Getting started with stories: Part 4—Promotions

In our blog “Getting started with stories: Part 1” we discussed how Facebook and Instagram stories are growing at 15x the pace of the newsfeed because Facebook algorithms are placing meaningful relationships (cultivated by short, daily stories) over passive content (newsfeed posts). We touched on the breakdown of what type of content to post, and how often. We touched on the breakdown of what type of content to post, and how often.

Here in part 4, we are going to expand on, and give specific examples of ways to use stories to promote your product.

The goal here is to start the sales conversation. Perhaps ask your audience to interact through direct messages as a call to action. We saved this section for part 4 because it’s the first thing brands think about and the last thing your audience cares about. Yes, of course you should promote your products/services, but promotion should really only make up about 20% of your content. That means if you post a video or story every single day, only 6 of those 30 days per month should be about your product. Here are some ideas to keep it interesting:

• Poll: which product do you prefer? (Picture 2 products side-by-side)
• Flash Sale/Daily deals Promo code: 15% off with code XX as long as this story is still posted (total sale only lasts 24 hours)
• New product – you can even create a countdown to the launch in your story!
• Limited Supply
• Free sample to first XX people to send us a DM
• Did you know about this feature?
• How our product solves a problem you have
• Our product vs other solutions
• Example of our customer service
• Use stories to drive traffic to Giveaway Posts for those only watching stories/ignoring their feed (Poll: Have you entered our latest giveaway? Yes/No)
• Ask followers to DM as the call to action. For this you MUST:
  • Have a plan in action if you aren’t the salesperson
  • Know next steps to close the sale
  • Have a plan—Do you use this call to action once a week? Every Tuesday for a month, then Every Wednesday for a month?
  • Have salespeople on call to help facilitate sale.

Stick around for part 5—The follow-up

If you would like to learn more about this topic, or how we can help with your social media strategy or ad creation, please reach out to the NewPoint team. If you are interested in more food marketing topics, please visit our “Food for Thought” page. Alternatively, check out NewPoint’s book: Moving Your Brand Up the Food Chain.