Instagram Stories is a powerful marketing tool for your business. These brief videos allow you to give customers a behind-the-scenes look at what's going on in your business, provide brief snippets of advice, or simply to highlight your products or your business. Now, Instagram Stories is increasing the length on its offerings - and your business can benefit.

How It Works

In order to use the new extended length feature, you need only click the record button. Instagram Stories will automatically record your new story at the proper length, then break it down into 15-second segments. Transitioning between one segment and the next while watching requires only a simple press of the "next" button. Instagram will add a transition between the segments, breaking up your video and allowing customers to decide whether they want to keep watching or move on to something else; however, the transition is subtle enough that it's unlikely to break up your video too much.

As you're creating your longer Instagram Stories, keep in mind that text from one segment won't make it into subsequent segments--which means that you will need to manually add any additional information to each segment before posting.

The Benefits

Thanks to this new, longer Instagram Stories option, you can now share more information with your followers within a single video. While the segments will be broken up, it will still put together a seamless whole that will continue to hold your followers' attention. You can use the longer Instagram Stories option to share longer performances, give customers a longer look at what's going on with your business, or simply to give your video that last, important sentence you were hoping for.

Tips and Tricks

Like your regular Instagram Stories, there are some tips and tricks to making Instagram Stories work smoothly with the longer length. Try some of these tips.

Keep it simple. Yes, you now have the ability to record significantly longer segments, but that doesn't mean that you have to go all the way to the limit with every story. Instead, keep your video short and simple. Remember that customers are scrolling through Instagram looking for brief snippets of entertainment, not for an in-depth analysis.

Take advantage of the added features in Instagram Stories. Add text, background colours, and stickers as needed to highlight your video and make it stand out.

Keep your effects - and your whole video = in keeping with your brand. Make sure that your stories reflect your brand, from the colours you add to the elements of your logo you choose to display. Also, keep your video within your brand voice. If you typically show serious content, showing a funny, blooper-laden Instagram Story might negatively impact your followers' opinion of your business. A video that looks more like something from your competitors than it does something from your brand may fail to get the attention you're hoping for.

Continue to monitor the performance of your stories. Do your followers like the new, longer Instagram Stories, or are they more likely to check out a short video clip? Take the time to test your followers' responses to give you a better understanding of the type of content that most engages your followers. If longer Instagram Stories don't work for your audience, it's okay to go back to posting standard fifteen-second videos. Remember, your audience is unique, and you want to post content that keeps them interested!

Are you ready to make the most of Instagram Stories, including the new longer length option? Do you need help creating those critical stories? Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your company flourish through digital marketing methods.