Over the last two years, Instagram stories have taken an increasingly bigger role in the way we communicate digitally and socially and in the way we find and search for information online. It’s rare nowadays to spend a day or night out, go to a concert, sports game, or birthday event without spotting someone editing a story, making a boomerang, sharing a survey or even doing a live broadcast. How to explain the meteoric rise of stories? Does their success make Instagram feed irrelevant? We give you the lowdown.
To better understand how user perception and content consumption habits vary between the feed and stories, Facebook conducted market research across 10,000 users in 4 countries (Brazil, Indonesia, the United Kingdom and the US).
Despite being a platform where aesthetics and creativity reign supreme, Instagram is still a platform where freedom of expression and spontaneous sharing have a place. If the feed used to offer an original way to share one’s daily moments in real time, it has evolved over time into an edited showcase of our life’s highlights, losing its spontaneous and authentic side. Instagram feeds now act as more of “gallery” where one can discover inspiring and sleek visuals around trendy places, things and brands.
Stories, with their dynamic, creative format and their 24 hours shelf life have taken over from the feed as the place where we can share more “unfiltered” personal content, with insights that feel more real and spontaneous.
Every day, more than 300,000 users openly share surprising and engaging moments from their lives. For 47% of the users asked by Facebook as part of their study, stories make it easier to share content “on the go” with friends and family. This is also true for brands who can reach out to their customers to learn more about their preferences and expectations.
Because stories are not impacted by feed algorithms, they have undoubtedly become an essential means for brands to maximize their reach and connect with their audience in an engaging way. 39% of survey respondents confirmed their became more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in Instagram Stories.
In each content strategy we develop, we advise our clients to include stories in their social content tactics to engage their audiences and build a relationship with them around original brand experiences. By offering customers more spontaneous content, we make it easier for them to feel connected to the brand and to develop a desire for its products or services.
With this study, Facebook proves once again that social media networks have taken a significant place in our professional and personal lives. The feeling of proximity that Instagram offers is a great opportunity for brands that want to reach a larger audience with an outstanding return on investment on their efforts.
Source: “Instagram Stories and Feed” by Sentient Decision Science (Sponsored by Facebook – Study of 2400 people in Brazil, 2300 in Indonesia, 2300 in the UK and 2400 in the US aged 13 to 55) – Oct 2017.
