Let Your Business Stand Out With Instagram Stories

Ever since Instagram Stories debuted, this feature has been a big hit with Instagram users, enabling them to combine photos and video clips into one coherent narrative in order to share important (and sometimes, not so important) moments from their lives. And now businesses are exploring new uses for Instagram Stories to engage with customers and fans.

Experiment with Stop-Motion Ads on Instagram

One interesting use of Instagram Stories is to create quick, catchy ads to run on Instagram. The one type of ad that Instagram is promoting right now is the stop-motion ad. This type of ad refers to a product that appears to be moving in a series of herky-jerky movements, such as a pair of shoes moving across your screen. This might seem like a bit of Hollywood-caliber special effects magic, but it’s actually incredibly easy to pull off with Instagram Stories. All you have to do is use the “stop-motion” mode on your camera within the Instagram app, and then capture the product moving. Add some text, change the font to match your brand logo, and you’re good to go. All that remains to be done is to save the story and then upload it as an ad within the Instagram ad manager.

Add Creative Touches to Any Story

And there are plenty of other ways that you can be creative with your Instagram Stories. For example, if you are a fashion brand, you can use the “rewind” feature to take apart an outfit and then put it back together. So, if you are looking to promote your new summer fashion line, you might look for ways to pair different accessories – like a chic pair of sunglasses – with a t-shirt and pair of shorts. And, you can also use the “superzoom” feature to zoom in on a product. Say, for example, that you want to highlight the craftsmanship of a particular handbag – you could easily zoom in on the fabric and stitching, and maybe even add in some funky music. It all makes for a very compelling visual experience.

Instagram is trying to get the word out that you don’t need to be a creative or graphic genius to play around with all the features within Instagram Stories. For example, as long as you have a basic product photo, you can add on stickers and text and turn it into a compelling visual for an upcoming promotion.

Go Behind-the-Scenes with Instagram Stories

For many brands and small businesses, one easy way to tap into the power of Instagram Stories involves simply filming “behind-the-scenes” moments at your business. If you are a restaurant, for example, show what happens in order for a meal to make it to your table – even something as simple as the head chef giving a pep talk to his or her team could be very compelling, and help to bring out the story of your restaurant brand and make every meal more special.

Make Product Demos for Your Fans

Another easy application of Instagram Stories could be a basic product demo. In just a few seconds, you can show how a product works, and maybe showcase a creative use for the product that most people don’t know. Or, you might want to switch things up and have a celebrity or some other prominent person appear in a brief video clip, showing how they use the product in everyday life.

People respond to stories, and every business has a story. And now, using the Instagram Stories features, you can help to bring those stories to life.

*This post originally appeared on socialmedia hq.