Instagram Stickers: What Are They and How They Change Your Story Game

It’s no longer something you can shy away or opt-out on because having a weak social media presence is just as bad as having none at all. With new apps and updates popping up daily, it can be a daunting task to stay relevant on social media, and specifically Instagram. With over 500 million daily users engaging on Instagram, “Stories” are now a piece of the social media puzzle you do not want to ignore. However, there are countless ways to make your business’ Story not only fun for your viewers, but also fun for you to create!

My favorite way to interact with followers is by utilizing the Stickers that are on the Instagram platform. Let’s dive into each one so you can understand how to best use them for fun and functionality.

Location // Mention // Hashtag

These three tags are a great way for users to be able to find you either on the explore page, through the people or hashtags they are following, or when they are looking up a specific location. These tags also come in handy when looking into your analytics, as you are able to see if people clicked on the sticker to learn more about the location, person, or topic. This will give you valuable insight as to what your audience is actually interested in.

Poll // Slidebar

The Poll and Slidebar stickers are unique as they can also be used on Instagram ads, making your paid outreach feel more interactive and fun. However, they are also a useful tool for your day to day stories. You can ask simple yes/no questions to get a quick result or do a temperature check on how people feel about a specific product you may be launching. These stickers have been on the platform for a while now, meaning there are endless examples of the best ways to use them.

Countdown

This sticker is fairly new to the Instagram scene, but it is so fun!! You just name your countdown ex: “New product drop” and set the date. Your followers will be able to turn on reminders for the timer and share it in their own story. Once the timer is complete, they will get a notification in their DM to directly check out your new product. This is a great way to “set it and forget it”, meaning you won’t have to remind your followers of the exact time something big is happening.

Quiz // Chat

Quizzes are also new to the Instagram story. They are like the fresh, cooler version of a Poll. With a quiz, you can have between 2 to 4 options that your followers can choose from. This is a great sticker for helping educate your followers about your brand or product. If you are curious about the level of knowledge your followers have about your brand, do a series of quizzes. If the majority of them get the questions right, congratulations you have done a great job educating your consumers, if not that is okay! You can then utilize the brand new Chat sticker to connect one on one (or 1 on 32 ) to help people learn more about who you are. Chat is a great way to either engage brand new, existing, or curious followers. It also helps with creating a sense of community, as they are able to interact with you and other followers. Brands will be able to use Chat as an informal focus group, which will become invaluable when adjusting your overall social media strategy.

Donation

Is your brand passionate about giving back? Are you already a nonprofit? Well, send Instagram a thank you card, because users can now make donations to organizations through Instagram Stories. Simply click the Donation sticker and search for the nonprofit you wish to support. 100% of the money raised goes towards the organization and you are notified when someone donates using your sticker, which is great for sending out thank you DMs. This tool allows brands to become aware, engaged, and proactive, helping build lasting relationships with consumers.

Product

Last but not least, the Product sticker. This tool is perfect for brands of all sizes and doesn’t discriminate based on your follower count- unlike the “swipe up” function for users with at least 10,000 followers. Once you have your business account set up, and your products approved through your business Facebook page, you are ready to rock and roll. It works in the same way as a product tag on your feed, making it easy to stay consistent. You will be able to tag products individually with a link that takes the viewer right to a buying page. We love it when shopping is made easy!

Stickers are just one of the many ways you can stay engaged and active with your viewers. The best advice we can give is to have fun with Stories! They are meant to be a window into an otherwise highly curated view of your business’ life. Have a strategy, but don’t overthink it. Use the tools you have available to you, and the rest will come naturally!