How to Use Instagram Stories for Influencer Marketing

Did you know that 500 million Instagrammers use Instagram Stories to share content every day? Unlike social media posts, Instagram Stories are temporary. They stay on a user’s profile only for 24 hours.

But that’s what makes Stories special.

Through Instagram Stories, users can keep their followers updated about where they are or what they are doing.

While users may curate their feeds for an aesthetic appeal, the Stories feature allows them to give people an unfiltered peek into their lives. From sharing morning selfies to posting event videos, Instagram Stories are for everything.

And for brands, Stories can be a great platform to promote your products.

In fact, one-third of the Stories that are most viewed on Instagram come from businesses. Furthermore, one out of five Stories gets a direct message from the viewers.

It’s evident that Stories are quite popular.

Want to leverage them to get the most out of your social media strategy?

Pro Tip: Collaborate with influencers to create Instagram Stories for your brand.

Influencer marketing and Instagram Stories make a great combination. Think about it. Influencers have a loyal following and can help you reach a targeted audience. Through Instagram Stories, influencers can give their audiences a “behind-the-scenes” look into their lives.

By adding Instagram Stories to your influencer marketing strategy, you’ve got a great recipe to whip up more business.

How Can Brands Leverage Instagram Stories for Influencer Marketing Campaigns?

For brands and influencers alike, Instagram Stories open up the world of creativity. For instance, you can spice up your photos by adding engaging GIFs, emojis sliders, location tags, and more.

From polls to Q&A sessions, there is a lot you can do with Instagram Stickers.

What’s more, Instagram Stories also makes it easy for you to keep track of your influencer marketing campaign.

With the Swipe Up Links feature (available for users with more than 10k followers), you can share direct calls-to-action with trackable links. This, in turn, helps you measure the results of your influencer marketing campaign more effectively.

If you’re a marketer looking to get the most out of your influencer marketing strategy, it’s time to leverage Instagram Stories.

Let’s take a closer look at how brands can leverage Instagram Stories for influencer marketing.

1. Leverage Polls

Influencers can make their target audience feel like they are engaged through Instagram’s Polls Sticker.

Here’s why:

When an influencer asks their users a question, it makes them feel like they are involved in the content. That’s why they are more likely to engage with Stories with Polls.

Especially, if influencers want to introduce your brand, Instagram Stories and Polls are a great way to tease a collaboration in an authentic way.

For example, Fourstarzz Media worked with BMW on an awareness campaign for their electric car, BMW i3. For its promotion, BMW invited influencers to test their car.

Before the test drive, influencers leveraged Instagram Stories to steer the conversation towards electric cars. This way, they could create anticipation for the event.

In Polls, they asked their audience whether they had driven electric cars before. Some of them even encouraged users to ask them questions which were then answered in Stories after the event.

Additionally, your brand can also leverage Polls to get feedback on your products and understand what your target audience wants.

For instance, in their Instagram Story, Benefit Cosmetics UK asked their followers if their makeup artist and influencer, Lauren, should take a ferry or a tram for their “Makeup On The Move” series.

2. Host Q&A Sessions

Another way of getting engagement via Instagram Stories is by hosting a Q&A session. In the session, you can answer any questions that your audience has. Think of it as an engaging interview session.

Wondering how this strategy fits into your brand’s influencer marketing strategy?

It’s simple:

Get influencers to use Instagram Stories to host Q&A sessions where their audience can ask anything they want.

In the middle of the conversation, influencers can seamlessly mention your brand. It’s non-promotional and a great way to get the attention of your target audience.

For example, Instagram influencer Lauren Toyota’s Q&A session featured The Gateway Co., a company that organizes plant-based getaways in her talk in a natural way. She even featured their Instagram channel in her Story so that her viewers could check them out.

3. Host Social Media Takeovers

Facing a creative block? Want to create engaging content but don’t know what to create? Give the reins of your account over to an influencer for a day. Let them create content on your behalf.

They can post sponsored Instagram posts, videos, or even create tutorials for your products. The idea is to get traction by bringing the influencer’s followers to your social media account. It’s a smart way to take your social media marketing strategy to the next level.

Beauty brand, Summer Fridays, hosts social media takeovers regularly on their Instagram account. They even have a separate Highlight titled “Takeovers” on their profile compiling all of their social media takeover videos together.

In one of their Instagram Stories created as a part of a social media influencer takeover campaign, beauty influencer, Adri, showcased how to use their Jet Lag Mask. She shares how she uses it as a 10-minute mask, overnight mask, and as a daytime moisturizer.

4. Display Your Latest Products

Launching a new product? Showcase it to the world in influencers’ Stories to create buzz. In their Stories, influencers can also create tutorials to give their audiences a better idea of how to use your products. Additionally, influencers can also offer discounts to drive sales.

What’s more, you can create unique URL or promo code for each influencer that you partner with. This can help you keep track of how well your influencer marketing campaign is performing. In addition to this, it can benefit the influencer as well. It can help them boost their brand awareness and visibility.

Not sure how to go about it?

Take a leaf from cookware and kitchen accessories brand, Swan’s influencer marketing campaign. They partnered with Instagram influencer, Shannon Dennison, to promote their products. In a series of Instagram Stories, Dennison showcases their products and even cooks in them.

5. Event Coverage

If you’re conducting events to promote your brand, make it a point to invite influencers. It’s a great way to get online mileage. Whether it’s a small gathering or a gala event, influencers can help you take it to the next level.

For instance, influencers can share Instagram Stories to give their audiences a minute-by-minute update of what’s happening.

In the screenshot below, check out how Instagram influencer, Diana Badea, covered the Bucharest Fashion Week. In her Instagram Stories, she has also promoted her partner brands.

6. Give a Behind-the-Scenes Sneak Peek

Want to show your brand’s fun side? Let influencers show your audience what goes on behind-the-scenes or in between shoots.

From bloopers to relaxation time, influencers can get creative with this type of content. If they are able to mention your brand subtly, it won’t even look promotional.

Filmmaker, Ryan Loney, posted an Instagram Story that showcased how he was shooting a vertical video using his GoPro camera and DJI camera drone.

Ready to Use Instagram Stories for Influencer Marketing?

Instagram Stories are fun and engaging. On the other hand, influencer marketing campaigns can help you reach out to a wide audience, boost your brand awareness, and get more revenue.

When you combine these strategies together, you can get the best of both worlds.

Let influencers leverage Instagram Stories Stickers to add an element of fun. From GIFs and Question Stickers to Polls, there is a lot to experiment with.

You can also partner with influencers to showcase your products, cover your events, or give your audience a behind-the-scenes sneak peek. To share engaging content from your feed, you can also host social media takeovers with influencers.

What are you waiting for?

It’s time to amplify your social media marketing efforts.

Don’t wait, it’s time to create your own Instagram Story. Partner with social media influencers to boost your reach, engagement, and awareness.

Want to discover the best influencers in your niche? Check out Fourstarzz Media’s influencer marketing platform NOW!

This post originally published at https://www.fourstarzz.com/