Instagram Stories have quickly become one of the most popular social media features out there. In fact, Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri, has said that Stories is valued higher than the Feed section. This is where there is a true opportunities for churches and ministries on Instagram. Stories provide a fun, casual way to connect with your community in the moment.
Many people use different ideas like going behind the scenes of your Church service or event as Stories. However, there are lots of ways you can use it beyond different content types to increase your reach. What are those ways? Here are some ways you can use Instagram Stories to boost your reach to those who follow you already and those who don't.
Use all of the Stories’ Features For instance, use Try adding GIFs, stickers, locations, and hashtags as often as possible (without over-using them, of course). By using all these features, you’ll have a better chance at keeping your audience engaged and will give them a reason to spend more time viewing your Instagram Stories.
Frequency and Be Consistent
Share stories more frequently with updates throughout the day and week. The more you post, the more you will show up in the rotation
Encourage Interactions
There are many different ways you can do this. You can use Polls, stickers, to interact with people. Polls give you a great way to gather feedback about an event coming up or about a promotion. You can also use it to ask funny questions. Encouraging these kinds of interaction will not only help you build a deeper connection with those who follow you but it will also help you grow your reach, too.
Add Links
Adding links to your Stories will not only help drive more traffic to your website or landing page, but it's another feature that the algorithm will reward you for including in it.
Add Hashtags & Location Stickers
Instagram's Explore & Search page includes hashtag and location stories which allows you to add a hashtag or location sticker to a story. That means that other users will be able to find it if they search that hashtag or location. It's a great opportunity to reach a lot of new and undiscovered audiences. And if they like what they see, they might even start to follow you.
Conclusion
As with every social media plastron, Instagram will continue to tweak it’s algorithm and make changes. As it does that, use it as an opportunity to make adjustments, try new things and create deeper connections. Instagram Stories are still a great way for you to connect with people in your online and IRL community. Maximize your strategy and reach today on Instagram.
What do you think? What other ways can you maximize Instagram Stories for your Church? Share your ideas below or on social media.
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