Three Ways to Use Instagram Stories

In summer, I like to take advantage of the slower pace to drink my coffee outside in the garden, quit early on Tuesdays to enjoy a leisurely stroll through the farmer's market, and to learn something new.Is this you too? If so, and you want to take your personal branding and business Instagram experience to the next level, Instagram Stories is a good place to start. Here are three ways to use Instagram Stories.Instagram Stories is the fastest growing feature of Instagram. Recently, the platform doubled down on their importance by adding the ability to share stories that you are tagged in. Obviously Instagram believes in the power of Stories and as a digital marketer and brand strategist, so do I.They provide a fresh way to reach and interact with your ideal client in a fun, yet informative way.Here are three classic ways to use Instagram Stories for business.PS ... if you are already rocking it on Instagram Stories, may I suggest checking out the app called Unfold? It's a great way to take your story style to the next level artistically!)

1. Show Your Creative Process

One of the best ways to build trust is to take viewers behind the scenes of your workplace.

In the story above, UK photographer Bronte Huskinson (@bookishbronte) revealed how she created a photo with video elements, breaking it down step-by-step and even sharing the app she used. People get to know her process, and her personality in the process. Then she saves them as BTS (Behind the Scenes) Highlights.This works for any industry. In the event industry, you could do this as a mixologist sharing how to make a new cocktail, a lighting designer showing new equipment in action, or a floral designer sharing the best flowers for a DIY bouquet. Will people actually take this information and do it themselves? Perhaps, but highly unlikely. You can thank YouTube, the Food Network and DIY shows for making how we do things a special form of entertainment.

2. Take Your Followers to the Party!

Everyone likes a good party! Event professionals are using this feature to show the event from start to finish. This gives followers a front row seat to events they would never see such as how Geller Events (@gellerevents) turned Spago into a seaside themed event.This is the time to use all those fun stickers, captions and tags to make the story fun and light. Keep the money shots for your curated feed.

3. Drive Traffic to Your Site

The "Swipe Up" feature which takes your followers to a specific page on your website is the greatest tool for marketing. Because, ultimately, driving traffic to our websites is what it's all about!

This feature is available to accounts with 10,000 or more but many are hoping Instagram will change that soon as Instagrammers with accounts of between 3 - 5,000 followers continue to grow in influence.In my next post, I will show you how to turn Stories into "Highlights" that remain on your Instagram profile until you delete them. And, how to custom brand them (it's easier than it sounds!) to create a professional design to your page.