Just last year, Instagram reached a billion active users on a monthly basis. While it still ranks as the third-ranked social media site, those users are major targets for networking and advertising products. If you haven’t noticed already, social media platforms aren’t just sites where people get to share all these funny, inspirational, and sometimes gruesome stories; they are now being used by both small and large companies as a marketing platform. If you are a marketing professional, you just might be wondering how to add a link to the Instagram story.
I am not just talking about ads. Social media marketing encompasses nearly all aspects of the platform. That funny post they put on their page might not be a blatant ad, but it’s a way for them to gain shares, grow their audience, and widen their reach for when they put out more marketing campaigns. It is no wonder why you are looking for how to add links to your IG stories.
Social media is an audience gold mine. Unlike old media marketing that involved the use of billboards, posters, and TV advertisements that basically target an audience based on their locations, social media marketing can actually bring posts to a company’s target customers.
Instagram As A Social Media Marketing Tool
If you aren’t already familiar with this mobile-based app or how to add a link to the Instagram story, IG is a social media platform where people share photos and short video clips. Users have the option to post their images or videos as a story that will last for 24 hours or as a permanent post on your Instagram feed – unless you decide to archive or delete the post. Followers get to love and comment on the posts of their choosing; ultimately creating a whole Instagram community based on common preferences.
While Facebook and Youtube are the two leading social media platforms, Instagram is following close behind these major players and is growing at an exponential rate. With Instagram influencers becoming major endorsers of popular brands, they are able to reach out to a more targeted community who are actually more likely to be interested in the product they are showcasing.
International celebrities may have large followings but the beauty of Instagram marketing isn’t just in the numbers. There is a much higher rate of interaction between an Instagram user and their followers, creating a stronger level of trust. But, what if you aren’t a major influencer yet? Can you still get something out of Instagram marketing?
Instagram Branding
Those who are just starting to build a brand on Instagram; whether that’s a personal brand or a large company name, the main goal isn’t just to get a large following. The goal is to get people interested in your brand, your products, and your services. The more people interested in what you are offering, the better your reach. And if you are offering great content, your followers will be the ones to share and spread your brand to the world. That is the amazing thing about social media when you offer quality, people naturally share and, inadvertently, promote your brand.
But, before you can start relying on your followers to share your posts, you also have to put in some of your own elbow greases and get your content out there. Unfortunately, it isn’t advisable to fill up your Instagram feed with posts by the minute. For one, you won’t be able to put out high-quality content that often, so you have to reserve your feed for the best of the best. Your IG story, however, is one of those places on the internet where you can bombard with a constant stream of videos, images, and promotional content.
There is one major caveat to using Instagram story: you have such a limited space to put in your content. Stories play for a maximum of 15 seconds per clip. While you can definitely put together multiple clips and create a “longer” video, the key to Instagram marketing is keeping it concise. But, how are you able to show off your content when there is so limited canvas to showcase it?
Instagram Story Links
Putting a link on your shared story is an easy hack to redirect people to where you want them to be. Use that 15 seconds to entice them to click on that link and you’ll grab their interest when they get on your page. Whether you are bringing them to a product page, a youtube channel, your blog, or wherever, you can use the story to get them interested and then redirect them to where they can see more of what you are offering. This is also a great way to filter out those potential customers from those who just aren’t at all interested in what you have.
But how to add a link to the Instagram story? Unfortunately, not everyone can add a link to their Instagram stories. Depending on the kind of link you are looking to add on, there are a certain set of prerequisites.
Link: IGTV
An extension of the Instagram platform is IGTV, which is basically where you can put up longer videos on your Instagram channel. The easiest link to add to your Instagram story is an IGTV link. You can send people to your channel, where you have much longer videos diving deep into your brand. All you need to do is sign up for IGTV. When you have your account ready, you go to the Instagram app, take a picture or video for a story, and you’ll find a small chain icon on the upper right corner of the screen. When you click on that, you’ll be brought to a menu board where you can find IGTV. Provide your IGTV account and you are ready to link people to your channel.
Other Links
Instagram only adds the feature that lets you redirect people to any other link when you meet 2 major requirements:
- Instagram Business Account
- At least 10,000 followers
All you have to do is click on the link icon at the upper right portion of the screen. You’ll be redirected to a menu where you have the option to add either a URL or IGTV link. When you choose the URL option, all you have to do is input the full link.
Converting your Instagram account into a business account is simple. You can easily find this in your account settings and will take you less than 5 minutes to set up. The second requirement of getting 10,000 followers, however, isn’t as easy. There are tons of ways to increase your following but that is something you’ll have to work on yourself.
When you do reach that 10K following, you can now post whatever links you want as the URL. But you still need to be sure the links you add on there are relevant and interesting.
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