As the importance of Social Media marketing increases, it is important to be utilising as many of the features available as possible. Instagram Stories are vertical, full-screen videos or photos that last only 24 hours before they disappear and do not appear in your main profile.
Here are 10 ways to use Instagram Stories for marketing for your Garden Design and Landscaping Business:
1) Showcasing product launches and new features
Instagram Stories allows you to quickly and easily feature new products, services or features as they launch. This is a great way to introduce your audience to the latest offerings from your business in an interactive and visual way. As stories expire after 24 hours it is a good idea to create a highlight for new launches so that viewers can view the images/videos in the future and you can continue to generate interest. In terms of garden design this could be showcasing a new service available, such as outdoor lighting.
2) Using highlights
Highlights allow you to save the most relevant stories permanently on your Instagram profile. This allows viewers to quickly get an overview of what your business is about and you can separate them into themes so that they are easier to find. As highlights are the first thing that are seen when someone views your profile, it is desirable for them to be attractive and cohesive. They are displayed in chronological order, so it is important to update them regularly. For example, for a garden design company, you could have a highlight for FAQs that can be easily accessed by potential customers, saving you the time of having to answer the same questions over and over again. The Royal Horticultural Society utilise Stories very well as can be seen below:
3) Behind-the-scenes content
Behind-the-scenes content is a great way to give viewers an insight into the day-to-day workings of your business. This allows you to connect with your audience on a more personal level as they get to see how things are done and gain a better understanding of what goes on in the company. For garden design, you could show the process of adding decking, for example, or show what a typical day looks like.
4) Blog posts
If you have an active blog on your website, posting about new blog posts on your story is an effective way to advertise it. This will allow you to promote your articles in a more visual way and give viewers an incentive to click through and read it. For garden design, this could include using stories to showcase before-and-after images of a project or how-to guides for creating certain features in the garden.
5) Sharing customer stories
Instagram Stories include a feature where it is possible to repost any stories that you are tagged in. If a customer posts any content of their garden which you have worked on then you are able to easily share this with your audience, building trust and demonstrating your work. This is also a good way to show appreciation to any customers and build a meaningful relationship with your audience.
6) Frequently Asked Questions
Being asked the same questions over and over again can be exhausting, so it is easier to answer these on your Stories and create a highlight that people can go back to if they ever have any questions about your business. It’s also a great way to interact with followers and potential customers. For garden design, this could include questions about types of materials to use, plants that work best in certain climates and other topics related to landscaping.
7) Reviews and Testimonials
Reviews and testimonials are a great way to build trust with potential customers. By sharing reviews from current customers, you can help new viewers gain confidence in your services and prove that others have seen success with them too. With the growing focus on Social Media Marketing nowadays this could be a highly effective way to gain new customers.
8) Events
If you are hosting any events, whether they be online webinars or in person conferences you should be advertising them on your Instagram Story. As these events are time sensitive, you can promote them without creating clutter on your account. It’s also a good way to engage with followers who are regularly viewing your stories.
9) Special Offers and Sales
Instagram Stories is a great way to advertise any special offers or sales that you are running. You can use the text, gifs and drawings features to grab attention and make them memorable. As these are also time sensitive, it makes sense to share them on your story rather than as an actual post.
10) Resources and Guides
By creating helpful resources and guides, you can add value to your story series. These can be used to educate viewers on key topics related to garden design or to provide them with advice on how they can get the most out of their outdoor space. If you have created any videos or tutorials, these are perfect for sharing as stories too.
