The world of Social Media is always evolving. Now more than ever it is important for businesses to have a presence on social media as part of their overarching digital strategy. 

With so many channels to sign up to and thousands of features to explore, it’s sometimes hard to know which are best to utilise for your business. Today on the blog we explore Instagram and all that is a particular feature of this social media platform: ‘Instagram Stories.’ Read ahead as we share everything about Instagram Stories and why you as a bookkeeper should be using this exciting, ever evolving feature as part of your business’s digital marketing strategy.

What are Instagram Stories?

As you might be aware, Instagram itself is a social media platform that focuses on photo and video sharing. The platform, which is primarily used via its mobile app, allows you to take photos and videos, then edit and publish them to your very own channel. Your followers can then interact with your published comments through likes and comments. Instagram has come a long way since its launch in 2010. With a range of new features that now allow for sponsored posts, promotions and links back to websites, the platform has become pivotal in the digital marketing strategy of many businesses. 

Today we are exploring all that is Instagram Stories, just one of a plethora of features that any business can use on Instagram. Instagram Stories allow users to capture and post photos and video content that appears in a slideshow format in a bar at the top of your followers’ Instagram feed. Your followers will see this content alongside other Instagram Stories that have been posted by accounts they follow. You can learn more about the features of Instagram Stories by checking out our Bookkeepers Guide to Instagram Stories here.  

When you post a story, it will feature at the top of your followers’ Instagram news feed with your profile picture circled by a coloured ring. If they want to view the Instagram Story, it’s simple: they just tap on the circle. 

However, the content doesn’t last long. Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours. This makes the content exciting and exclusive. Instagram Stories can be used to post special promotions, offers or exclusive behind the scenes content, allowing you to share content that you don’t necessarily want to feature on your profile permanently. 

This feature is great for also sharing quick news to your audience without having to get the content photographed or created professionally. That’s right, it won’t ‘stuff up’ your perfectly curated and designed content posted to your profile! What’s even better is users love the authenticity of Instagram Stories. You can keep the content casual and fun, giving real personality to your business. 

Why should bookkeepers care about Instagram Stories?

As mentioned, Instagram has become a wonderful platform for businesses to use. Not only can you express your brand personality and promote all that you have to offer, the Instagram Stories feature is now allowing businesses to post exclusive, ‘off the cuff’ content that can be done anywhere from any time. This means you can now bring more personality to your platform and there's no worry about stuffing up your beautifully planned content strategy. There are also a number of features that can be added to your stories to give them even more personality and interest. Learn more about these here. 

Another reason why you as a bookkeeper should care about Instagram Stories is in the facts. Did you know that half of Instagram’s monthly users are using Instagram Stories? That means 500 million people posting a billion stories everyday. And of those people, 62% say they’ve become more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in their stories. 

The power of Instagram Stories

So now you ask: how do I turn Instagram Stories into sales? Simply put, Instagram Stories do have the power to convert followers into leads. When you create engaging content you give your followers a good reason to provide their email address to contact them further. 

The top reasons for using Instagram Stories as part of your Digital Marketing Strategy are: 

• Driving traffic to your website
• Creating Brand Awareness 
• Obtaining client feedback through genuinely engaging with them
• Generating leads
• Promoting services
• Helping you become discoverable 

Once you have the leads, you may ask “how do I convert them?” We suggest that you create some special offers and promote them via your Instagram Stories. For example, you may post about an exclusive discount code on various services during BAS or EOFY season. You may also like to post lead magnets such as ‘click to buy’ products or a competition such as ‘Win a FREE consult.’ Planning your Instagram Story content a month in advance is a great way to ensure that you’re staying on top of your business goals and providing context to your content. Check out our 30 Day Instagram Story Planner here to get started. 

Get to it!

The world of possibilities is truly endless with Instagram, and with such a feature as Instagram Stories, you have so much choice as to what you want to promote to your followers and how you want to do it. If you haven't already created an Instagram account for your business, we highly suggest that you go and do so as soon as you’ve finished reading this blog. You can do that here. If you have an account and haven’t discovered Instagram Stories – log in and check it out. If you have any questions – just ask us!

 _________

Are you a bookkeeper and in need of further assistance?

Email us at or check out our Instagram Products at the Savvy Shop and learn how you can build upon your Instagram Business Strategy. 

This page may contain affiliate links. That means that if you click on a link and buy something, we may get a portion of the sale at no cost to you. We recommend products based on their tried and tested, proven reliability and usefulness. Helping our clients is our primary motivation and earning commission is only an added bonus. We recommend products and services because they work.