One of the most popular Instagram features is Instagram Stories. More than 500 million people use this feature every day. One interesting fact about Instagram Stories for businesses is that 62% of customers say they are more interested in a product or brand after seeing it on Instagram Stories. Not only that, about half of them stated that they were motivated to visit a brand’s website to buy its products or services after seeing it on Instagram Stories.
Some of the facts and data above show that business opportunities on Instagram are very wide. The good news is that everything you need to succeed in your business’ Instagram Stories strategy is easily accessible and free. What’s more, Instagram now makes it easier for all to access its features with the presence of the Messenger API for Instagram.
Things You Should Know About Instagram Stories
Released in August 2016, Instagram Stories has more than 500 million users who utilize this feature consisting of regular Instagram account owners as well as brands and businesses who own Instagram accounts. Instagram Stories allow users to share moments with their followers in a 15-second long photo or video format.
When uploading content to Instagram Stories, your uploads are separate from the regular photo or video uploads on your Instagram profile. Instagram Stories that have been uploaded will only be viewable for 24 hours before they expire from your Instagram profile. This feature also allows you to interact with your account followers by using various add-on features such as stickers, GIFs, question and answer as well as polls and more.
Why Businesses Should Take Advantage of Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories can support engagements between business Instagram accounts and users. The various features available in Instagram Stories enable interaction between business owners and their followers which is an easy way to increase brand awareness of a product or business. As many as 69% of consumers say that brands or businesses which utilize Instagram Stories to introduce their products have chosen the right step.
Instagram Stories also provide opportunities for businesses and consumers to forge intimate relationships which also explains how customers find that brand posts on Instagram Stories encourage them to make purchases. The most common action of consumers after viewing the Instagram story of a brand is to visit the website of the related brand or e-commerce where the brand presents its products. What’s more, it has been proven that many brands have proven successful by utilizing the Instagram Stories feature either to increase brand awareness or increase traffic to websites outside of Instagram.
Story Mentions in the Messenger API for Instagram
As we have seen above, the Messenger API for Instagram makes it easier for businesses to interact closely and casually with their followers and increase brand awareness. The advantage of using the Messenger API for Instagram is that it allows for integration with third-party applications such as Qiscus Multichannel Chat. All interactions between businesses and consumers in Direct Message for Instagram, for example, can be accessed in one dashboard including Story Mentions, an engagement feature on Instagram.
Story Mention is a situation where Instagram users are able to mention other accounts in their uploaded Instagram Stories by using the @ function that creates a direct link to the brand’s Instagram account. The mentioned accounts will then receive notifications when they are mentioned in someone’s Instagram Story, usually a customer. As we already know, Instagram Stories are valid only for 24 hours after which the story will disappear or be inaccessible. This can also happen when consumers delete their uploads.
The convenience offered by the Messenger API for Instagram, which is integrated with multichannel chat, is that the mentioned account now does not need to open the Instagram app to see who has mentioned it in Instagram Stories. This helps you save time in replying to messages from your business account’s Instagram followers. Furthermore, you can respond more quickly, thereby increasing your business response time and speeding up the conversion of potential customers into new customers.
Messenger API for Instagram Makes It Easier to Generate Leads
The Messenger API for Instagram, integrated with Qiscus Multichannel Chat, will allow you to receive notifications when a consumer mentions your brand in an Instagram Story. All you need to do is view the mention on your Qiscus Multichannel dashboard. In addition to helping you improve your business response time, integrating the Messenger API for Instagram into Qiscus Multichannel Chat can help you obtain and store contact information about potential customers.
Contact information about potential customers will be stored in a database that will allow you to remain connected with them which includes being able to send them promotional messages. This convenience value adds your business as it allows you to become more timely in your interaction with consumers.
The fact of the matter is that the faster a business responds to (prospective) consumers, the more excellent the business opportunity to convert these potential consumers into new consumers.
Integrate Messenger API for Instagram with Qiscus Multichannel Chat
Instagram is a platform with such a high potential for business owners to grow their business with its myriad of features available to users, including business accounts, as it helps to provide the best services to customers. This is made more accessible by the presence of Messenger API for Instagram which can be integrated with Qiscus Multichannel Chat to make it easier to manage incoming messages from consumers, including viewing Story Mentions from consumers.
Furthermore, the various features provided by the Messenger API for Instagram can help businesses stay connected with consumers on Instagram. One of them is by making it easier to access story mentions by customers.
Qiscus Multichannel Chat is here to help your business create a positive and responsive customer experience by allowing you to manage Instagram messages in one dashboard. Integrate your business’ Instagram Business account and increase sales with Qiscus here today.