Since Instagram launched it become increasingly popular with more than 500 million people using the app worldwide. Users of the app asked for more features to use, and the creators of Instagram heard their please by allowing people the ability to host live videos and stories in addition to their regular posts.
Instagram stories vs. posts which one is better? We’re going to dive deep into what each entails and when is the right time to use both because the truth is in terms of marketing both can be beneficial.
Read on now and get ready to make the most of Instagram feed marketing for your brand.
What Are Instagram Stories?
Instagram stories are the newest feature deployed by Instagram and the point of them is to act as a direct rival to Snapchat. The idea of an Instagram story is the same as Snapchat. When the user posts it, the story will remain posted for the next 24 hours.
If before the 24 hours have passed you decide you wish to save the story as a highlight Instagram has made it possible for you to do so. Keep in mind that if you wish to save a story as a highlight you must make that selection before posting the story.
Otherwise, Instagram will automatically delete it after 24 hours have passed. Another feature of Instagram stories is that you’re able to post videos or images. However, videos will be held to a maximum of 15 seconds.
You can also add text to the stories if needed. For example, if your brand is launching a sale, you can post the text over the video or image of the products you’re discounting.
Now that you’ve got a deeper understanding of what Instagram Stories are here are the situations when using a story might be preferable to posting on your Instagram feed.
Capture the Genuine Side of Your Brand
When it comes to Instagram story marketing one of the best uses for it is to show the genuine or behind-the-scenes side of your brand. When you post on your Instagram feed it’s more of a refined post or something that’s been well thought out.
However, stories allow you to show your followers a deeper view of your brand. For example, if you are a small business owner your story might show a snippet of your packing orders before sending them out.
Testing New Content Formats
Social media marketing is about trial and error. If you don’t know whether something will work or not, you can try it for a while and measure how successful it is.
Utilizing Instagram stories allows you to test new marketing strategies. The reason it works on a story is that after 24 hours it will be deleted, and you can decide whether you’re going to continue using it in the future.
Of course, you would need to understand how to use Instagram for your brand but to understand more about this topic view more here.
What Are Instagram Posts?
Instagram posts were part of the platform when it started. Whenever you post to your Instagram it will post on your feed and vice versa for the people you’re following.
The main difference between Instagram stories and posts is that the stories are deleted after 24 hours but the posts are not. Instagram posts remain on your feed until you decide to delete them or delete your Instagram account.
Along with traditional Instagram feed posts you can choose to use an emoji or words as a caption. Here’s the best time to use Instagram posts.
Long Message Captions
Do you have something you want to fill your followers in on? Is it going to take more than 15 seconds to write?
Instagram posts give you the ability to type longer messages in the caption for people to read. Much like Twitter, there is a cap on the number of characters you’re able to include 2,200 characters.
However, if you create a caption that’s longer than 3 lines followers will need to interact directly with the post to finish reading the rest of the caption.
Easy to Search
If you need to target a certain group of people, the post you create will need to be able to be found. Another key reason to use Instagram feeds over stories is because it allows your content to be easily found or searchable.
It’s best if you take advantage of features such as:
- Hashtagging
- Geographic targeting
- Trending hashtags
All these combined will make it easier for you to target the right audience and increase follower post engagement. Not to mention when you want the posts you’ve created to be found by your followers’ chances are you’ve taken more time to polish the posts.
When you launch an Instagram account for your brand you’ve sat down to consider the design you want to move forward with. Your page should follow a specific aesthetic that aligns with your brand voice and personality.
Instagram Stories vs. Posts: Sharing Content in More Ways Than One
In the feud of Instagram stories vs. posts, the truth is you’ve got to determine what you’re using each for and decide which will work for your brand. At one point it might prove beneficial to use posts and for other reasons, you’ll prefer to use stories.
Want to know more about this topic or others related to social media marketing? Don’t forget to check out the other posts we’ve created in this section.
Who knows, you might find some effective marketing tips to implement as you redefine your marketing strategy.