Did you know that Instagram exceeded its one billion user mark in 2020? And it keeps growing every day. As a business, you need Instagram for the eyeballs. Of its many features, Instagram Stories is easily a favorite. With 500 million users daily; it’s the best platform to launch a product and get discovered.
Below, we’ve come up with a guide on how to use Instagram Stories for your next product launch.
Use Instagram Story’s Built-in Features to Create Buzz
Teaser campaigns have been a tried and tested advertising tactic for decades because humans will always be curious. To build up your launch, you can offer glimpses of your products and a series of clues that will leave your followers wanting more.
Utilize Instagram’s features like the countdown sticker to help you create buzz. You can also ask your followers questions like “What should we launch next?” or “Can you guess what we’re up to” to increase engagement. Instagram’s Poll, Question, and Quiz stickers are great tools for encouraging engagement.
If possible, ask your followers for their thoughts and opinions on certain aspects of your product such as color, scent, and other details you can change. This way, your followers will feel that you’re building your products together. This engagement with potential customers is one of the advantages of using social media marketing as part of your digital marketing efforts, so make sure to make it’s a part of your strategy.
Skincare giant, Glossier (@glossier), achieved a cult-like following thanks to their brilliant marketing efforts and use of customer feedback. The brand is known for developing products based on conversations and suggestions from current customers.
Before launching a product, Glossier conducts extensive market research, which includes using the Question sticker on Instagram Stories. You’d be surprised at the number of responses you’ll get!
Pro tip: Use photo editing apps like Instasize to help you create stories that stand out. Choose from the app’s wide selection of fonts and filters and mix it up with Instagram’s built-in features to create something that’s uniquely on-brand.
Take Advantage of Instagram Story’s 24-Hour Expiry
One of the characteristics of Instagram Story is its limited-time availability, use this to your advantage by offering limited-time deals.
For example, you can release a discount code exclusively on Instagram Stories. Make sure not to post it on your feed or any other platform. The code should only be valid for 24 hours or during the duration of your story. Doing this will encourage your followers to constantly check your stories for more deals and exclusive content.
You can also start an “early access” campaign to add hype to your launch. Announce the early access sign up sheet on Stories and utilize the swipe up feature. If you haven’t unlocked the swipe up feature just yet, drive your followers to the link in your bio to get them to sign up.
Host a Live Q&A Right Before Launch
Your viewers will only buy a product if they feel they have enough information about it. The better you convey your message, the easier they can be converted into customers.
Since your product hasn’t been released yet, the only reference they’ll have will be your social media posts. To make sure all their questions are answered before launch day, encourage your customers to ask away using the Question sticker or better yet, go live!
Instagram’s live feature works within Instagram Stories. Whenever you go live, your account will be placed at the top of your follower’s feed, increasing your chances of getting views and further developing your relationships with customers.
After answering all your questions, don’t forget to compile everything for a FAQ section on your Instagram Story Highlights.
Lifestyle and activewear brand Recess (@our.recess) created a FAQ highlight so followers always have a point of reference.
Create a Story Highlight for Your New Product
Even if your posts will focus on your new product during launch, you will eventually have to post about your other products on your main feed and Stories. So, if someone wants to learn all about your new product post-launch, they will have a hard time sifting through different posts. This is where Story Highlights can come in handy. Consider featurings reviews, product FAQs, unboxing videos, behind the scenes videos and anything else that’s interesting, but easily lost in all your posts. A great way to make your Story Highlights stand out even more is by using video editing apps to add filters that match your feed.
It’s helpful to dedicate a Story Highlight per product. Having a dedicated story highlight per product, allows your customers to look through your catalogue in a more organized manner.
Popular gourmet food concept Eggslut (@eggslut) categorizes its Instagram Story Highlights by menu item. This helps customers decide what product to order on their next visit.
Remember: You’re Telling a Story
When planning a campaign, it’s always important to have a narrative in mind, especially when working on a platform like Instagram Stories.
Think about your campaign as if you’re telling a story. You have to have a clear beginning, middle, and end in mind. Avoid lackluster posting, when you lay everything out, your story needs to make sense.
Start planning your campaign months before the actual launch. While Instagram Stories might seem like random content to a regular user, as a brand, each post has to be perfectly planned out.
Your content calendar should cover everything from pre-launch (hype), launch, and post-launch. Remember to make full use of the platform. Even if your main focus will be on Instagram Stories, don’t take your main feed for granted. To reach a wider audience, make sure to promote your launch campaign on all your channels!
