Instagram Stories are an effective form of social media for B2B brands, allowing users to share short-lived content that only remains live on the platform for 24 hours. Although this content disappears, it can still be an effective marketing tool for your B2B business, helping to build brand awareness, generate leads, and much more.

In the B2B buying journey, where more people are involved in purchasing decisions, Instagram Stories are handy to have at your disposal to support this often more complex and protracted buying process.

Generate leads

Stories has several features that are handy for lead generation, most notably the option to add a call to action that links through to your website. You can also create shoppable Stories which allow consumers to explore products and make a purchase without leaving the Instagram app.

Share links

While Instagram posts can only point followers to a link in the bio, Stories offer the option to link directly to an external website, which means you don’t have to worry about updating your bio link every time you share new content. This means that Stories provide more opportunities to get customers onto your website, wherever they are in the sales funnel.

Showcase your personality

Social media for B2B doesn’t need to mean dry, uninspiring content. Use Instagram Stories to showcase your brand’s personality and stand out from the crowd, whether that means sharing a typical day in your business, interviewing a team member, or giving followers a behind the scenes look at how you work.

Build authority

Stories is a great place to share the expertise of your team, whether by pointing followers to your latest blog post, or by using the Ask Me Anything feature to address questions across the customer journey. This can help build your brand authority in your industry while demystifying your services and products for potential customers and clients.

Share new products

The visual nature of Instagram Stories makes it an ideal place to share new products, combining text, images, and video to provide an in-depth overview of your latest release. This can also feature a CTA that links through to the relevant page on your website, encouraging customers to take the next step.

Showcasing products in this way is particularly useful if your brand specialises in something niche or complex, as it offers a straightforward and visual platform to advertise a product that might otherwise seem complicated.

Start conversations

Features like polls, question stickers, emoji sliders, and clickable links are all useful for starting conversations with your followers. The data you gather here can also help you learn more about your customers’ preferences and pain points, which can in turn inform improvements to your business.

Share testimonials

If a customer tags your brand in an Instagram post or Story, you can share this content directly to your own Story. This makes Stories a handy tool for sharing testimonials or working with influencers to build brand awareness and trust.

Overcome the algorithm

It can be difficult to get your posts seen when sharing to the main Instagram feed. Located at the top of the screen, with a highlight around your profile picture when you share something new, Stories make your content more prominent and increase the number of followers who will see and engage with it.

Gain insight

Just like your Facebook marketing campaign, you can view stats for every Instagram Story to track actions, profile visits, and website clicks. This can inform your future social media marketing strategy and make it easier to understand what resonates with your audience.

Run an ad campaign

As part of your Instagram marketing, you can also run Story ads to target the right type of customer, drive brand awareness, and generate new leads. These ads look just like a regular Story and are shared in the same way, making this a subtle yet effective way to advertise your B2B brand.

Ready to tell your story?

Unity Online supports B2B businesses like yours with social media marketing, including all-things Instagram – from strategy to creating Stories. Contact us to find out more about how we can support your brand with Instagram Stories.