In 2020, Instagram celebrated its 10th birthday. The social media app first let users to publish and share photos; however, it has since evolved into a platform for online networking and e-commerce for companies of all kinds.

A survey conducted by sprout social revealed that more than 500 million accounts across the world use Instagram Stories on a daily basis, making it more popular than the same feature on Snapchat.

So, how exactly can you use Instagram story highlights to increase the number of leads your business receives?

How to include Instagram story highlights into your company’s marketing strategy?

The highlight – a new feature introduced by the social media app – allows you to preserve Instagram stories on your profile so that customers may watch them at a later time. This is in addition to the fact that Instagram stories allow users to publish content for up to 24 hours. Let’s be real here: not everything is deserving of being posted on your feed.

Highlights: how to use them in your Instagram story

Highlights from your Instagram stories should be front and centre for your company, since they are the second thing that consumers who browse your profile will see when they do so.

Therefore, it is essential to be aware of what it is that you are putting in that spot.

Include categories for your most important highlights.
What type of a company are you operating? If you own a business related to textiles, the highlights of your Instagram story should include your collections, special offers, lessons, and sometimes even events.

After you have added stories to your Instagram account, navigate to your profile and click the plus sign (‘+’) button that is located in the bottom-left or bottom-right corner, just below your bio. After that, divide your Instagram stories into the following categories:

• Notifications and current events
• Innovative goods
• Tutorials
• Testimonials from satisfied clients
• Partnerships between brands
• The Joyous Occasions
• A piece of advice: Whenever you make a new post, click the arrow button to add it to your tale. When you have a chance, add it to the highlights.

Create a cover for the highlights

Instagram highlights should have an appealing appearance. Create your highlights so that they go in with the overall style of your brand. You have the option to create a cover, but we strongly suggest that you do it anyway.

For instance, Room Porn, a company that specialises in providing attractive home décor, favours a style that is as unobtrusive as possible. Because the entirety of their feed is devoted to showcasing beautiful homes with impeccable design, all of their highlight covers must have the same format.

Upload previously written works from the archives

Have you heard that you may post stories from your past all the way up to the year 2017? Your Instagram Stories are now automatically saved in the Archives area of your Settings page on Instagram. Adding the story to the highlights section is all that is required of you at this point.

If you readily classify the parts, you will have the ability to alter or add to your highlight.

How to generate leads using the highlights from your Instagram story

Showcase endorsements on the highlights rather than the feed updates.
Include each and every one of your satisfied customers’ testimonies in the highlights of your tale. In this approach, it will not be necessary for anyone who scrolls by your highlights to check explicitly for customer evaluations in the posts you make.

You may sell on Instagram by utilising the Instamojo link rather than a swipe-up link if you want to avoid the hassle of having to manage swipe-up links. With the help of Instamojo’s payment links and the premium online shop, you can effortlessly collect payments and contributions on Instagram in addition to showcasing your items. There is no requirement for a profile that has been validated or a swipe up option.

Include highlights for upcoming holidays and seasonal events

During this time of year, you will find that online promotion of your brand is most effective. Customers are browsing actively for new items and presents, therefore it is important not to forget about the highlights of your tale.

You may post seasonal deals, discounts, and future announcements and events on your stories, and then add those to your highlights at a later time.

According to the results of a poll conducted by techjury, more than 25 percent of millennials use Instagram stories to locate goods and services.

In addition to the highlights, add polls, stickers, and quizzes

In your stories, regularly include polls, quizzes, and other forms of interactive content to keep your customers interested and engaged. After you have tagged someone, add their story to the highlights of the post.