If you’re already an Instagram lover like us here at Approach PR, you definitely won’t have missed its latest announcement. So, Instagram’s story feature: what’s it all about?

Instagram is home to users who are accustomed to carefully picking the perfect picture and tweak it with the perfect filter to create the perfect post, but now the platform has introduced a new system in which users can post a number of photos to a gallery, creating a ‘story’ throughout the day.

Similar to Snapchat, Instagram Stories allows users to post photos and videos in a time sequence to tell their story throughout the course of the day. 24 hours later, the videos and images will disappear.

However, unlike Snapchat, Instagram Stories will not appear on the original feed. Instead, stories appear along the top of the news feed for users to watch only if they choose to. This prevents users’ feeds becoming clogged up with unwanted posts.

Recently, Instagram updated the app and added in an algorithm to filter users feeds. The app switched from a chronologic order, to an order in which Instagram determined the posts they thought users would interact with the most. With the introduction of ‘stories’, the photo-sharing app has provided brands with a way to cut through this algorithm and stay in the mind of followers, even if their content isn’t always at the top of the original feed.

With over 400million users, Instagram is a popular media platform for brands to connect with their target audience. The new stories feature has opened the doors to fun new ways to share quick, visual insights without disrupting the aesthetic of their Instagram profile.

For a business, authenticity is key and Instagram has created a gateway for behind-the-scenes content. This is a way for brands to enable their followers to feel part of a journey and the company’s day to day life. People like to feel included and what better way than watching what goes on in their favourite company?

Streaming live content is becoming a popular way for a business to interact with its target audience. Periscope (owned by Twitter), Snapchat, Facebook and now Instagram all have live stream features that enable consumers to watch behind the scenes, events and sneak previews of ‘what’s to come’ from the comfort of their own home!

Incase you haven’t had chance to try out the latest addition to the app, here’s a quick break down on how to use it:

  • Click the plus arrow now shown in the top left hand corner of your Instagram newsfeed
  • To take a picture, tap the large circle button at the bottom of the screen. To take a video, hold down on the circle and it will start to record
  • Once your photo or video has been captured, icons in the top right appear which allow you to add doodles, text or emojis to your story
  • Swipe left or right on the captured image or video to add one of seven filters
  • Finally, to add the photo or video to your story, tap the tick at the bottom

For our top five tips on using Instagram as a small enterprise, read our earlier post here and to keep up with team Approach on Instagram (stories and filtered snaps aplenty), follow us here.

 

Image sourced from Pixabay