6 Instagram Stories Stickers Your Business Should Be Using

Mentions and hashtags and GIFs, oh MY!

If you’re not using Instagram Stories, you’re missing out on a ton of potential positive social impact for your brand. Statista reported that there are 500 million daily active Instagram Stories users worldwide as of January 2019—that’s up from 400 million since just June of last year! And that growth is only gaining momentum. Basically, if your business isn’t using Instagram Stories, you need to start now. If you’re new to Instagram Stories, check out this helpful blog post to get caught up on the basics before reading on.

Maybe you’re already using Instagram Stories, but did you know you can take them to the next level by using stickers? Now, there are a few stickers that don’t serve any meaningful purpose other than novelty (I’m looking at YOU, selfie sticker. Putting selfies on my selfies?!). Stickers allow you to not only add personality to your Instagram Stories but to get more engagement and relevant traction to your Instagram account that you wouldn’t otherwise have been able to obtain through normal Instagram posts.

In case you don’t already know how to add stickers to your stories, begin by starting a story with a picture or video, then either swipe up while on the story screen or tap the  folded square smiley face (it looks like a sticker!) at the top right corner of the screen. From there, you’ll be met with several different “stickers” that you can add to your individual stories.

“So, which stickers should I use?” you ask. You’ve come to the right place! Without further ado, here are six Instagram Stories stickers your business should be using.

The Best Instagram Stories Stickers

1. Location

The location sticker’s purpose is two-fold: 1.) It allows the story-viewer to tap the location and see other posts & stories in that same location, and more importantly 2.) It allows others outside of your follower-base to discover your story by searching for that location within Instagram.

Whether you’re vacationing in Maui, visiting a client’s property in NYC, or attending an industry PR event in San Francisco, you can utilize the location sticker to let followers in on your oh-so-adventurous and exciting travels and allow new accounts to discover you more easily!

2. Questions

Adding a question sticker to your story is a great way to get engagement from your followers. You can use it to ask anything you want directly to your followers and newcomer-story-viewers alike. Some great ways to use the question sticker for your brand are to hold a Q&A or AMA (“Ask Me Anything”), ask for your audience’s opinion on a topic, or simply to start a fun conversation with your beloved followers!

As an interactive story element, you can utilize the questions sticker to get valuable feedback from your audience—let them know you value their opinions, and they’ll value you in return. It’s a win-win!

3. Countdown

Do you have an event or a special announcement coming up that you want everyone to know about? Get your followers hyped by using the countdown sticker to countdown to that awesome announcement or event! This sticker is also useful for promotions because it allows the story-viewer to tap it so that they receive a notification when the countdown ends.

4. GIF

If you ever struggle to decide which sticker to use for a story, give GIFs a shot as they are a simple way to add visual character to your stories and express your brand’s personality. GIFs are also a great way to add a flashy call-to-action for the viewer to tap your profile, swipe-up on your story, or view a post of yours. The possibilities are endless.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can even add your own GIFs to Instagram. This requires a bit of leg-work since you need to apply to become a verified brand on Giphy. However, it’s worth the effort since original branded GIFs can greatly increase brand awareness, as it will allow anyone to find your GIFs on Instagram and use them on their own stories.

5. Emoji Slider

Like the questions sticker, the emoji slider is a great way to get engagement from your followers. In digital marketing, sentiment is one of the most difficult metrics to track. The emoji slider is a very simple way to gauge how your followers feel toward your story. To use it, simply type in a question or statement, choose an emoji, and then place the sticker on your story. Once you post your story, users can slide the emoji to whichever position they feel represents the answer to your question or statement. Don’t be afraid to get creative with this one!

6. Hashtags

Similar to the location sticker, your story-viewers can tap the hashtag sticker in your story to discover other stories and posts that are using that same hashtag. This makes for a useful way to promote a branded hashtag and encourage followers to use it in their own posts. In addition, people outside of your followers can discover your story by searching for that hashtag within Instagram.

(Side note: While you can technically only have one hashtag sticker in your story, you can still include multiple hashtags by adding them via text).

Conclusion

Not all Instagram Stories stickers are created equal. Experiment with the stickers we listed, see which ones work best for your brand and gradually incorporate them regularly into your stories, and you’ll be amping up your Insta-game in no time.

If you’re overwhelmed by all the options that Instagram has on their platform, it’s okay—You’re not alone! Wingnut Social is here to help your business grow through personalized social media strategies tailored to your specific needs. Drop us a line, and we’ll be happy to help you get your social media efforts tightly fastened!

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