share that as well so we can suggest the best possible approach.