Two months before it’s 5th anniversary, Instagram launched Instagram Stories, a photo-blogging platform that lets users post photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. Sound familiar? Like Snapchat Stories, Instagram Stories are sequential and tell a “story” over the course of a day.
So which is better — Snapchat or Instagram Stories?
To be honest, Snapchat and Instagram Stories are pretty much the same. You can easily create and edit a story on both platforms, but Snapchat’s editing is a little more customizable. Things start to differentiate when you look at it from a marketing perspective.
Facebook-backed Instagram has around 300 million daily active users versus Snapchat’s 150 million. Snapchat is limited because users have to know the exact username in order to follow an account where as Instagram gives users the option to search for a specific brand.
How to use Instagram Stories for your food business
Instagram has always been a useful platform for food businesses. The app is free and allows you to interact with customers on a personal and behind the scenes level. Just like we pointed out in our Snapchat post, you can engage your audience who loves daily updates by sharing real-time photos and videos.
Here are a few ways to incorporate the new Instagram feature into social media marketing for food businesses.
- Special promotions: Use Instagram Stories to share special promotions and discounts. Curiosity is contagious so why not run a special “24-hour only” sale?
- Drive engagement: Get back to the origin of social media and engage with followers on a personal level. Host Q&A’s, reveal exclusive content, and show your audience that you hear what they have to say.
- Promote events: Show everything from preparation leading up to the event to the day-of chaos. Start teasing an event ahead of time to gain attendance.
- Behind-the-scenes content: Show recipes in the making or give a backstage view of what goes into packaging your product. People love to know how their food is made.
- Feature fans: Give a shoutout to a loyal fan or share images of fans interacting with your product. Everyone wants to be loved.
If you haven’t already, now would be the time to start experimenting with Instagram Stories. This new feature gives brands the best of both worlds: The live content of Snapchat and the conventional fixed business profiles you’ve always known.
Have you seen any food brands using Instagram Stories? Comment below and let us know! We’d love to hear what they’re doing.
About Falynn Derderian
Falynn manages project research and media outreach at The Condiment Marketing Co. She has an advertising degree with a focus in business from the University of Oklahoma (go Sooners!).
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