If you’re already using utilizing Instagram Stories, awesome! Or..maybe you’re someone who uses them every once in a while, or not at all. Using Instagram Stories is a great way to grow your Instagram account with as much or little work as you want. If you read my previous blog, you understand how to use Instagram Stories, we’re now going to discuss

The Importance of Instagram Stories 

Instagram Stories are great for a few reasons

• They increase your reach
• They keep you active
• Your followers get to know you better
• You can share more on a Story than a Post

Reach More People

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Stories can be great for you to reach not only your audience, but your followers' audience. There are many ways to increase your reach on Instagram Stories including:

• Tag another account in your Story, this way the other account can add it to their Story, which will make their followers check out your account. 
• Collab with other accounts in different things like giveaways. “ Follow x,y and z to be entered in!”.
• Using hashtags and location tags. You’ll be discoverable in Stories, just like Posts!

Having an Active Instagram is Just as Important as an Active Lifestyle

With Instagram Stories being located at the top of the home page, users are inclined to start at the top of the page and click through some Stories before moving on to their feed. With Instagram Stories, you are able to post as much or as little as you want! Obviously posting more will keep your followers more engaged and more active! 

A lot of accounts will post their Stories 10+ times a day to keep their followers active. You may even notice this yourself when you get on Instagram a few times throughout the day, every time you pop on, your favorite account has a new Story. This helps keep their audience engaged at all times, and constantly wanting more! 

Followers Turn into Friends

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Instagram Stories are a great way to get your audience to know you better. Instagram Stories make it so easy for you to be more laid back and casual. When you post on your Instagram Story, it will feel like you’re interacting and talking with your friends. 

You can jump on at any time for any length of time. Maybe you want to share a tip or trick, talk about what you’re making for dinner, show your favorite products in your daily life, etc. It’s totally up to you! The nice thing is Instagram Stories don’t have a real etiquette code to follow. Let’s face it we enjoy talking about ourselves, and people love a good story! Your Instagram Story can set you apart compared to other accounts, simply by your authenticity. 

Share More to an Instagram Story 

An important key factor that sets Instagram Stories apart from Instagram Posts is that you can add so much more to your Story! Instagram really did us all a favor when they added engagement actions like polls, questions, quizzes, etc to our stories. This way we can 100% know and understand our followers. You can add text and sound to make your story more involving, and when you need to you can add a fun filter to bring your aesthetic to your Stories. 

Whereas with an Instagram Post, your options are limited  with being able to add a photo or video, with the option to edit it. Then you can add in tags, locations and mentions to further optimize. Instagram Posts are the core of the app, it gives us the personalized feed we desire, but Posts focus more on the back end with optimization features, whereas Stories can focus on both optimization and more personalization! 

Now that you know why Instagram Stories are so important, what type of Stories are you going to start posting to grow your business?!