Recently I have noticed that I get more interaction with posting Instagram stories than I do posting on my feed. With that being said, I have also noticed that I spend more time looking at Instagram stories as well. There is something special about seeing in "real time" certain parts of peoples day. Humans love seeing what is happening in the now, so it is important, as a business owner, to utilize this feature on Instagram.

If you have been living under a rock the last couple of years...Instagram Stories is the platforms version of Snapchat.

But I have learned that I am not the only one who prefers Instagram stories. In fact, the stories are most users "content of choice" on the platform. As of June 2018, Instagram Stories has 400 million active DAILY users, and 1,000 million daily users on the overall platform. So think about the statistics. If you are not utilizing stories, you are missing out on connecting with so many potential customers!

Taking the statistics from my own Instagram: I have 4% of my audience interact with my photo when I post on my actual feed. But when you look at my stories, over 10% of my audience stays through the end! As entrepreneurs, we HAVE to start using this to our benefit.

How can you gain more views on Instagram stories? Well, we have an exact formula for you to use:

Step one: How often should you post? Figure out how often you want to post, and be consistent daily. The hope is that people will expect to see your posts and keep up with your stories. Also, ask for them to turn on your notifications. So, for those people who are extremely interested in your Instagram, they can be updated when you post things. I recommend that you post at least five times a day, but do what makes you feel comfortable. Steer away from not posting enough and from posting too much.

Step two: What type of content should you post? Be sure to post content that is educational, informative, entertaining, and relatable. The better the content, the more people will try to view your story on a regular basis.

Step three: POST VIDEOS! I cannot stress this enough. Videos allow people to realize that you are a real person and that they can relate to you. This builds trust, and therefore, you will start to build a basis of followers that will watch and interact with your stories. When your post post videos, it is important to follow a beginning, middle, and end method. In the beginning of your video, you want to state the main point of your story. In the middle, you want to provide great content. And lastly, in the end, you should always have a call-to-action.

I hope, with these tips, you will start to gain a "fanbase." Always remember to stay consistent!

Are you interested in hearing about what Mariya has to say about this topic? She reveals what she feels like can help you along your Instagram story journey. Tune into her Marketing Mindset Podcast and listen to episode 15 “How to Use Instagram Stories for Business.”

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If you are interested in learning more about having the right mindset, check out our new podcast: The Marketing Mindset Podcast. To download our podcasts on iTunes click below. You can also listen to our podcasts on Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Amazon.

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