How to Optimize your Instagram Stories

If you are an Instagram user, you have certainly noticed Instagram Stories - little sequential bursts of content that appear in bubbles the the top of your home screen. These bits of content include text, video, images and sometimes even links, but they expire after 24 hours. Though they are as easy to make as Instagram posts, Stories have even more options, and opputunities for engagement. So how do you get the most out your Instagram Stories?

Since their introduction in 2016, Instagram Stories have increased in importance (and popularity), and new features are added regularly, including the ability to add links, polls and even ads. First, if you haven't done so before, Hubspot has a good intro on how to make your own Instagram Story.  One you have the mechanics down you can improve your story technique, and can even make Instagram Stories Ads. So what are some important things to keep in mind when making a story?

1. Make the visuals appealing. Instagram is a visual platform, so this may seem like a redundant reminder. However, due to the ephemeral nature of Instagram Stories, I think they need to be even more eye catching than regular posts, especially since many people tend to click through stories in a rapid-fire fashion. If you can, use video, which tends to be more engaging. Fast company suggests between 5 and 10 second videos for the most impact. Also, unlike the square format of Instagram posts, Instagram Stories are vertical. According to Sprout Social's helpful social media dimensions guide - for Instagram Stories the recommended resolution is 1080 x 1920, minimum resolution is 600 x 1067 and the image aspect ratio is 9:16.

2. Use the extras. Unlike Instagram posts, one of the benefits of Instagram Stories is they are more interactive, and have additional features. With Instagram Stories you can add text, polls, clickable hashtags, animated gifs, location stickers (as seen above), and more. Later has some 13 hidden tips for making the most out of the fun added features in Stories, as does the Verge. Instagram is introducing new Stories features all the time, including the ability to make text-only Stories, which was just released. Of course, everything in moderation! 

3. Identify yourself. As previously mentioned, sometimes people flick through Stories very quickly, if you don't have any identification for your brand, your Story may get (literally) lost in the shuffle. This is an especially important for Stories Ads, where your story may interspersed into the Stories of those who do not necessarily follow you. This brand recognition may also be achieved in subtler ways by using your brand colors or logo. In any case, it is important to stay consistent to your brand, as Spotify has done above with their unique use of typography, brand colors and style. 

4. Include a call to action. Including a link is perhaps the most important addition to a Story, but one that is not necessarily available to all accounts. You can add a link to your Story if you have a verified account, or a business account with more than 10k followers. You can include links to your homepage, a particular post, products, or anything you have in mind. Links themselves are not visible on the post - so make sure to remind the users they are there - the common way is to encourage them to "swipe up," which is how a link is opened. Hootsuite also suggests adding UTM codes - which we covered in a previous post - to your links, so you can track how many people are finding their way to your site (or product) via Instagram Stories. 

One thing about Instagram Stories is that they are constantly changing. While this means that features are generally added, and not taken away, you still have to be on your toes. Just as I was about to publish this post Instagram announced that they were going to introduce text-only Stories. One of the best ways to keep up with these updates is on Instagram itself, where updates are usually, and perhaps appropriately, released in official Instagram Stories. 

What is the state of live video in 2017?

Since the introduction of Facebook live in the summer of 2015, it seems that live video's online popularity has really taken off. Live video offers a direct line into compelling, personal or behind-the-scenes content in a way that on-demand video simply doesn't. You've probably watched live video yourself, and statistics show that you are not alone. According to Statista, the top sites for watching and creating live video, as of November 2016, are YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat Live Stories and Twitter's Periscope (Since then, Instagram has also gotten into the fray with live video).

The amount of live video produced and consumed is staggering, and within its first year, the pioneering live video app Periscope had been used to create over 200 million live videos. Year over year, live video consumption and production has grown. According to a survey by LiveStream, 81% of respondents watched more online video in 2016 than in 2015. In the age group 18-34 in particular, live video is extremely popular. 63% of millennials have watched live video, as of November 2016, according to UBS, and 42% have created live video themselves.

Unsurprisingly, given the popularity of live video with consumers, brands' interest in live videos is increasing as well. Live video draws in more eyeballs than static images, and even more than on-demand video. According to Facebook, live videos are watched for three times as long as standard videos. Respondents to LiveStream's survey also stated a preference for live videos from brands over other marketing tactics. 80% of these respondents would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog, and 82% would rather see a live video than another type of social media post.

Marketers are responding to this interest in turn. In a May 2016 survey of marketers from Social Media Examiner, 50% of marketers planed on creating live video on Facebook Live and Periscope, and 50% were interested to learn more about live video. We predict even higher numbers for 2017, as live video continues to grow. Have you utilized live video in your personal life or for your business?

The Top 5 Social Media Predictions for 2017

2017 is right around the corner - can you believe it? 2016 was a really big year for social media: Snapchat hit the mainstream, live video exploded, and Vine was shut down. So what does 2017 likely have in store? 

1. Prioritization of live video. Live video was only added to Facebook in August of 2015, but it made huge waves in 2016, both with users and companies. According to Buffer's 'State of Social Media' report, "Eighty-three percent of marketers also said they’d like to create more video content if they didn’t have restraints such as time and resources." Along with the current heavyweight Facebook Live, Twitter has Periscope, and YouTube has YouTube Live, all of which are attracting more and more viewers. Moreover, live video content across platforms may be one of the few ways to get increased organic reach, especially with the new Facebook algorithm, which emphasizes video content.

2. Increased adoption of Virtual Reality (VR). Between Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear and Sony Playstation VR, consumers have more ways than ever to bring VR into the home. In the coming year, consumer VR options will likely increase in quantity and lower in price. In 2017, I predict that VR may move from a cutting-edge entertainment novelty to a whole new social media platform with increased mainstream attention from advertisers and businesses alike.

3. Pay to play continues. Organic (meaning non-paid) reach is continuing to decline on the major social media networks, and I predict that this trend will continue into 2017. In 2016 alone, publishers' organic reach on Facebook fell a staggering 52%. In order to reach their audiences, brands and individuals will have to increasingly pay to use these native advertising platforms. According to Inc, "money talks."

4. Reigning in automated responses. Automation can be a boon, but take it too far and your audience will rebel. I predict a little bit of the personal touch returning to social media in 2017. In particular, users are showing frustration with automated responses in customer service interactions online. Twitter is attempting improve customer service online with new customer service features like listing customer service hours, and stating that customer service is a focus of the account. Maybe this will also be the end of the automatic direct messages when you follow certain people on Twitter?

5. Migration to private platforms. While still a popular platform, Facebook's demographic continues to age. As a result, younger users are increasingly migrating to private messaging and social media apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat to interact with their peers. Another mitigating factor for the switch to private networks is that users are now realizing the ramifications of sharing publicly-searchable information, and are seeking more privacy. One major difficulty for advertisers is that it is harder to measure reach and engagement on these apps. 

So what do you think? Are there any predictions you would add to the list?

The top 5 most useful video metrics

An eye-catching, relevant video (or a cat video, if that make sense of your brand!) is one of the best ways to increase engagement on social media, email or your website. According to ComScore, website visitors are 64% more likely to buy a product after watching a video, and they stay on a site 2 minutes longer than those who don’t view videos. Aside from the ever-growing YouTube, you can now post videos natively in Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and more (as well as sharing your video links across channels).

The most basic video metric is view count, which helps with understanding the reach and impression of a video. However, similar to page views, this metric really doesn't tell you much about how well your video actually performed, and if it resonated with the intended audience. Moreover, "view" means different things on different platforms. 

Before you start: The first thing to consider is the goal of the video, as this will inform what metrics are most important to you: Are you answering a question? Explaining a new product? Promoting an upcoming event? Giving a behind-the-scenes tour? Each of these different types of videos will have different goals and different potential audiences. If you are looking to get deeper insights into a video's impact, consider these 5 other video metrics.

1. Time Played: This metric takes view count one step further - how far did the viewer make it into your video? Did they only last 10 seconds/30 seconds/the whole video? This metric will help you figure out if your video length is about right, and can help you pinpoint places where viewers "left." The image below shows the engagement rates for the duration of a video by the company Wistia. As you can see, engagement goes down over time, but replays (in red) occur more frequently at certain times, indicating particularly interesting content.

1. Comments: Monitoring your video's comments is a great initial way to measure engagement and audience reaction. How many people are talking about what you posted on the video itself? Is the feedback generally positive or negative? Were people confused? Appreciative?
2. Shares: If users are sharing your video on other platforms, this shows that the video has proven useful/interesting/entertaining enough to promote on their own social networks (or business). How many times has your item shared, whether on social media, or on other sites? Did it go viral? On which platforms was it most successful? 

1. Video Page Statistics - If you have access to your web site's analytics (through Google Analytics or another platform), you can check out how the pages that host your videos are performing.
   1. Play Rate: The play rate is the percentage of visitors to a page that actually played the video (versus clicking away or closing the page). This metric can help you determine if your video is on the right page, and if it is introduced logically. Changing the position of the video on the page or the description leading to the video can help improve the play rate.
   2. Time on page:  Did visitors stay longer on your video pages versus other pages? Hopefully they stayed to watch the video - but did they also stick around for other content?
   3. Bounce Rate: This measures what percentage of visitors to your page left the page without interacting with content on the page (clicking on a link, etc), or going onto another page in your site. Is the bounce rate higher or lower than normal on your pages with videos?
2. Conversions: If there is a specific call to action (CTA) embedded within in your video (or at the end) - how many viewers actually completed it? For example, if you CTA is for visitors to join your newsletter, how many actually ended up signing up after watching the video? Just because you encourage viewers to do something, doesn't mean they will actually do it!

View count is a place to start, but with this upgraded toolkit of metrics, you can start really assessing your video's performance and engagement. Video is here to stay, so now is the perfect time to start optimizing your analytic strategy!