At the end of a long day, the TCB team can’t wait to unwind and indulge in our favorite guilty pleasure: social media Stories.

We love social media Stories because they give us a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of people whose content we already enjoy.  It’s the more funny, more spontaneous, more entertaining lens through which to view their lives and/or businesses.

The 500 million people watching Instagram and Facebook Stories every day would probably agree with us in saying we’re attracted to what’s real, authentic, and engaging.

This makes Stories the perfect platform for getting your business and products in front of your customers and building relationships in a fun way!

Here are a few tips to creating effective content for your Stories:

Tip #1 – Post with a Plan

There is no need to worry or lose sleep over what to share and when to do it. Simply focus on capturing things throughout the work day that showcase your brand’s unique personality: product, the store, your employees, style guides, customer successes, and things your audience would find intriguing or helpful.  Similar to the content you would create for your main feed, start by making a calendar that helps to guide you:

• Mondays – Behind the scenes
• Tuesdays – New product & what you love about it
• Wednesdays – Mannequins, displays, highlighted brands
• Thursdays – Upcoming events, about the store, things your audience may not know yet
• Friday – Product & how to style it

If you do not know where to start, ask! Use the Question feature on Instagram Stories or create a poll on your Facebook page to figure out what your customers are most interested in seeing.  This insight, along with the engagement that results, will help you create desirable content that keeps your audience coming back for more.

One final thing: since you are most likely posting on different platforms, make it easy on yourself and connect all of your accounts!  This feature makes it super simple to push content to wherever your audience is at!

Tip #2 – Show off Your Brand

You are the protagonist of your brand, meaning you are the one people connect with, recognize, and root for. You have a chance to make a connection and engage with people who are drawn to your message and who trust you. The best way to do that? Tell a story!  

While it may be easier sometimes to post products, pricing details, and general things about your business, that’s not what makes your brand.  The age-old adage, “people do not buy things, they buy an experience”, is true! Interact with your customers by explaining why you love a product and how you style it, talking about the work day and interesting happenings, and showing people the behind-the-scenes of this business that you love. Confidently assume your place as the expert, document the things contributing to your unique brand, and share the valuable insight you have to offer!

Tip #3 – Be Consistent

By posting on your story as many days per week as your business consistently can, you’ll build a following of people who expect and look forward to your content. It’s important to start this process slowly to learn the rate that works best for you (and avoid losing followers due to a drop-off in content). Not only will this grow your audience and improve your engagement, but it will signal to the algorithm that you have a quality account! 

Don’t feel like you can “show up” every week? Delegate! Talk to your employees and let them know that you are looking for someone to help in this area. Have them pitch to you why they would be the best person for this new task. Doing so will help you find the best person for the job AND give you the opportunity to empower and encourage those who take initiative and step up. 

Tip #4 – Switch up Your Stories

Once you have decided to show up consistently, you have the chance to start gaining more trust with your audience. What makes your business a place that they want to come back to?  Which stories can you tell that you haven’t before? In which creative ways can you start a conversation and capture attention? Your social media platforms are an extension of what you should already be doing within your business: building relationships.

Another benefit of creating content that resonates with your audience is that you’ll be pushed up in the dreaded algorithm! Currently, Instagram states that the content that shows up on someone’s feed and Stories is based on what they like or watch the most. Don’t be afraid to try new things, give more information and advice, incorporate video content, etc.  You can use what already works and what your customers have told you they like to see, while also experimenting with new Stories formats and entertaining additions.

Tip #5 – Add Tags

Location tags, company tags and hashtags (or the good ol’ pound sign, as grandma might say it) are things to start adding to your Stories. The reason this is important is because these tags are searchable. Whether potential customers are searching for stores in your geographical location, seeking out items under a certain hashtag, or looking for specific brands, give them opportunities to find you! 

Not only do tags give your business more exposure, but they provide an opportunity to connect with others using similar themes and content. Reaching out to comment and connect with other business owners and potential customers is as easy as searching for posts with tags that you use for your own business! 

Don’t sweat it!

No matter which way you choose to connect with your audience, simply start with a focus on telling your story and earning trust.  Meet your customers where they’re at, post genuine content, document the things that bring personality to your business, and have fun!

Want to know more about using social media to grow your brand? Check out our Social Media Masterclass in the TCB Facebook Page’s video files!