If you’ve been running your small business for a while now, you’ve probably already figured out how important a social media presence is in this digital age. Which means you’re also probably pretty established on the major platforms like Instagram. But are you getting the most out of all the features Instagram has to offer?
As of 2024, the US has about 169 million Instagram users and it was also the third-most-used social platform for making a purchase. Numbers like this make it a hot bed for small businesses who are looking to stay relevant online and reach more customers. There are lots of ways to utilize Instagram’s tools to do this. Reposting Stories and adding captions to Stories are a couple features you might be using already, but a great one you might not have thought of is adding links to your Stories.
When Instagram first launched the ability to add links to Stories it was only available to verified accounts and those with a certain number of followers. But after seeing the value the feature brought to those accounts, Instagram announced in 2021 that it would be available to everyone.
This was great news for smaller businesses who might still be growing their following. But how exactly can adding links to Stories benefit your business?
First off, social media channels have become another tool customers use to search for products. Similarly to how they use Google, people are now turning to platforms like Instagram to find what they’re looking for. Studies show that 36% of people use Instagram as a search tool. Linking directly to products customers might be looking for expedites the process for them.
Potential customers aren’t just looking for products and services on Instagram, but they’re looking for them on Stories specifically. Research has determined that nearly 58% of people have become more interested in a brand or product they saw on Stories. And then most people took that another step further, with 50% of people having visited a website with the specific intent to make a purchase after seeing a product or service on stories. Again, when you link your website or product and booking pages directly in your Stories, it makes it easier than ever for people to complete a purchase.
Ready to try out linking for yourself? It’s a super simple process using Instagram’s Link sticker and we’ll walk you through each step:
Step 1: Open up the Instagram app and create a Story by tapping the plus sign at the bottom on the screen then choosing the Story option. You can upload a photo or video you’ve already taken or create something organic from this screen.
Step 2: Tap the Sticker tool at the top of your Story screen. It’s that little box with the smiley face inside.
Step 3: Tap the Link sticker.
Step 4: Enter whatever URL you want to link to in the space provided.
Step 5: This step is optional. Underneath the URL space, you’ll see a plus sign that says, “Customize sticker text.” If you don’t do this, your link will just show as the URL you typed. The custom text option allows your link to show up as just your business name, a product name, promotion details, a CTA like “book now,” or anything else you might want to convey.
Step 6: Tap “Done” in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
Step 7: Move the sticker to where you want the link to appear on the Story. Tap on the sticker to change how it appears and pick the one you like best.
Step 8: Tap “Your Story” at the bottom of the screen to post the photo or video with the link attached to your Story.
Pro Tip: Once your Story is posted to your account tap on it, then tap on the link sticker to double check the link you’ve added goes to the correct place!
And that’s it! You’ve successfully linked a webpage within your Instagram Stories!
For even extra visibility, you can create a post on your feed with even more information about the product, service, promotion, or whatever it was you decided to link and direct followers with a CTA like “Click the link in our Stories for more details!” or something similar. Links in post captions are not clickable, so this method ensures potential customers have the opportunity to view the link if they happen to scroll your feed before viewing Stories, gets you more Story engagement, and offers a one-click option right to your website.
As one of the top social media platforms in the world, Instagram should factor into a large portion of your social media marketing strategy. Knowing all the features the platform has to offer will help you use it to your advantage when it comes to building brand awareness and generating leads.
Links in Stories is a simple, yet effective way to lead potential (and established!) customers to the web pages you want them to find without having to leave Instagram first. And now that you have this handy step-by-step guide, you can start implementing this strategy right away!
If you found this guide helpful and you’d like to find out how RevLocal can simplify even more parts of your digital marketing strategy, give us a call today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a marketing expert.
Mideya Kinney, Junior Content Writer
