More than 250 million people now engage with Instagram Stories every day, beating out Snapchat's 173 million DAU, and likely Twitter as well (which is estimated to have around 157 million daily actives). Given this, and the rapid rise in popularity of the Stories format, all businesses need to consider their Stories options, and with Stories Ads now available for all businesses, it's worth looking at what's possible, and what might be of benefit.
To provide additional perspective on this, Instagram has published a new post which outlines some of the creative ways brands are using the various elements within Stories to maximize the effectiveness of their messaging.
And the examples are pretty great - take a look at these usages which might help get you thinking.
First up, Instagram's Creative Shop team highlights how some brands have used the moving progress bar at the top of the Stories window to 'illustrate a moving contrast' within their ads.
It certainly grabs attention in a creative way, utilizing the elements available to full effect.
Another option is to use the time limit of Stories ads (video ads in Stories play for a maximum of 15 seconds) as a creative element, incorporating it into the messaging.
Again, it utilizes the functionality to greater impact - rather than seeing the outside elements as limitations, you can incorporate them into your messaging by tailoring your campaign specifically to Instagram, creating a more immersive experience.
You can also draw attention to your profile in creative ways.
And then, of course, you can also prompt users to 'swipe up' to connect through to your website, using the link option.
These are just some of the creative ways you can use Stories ads - and there are more examples in Instagram's report.
As noted, given the rising popularity of Stories, it makes sense for all marketers to consider the potential. You may still think that Stories are not for your business, that your target market isn't on Instagram - that vertical video is not effective. But as the popularity and usage of Stories continues to rise, it's becoming harder and harder to ignore.
Worth considering in your process.