A Simple Guide to Using Facebook Stories to Promote Your Business

Facebook stories—I don’t know if you know this—can now quickly grab people’s attention. These round-the-clock mini-narratives often increase sales while strengthening consumers’ relationships with brands. For example, a survey done across 12 countries found that over half of the consumers who use stories said they are using them to make more online purchases.

I am guessing your interest is already piqued, but the real question is, how do you promote your business with Facebook stories? Well, I’ve got you covered. Just hang tight for at least five minutes to find out.

Key Takeaways

Facebook Stories are short-lived photos and videos that appear at the top of the newsfeed and disappear after 24 hours, offering businesses a way to engage with customers in real-time.
Stories can help businesses drive website traffic, distribute announcements, establish genuine relationships with followers, sell products, boost organic reach, and encourage audience participation.
Vertical video format is recommended for Facebook Stories, with a minimum quality of 1080 x 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 9:16 for optimal viewing on mobile devices.
Businesses can utilize user-generated content, promote giveaways, provide behind-the-scenes access, and conduct polls or surveys through Facebook Stories to increase engagement.
Facebook Stories can be used to highlight noteworthy events, introduce new products or services, and conduct flash sales to create a sense of urgency among followers.
Unlike regular posts, Stories offer interactive features like stickers and swipe-up links, making them more engaging for viewers.
Users can see who viewed their Facebook Story, depending on their privacy settings, but there are methods for viewing Stories anonymously.

What are Facebook Stories?

Facebook Stories was launched in 2016. They are described as photographs and movies viewed or shared on social media for 24 hours before being removed. Stories appear at the top of the newsfeed on both the desktop and mobile versions of Facebook.

Facebook also allows you to share experiences in real time. For businesses, a Facebook story is becoming an increasingly compelling way to engage with their customers. Marketers can use stories to draw more attention to their content and direct customers to their website or app.

Why Your Company Should Post Facebook Stories

Facebook stories are essential whether your business wants to raise sales, improve engagement, or raise brand exposure. These six strategies I often use will help your team accomplish its Facebook marketing objectives.

#1. Drive Website Traffic

Facebook offers many options for driving traffic to external content, including the ability to create link posts and include links in comments. However, if you have discovered that link posts have reduced your page’s organic reach, you will need to find other ways to drive traffic. Facebook Stories allows you to link to your website in more ways by supporting link stickers and swipe-up prompts.

#2. Distribute Announcements and News

Stories are the best way to communicate with your company. The most recent announcements and news appear prominently at the top of the Facebook feed and are too fascinating to miss. Stories work well for introducing new lines, teasing impending products, and advertising discounts and offers.

#3. Establish a Genuine Relationship

It’s a terrific way to share more candid content than standard feed posts because they expire after 24 hours. Stories can help you build real connections with followers because they are frequently less polished than other content and can give your company a more genuine appearance.

So consider ways to take your audience behind the scenes to capitalize on the genuine attractiveness of storytelling. Story-based content, such as a day in the life of a team member or the introduction of a new product, can be very effective.

#4. Sell Items Via Your Facebook Store

Facebook stories do not necessarily need to attract traffic off-platform when generating cash is the main objective. By using shoppable stickers, you can direct customers to your Facebook shop so they can look at your products and make a purchase.

#5. Boost Your Organic Reach

Facebook sites have seen a decrease in organic reach for the better part of a decade. Publishing Facebook stories can improve the likelihood that more of your target audience will see your content.

Stories are among the first pieces of content your audience sees when they open the app because they appear at the top of the feed. The more your followers watch and interact with your stories, the more likely the algorithm will give your page’s content top priority in the feed.

#6. Encourage Participation

Certain articles, like those that will keep your business front and center or offer much-needed entertainment, are meant to be watched passively. However, Facebook stories also present a plethora of chances to spark interaction.

Stories enable all common Facebook interaction formats, including direct messages, shares, and responses. Additionally, they offer various interactive sticker options that help your team solicit client feedback, gauge consensus, and stimulate innovation.

Tips on Using Facebook Stories for Businesses

Using Facebook Stories for businesses is comparatively simple. The only rules are to make them brief, sweet, and interesting and to know what kinds of content appeal to your audience.

Additionally, remember these fundamentals:

#1. Make Use of Vertical Videos

Although Facebook Stories may be seen on desktop and mobile devices, most users access the network via their phones. Additionally, research indicates that 90% of phone usage is vertical, which makes sense given Facebook Stories’ optimization for a vertical, full-screen view.

#2. Make Sure Your Video is the Right Size and Resolution for Facebook Stories

For both images and videos, Facebook Stories need a minimum quality of 1080 x 1080 pixels because they are designed to fill your phone’s screen. Aspect ratios between 1.91:1 and 9:16 are supported; however, 9:16 is the suggested ratio.

Also, since your brand’s profile picture and call to action will fill this space, leave 14% (250 pixels) of the top and bottom of your narrative text-free.

How to Create a Story on a Facebook Business Page

#1. Distribute Content Created by Users

One of the most common applications for Facebook Stories is user-generated material, or UGC. You can view other people’s tags on your profile. By adding previously uploaded content to your own Stories with the Facebook Stories repost feature, you can save both time and money.

#2. Encourage Freebies

Facebook Stories can be used to promote instructions for ongoing promotions or giveaways, thereby increasing their visibility. A different image for a different story will inform viewers of its continued nature and serve as a daily prompt to participate.

If the promotional content is housed on a different social networking platform or you wish to lead users to your website, you may also utilize the “See More” button.

#3. Provide Behind-the-Scenes Access

Brands were picky about their content even before stories existed since they understood it would be lasting on their profile sites. However, now that Facebook Stories is available, businesses may experiment and have some more fun with their content because it will only be seen for the next 24 hours.

#4. Increase Traffic to Websites

Use Facebook Stories and include the “See More” button if you have a piece on your website that you would like your Facebook fans to read.

It can also be used to drive traffic to other web pages, such as product sites or landing pages, in addition to blogs. Customers may quickly access the brand’s various channels without ever leaving Facebook thanks to this feature.

#5. Perform Surveys and Polls

Facebook Stories has many helpful features that assist companies in communicating with and engaging their clientele. Engagement is necessary to understand your customers and develop brand loyalty.

Posting engaging Facebook Stories will help you learn more about your audience’s habits. If you have a thorough understanding of them, you will be in a better position to offer goods and services that appeal to them.

Four Pointers to Make Your Facebook Stories Shine

Here are four suggestions for making the most of Facebook Stories!

#1. Draw Attention to Noteworthy Occasions

One way to make your Facebook Stories stand out is to feature noteworthy occasions on the platform. Using your Stories feature to highlight noteworthy events related to your company can be an effective strategy. For instance, you can create excitement during the week before your semi-annual sale.

You may then use the daily material you publish to your story to remind people about your offer while the bargain is still in progress.

If your company is having a special event, such as a movie night or fall festival, you may publish content on your story to promote the event in several ways.

#2. Every Post You Make Should have a Purpose in Mind

Setting a goal for your content is the first step in creating Facebook Stories that generate results. Ultimately, your content should assist you in reaching your bigger company goals rather than being posted merely for the sake of posting it. For your Facebook Stories, you can establish a variety of objectives.

#3. Introduce a Fresh Good or Service

Sharing a new good or service is another way to publish on your Facebook Stories. You can share this information in your story and encourage your fans to look forward to new releases.

Using the app, you can showcase important elements of your new product or service. It’s a terrific idea to Use this tool to tell your audience about your most recent additions.

You can provide exclusive information on your Facebook Story to entice people to check in and learn more about your new service or product.

But just in case you need to double-check to ensure you are doing the right thing, here is a checklist that gives you a methodical strategy for crafting engrossing and captivating narratives that effectively connect with your target audience.

_Facebook Stories Quality Assurance Checklist Download

Facebook Stories Quality Assurance Checklist.pdf

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#4. Conduct Flash Sales

You can use the Facebook Stories feature to conduct flash sales because it only keeps content live for a single day.

This strategy is a fantastic approach to boost revenue for your company. People will feel more pressured to buy when they see your sale on their story and realize it is only available for the next 24 hours.

Sharing your sales with your narrative can induce FOMO. People do not want to miss out on a fantastic deal.

What is the point of Facebook Stories?

Facebook Stories allows you to share brief, editable content with your followers on Facebook—such as images, videos, and animations. During that time, viewers can replay your story as often as they like.

Can you see who views your Facebook story?

Yes, according to the privacy settings on your story, you can see who has visited your Facebook story:

Friends

Your Facebook friends who have watched your tale will be listed first, followed by your Messenger connections if your story privacy settings permit Messenger connections.

Public

If you have set your story privacy to Public, you will be able to see the total number of viewers but not the names of individual viewers. Additionally, the quantity of “other viewers”—that is, individuals who have seen your story but are not your friends—such as Facebook followers and strangers—is displayed.

Conclusion

Facebook Stories is the social networking and business model of the future. As a marketer, ensure that the people who follow you will enjoy your story. Visit Simplified to see an endless supply of backgrounds, typefaces, colours, images, and videos to assist you in creating tales that captivate viewers.