Stories were designed to appeal to our ever-shrinking
attention span. The fastest way to lose your audience
is by forcing them to watch ten consecutive clips
detailing every moment of your day.
1.
DESIGN FOR NO SOUND
When are you most likely to check
your social media apps? We whip out
our phones and mindlessly scroll at
work, in a boring meeting or in a public
space. To be sure you’re getting the
most views out of your expiring content,
optimize it for volume-off consumption.
If you can’t avoid sound, flex your
creativity to ensure that context isn’t lost
for those with their volume turned
down. Use the text option to overlay
any necessary information so that users
with the sound off can still understand
the content.
2.
KEEP IT SHORT & SWEET
Avoid that dreaded “number of
people swiped away” stat! Stories were
designed to appeal to our ever-shrinking
attention span. The fastest way to lose
your audience is by forcing them to watch
ten consecutive clips detailing every
moment of your day. (Hint: they’ll just
skip to the next Story anyway.) Extensive
analysis of data on Instagram Insights
shows that Instagram posters receive
optimum engagement around 5 uploads.
3.
MAP OUT YOUR STORY
No different than a traditional
story, this virtual version should have a
beginning, a middle and an end. The
most engaging Stories play out as a
behind-the-scenes highlight reel of the
shareable, authentic moments you are
experiencing in real time. Don’t be afraid
to spread a narrative or theme across
multiple Stories; give your followers
something to care about and invest in,
even if it’s just for a handful of seconds
each day.
creative with the boomerang setting,
which plays your video forward and then
in reverse, creating a loop. Use all the
tools available to you to grab the
attention of your followers.
What’s the Story?
Instagram Stories are changing the way
brands and companies are leveraging the
power of social media. Whether you a
manage a spa or lead marketing efforts for
a vendor, you can improve your social
storytelling and reap the benefits of ampli-
fying your unique brand of awesome to
new audiences across the social web. n
What About
Snapchat?
Instagram Stories are more
popular than Snapchat
Stories, although Snapchat
pioneered the format. Most
of the advice given in this
article works for Snapchat,
BRING YOUR CONTENT TO
LIFE Give your Stories a little too. However, most spas
something extra by experimenting with
the in-app stickers, filters and shooting
options that Instagram offers. Add that
“Sunday Funday” stamp over a shot of a
morning yoga class at your spa. Get on Instagram, so Insta is
4.
have much larger followings
typically the better social
media platform in which to
invest your time.
ERIN GARGAN KING is the CEO of Socialite Agency and a digital persuasion expert whose clients include
The Oscars, vISA, Target, and others. She has been featured in Forbes and was recently named a 2017
“woman in Business” by the Orange County Business Journal. Erin helps professionals attract attention,
increase influence and sell smarter using the power of digital persuasion.
November 2018
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