7 Ideas to Engage Your Audience with Instagram Highlights

Syed Balkhi
8/15/2023

Instagram highlights are a great way to show your brand's best content and make your audience want to check it out more. Learn how to leverage them for your company. 

Instagram is no longer just a visual platform for individuals. It has quickly transformed into a brilliant marketing platform for businesses as well. This is especially true in today’s time when social selling has boomed in the online market.

Smart businesses know that to boost your conversions, your marketing campaigns can’t be limited to displaying ads or sending out unsolicited DMs to your leads. What you need to do instead is to nurture your leads and build long-lasting relationships with them.

And what can be a better platform to do that other than Instagram? According to reports, on a daily basis, two hundred million Instagram users visit at least one business profile. This clearly shows what you might miss out on by not using Instagram as part of your marketing campaign.

Now the question is, how do you engage your audience with Instagram? Well, the best way to do that is through Instagram highlights. 

Hire a social media marketing agency to assist with your Instagram presence.

Why Use Instagram Highlights to Engage Your Audience

Reports suggest that out of all stories on Instagram one-third of the most viewed of all stories are from businesses. Customers are truly interested in seeing what businesses are posting on their stories. But these stories are visible only for twenty-four hours. However, you can make them appear for longer by highlighting and showcasing your brand’s best content.

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This allows your audience to come back to your profile and check your stories whenever they want. It’s a great way to boost engagement on your profile.

But for that, your stories should be interesting enough to catch your audience’s attention, especially when posting videos.

Reports suggest that eighty percent of brands share different videos in their Instagram stories. This highlights the level of competition out there.

So the question is, how do you use your Instagram highlights for the best results? In this post, we’ll tell you some of the most effective types of content you can highlight on Instagram.

7 Ways to Engage Your Audience with Instagram Highlights

1. Behind the Scenes 

In modern marketing, you don’t just want to straightaway talk about your products and start marketing them. Your audience wants more than that. In the age of social media, people are more interested in brands that build a connection with their audience.

For instance, if you run a dropshipping business or clothing brand, showcasing behind-the-scenes content in your stories can give your audience a sneak peek into your brand's world, creating a sense of exclusivity and making your followers feel like insiders.

They like to know what’s happening behind that brand name or logo design. In other words, they want a human touch in your brand. This helps them connect with your brand better. And one way of building that connection is to showcase behind the scenes in your stories.

This can be anything that can engage your audience. For example, you can share exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and images of your brand. You can share videos of employees’ day at work, some fun party scenes, and other such content.

This allows your audience to have a sneak peek into your brand's world. It is a great way to create a sense of exclusivity and make your followers feel like insiders. 

2. Product Tutorials 

If you’re selling products, you might want to boost user experience by showing them how to use it. A very effective way of doing that is by creating product tutorials. These tutorials help your audience learn more about the product and help you improve their experience with it.

Why not create some highlights that provide step-by-step tutorials or tips on how to use your products? This helps your audience understand the value and functionality of your offerings better.

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Sometimes people want to learn more about the product before making the final purchase. Your tutorial highlights can help such users clear their pre-sales queries and make them more likely to engage and make a purchase.

3. User-Generated Content 

User-generated content is a very powerful tool for boosting credibility and building trust. Buyers often look for such content for confidence before buying something. Do you know that eighty-eight percent of people trust reviews more than product advertising?

Unlike ads, this content comes from real users who have already used your products. So they have first-hand experience with your product.

This makes it easier for your leads to trust what they have to say. It’s a great way to help your users make the final decision.

So start featuring user-generated content in your highlights. This can be anything from customer reviews and testimonials to creative uses of your products. 

4. Q&A Sessions 

Another brilliant idea to use for your Instagram highlights can be Q&A sessions. Host a great Q&A session and answer questions that are frequently used by your users.

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This will help you get some great engagement on your profile. Besides, it also clears your users' doubts which is very important for boosting your conversions.

You don’t need to highlight every question from this session. Save the most valuable and exciting questions and answers to a dedicated highlight. This allows your audience to revisit the information later and shows that you value their input.

5. Tasteful Humor

Everyone loves some tasteful humor. Posting some light-hearted humorous content can be amusing, fun, and a very strong way to engage your audience.

Rather than posting marketing content all the time, you can also share funny or relatable content in your stories. This can help you give a human touch to your brand and make your content more relatable to your users.

These can be anything from memes, jokes, or amusing anecdotes related to your brand or industry. By posting such content, you can effectively create a positive and entertaining experience for your audience.

Now highlight the ones that get the most engagement. 

6. Before and After 

This idea is another brilliant way to show your audience how you transitioned your business. Such ideas can be particularly practical for fitness, beauty, or home improvement brands. But even if you aren’t from any of these industries, you can easily adapt to it.

People love such content because it helps them understand your business better. From the business side, you can benefit by earning their trust by demonstrating your capabilities. It’s essential to increase your leads, retain them and boost your conversion.

So try showcasing transformation stories or before-and-after images. Highlight your best content for your audience. 

7. Events and Conferences 

If your business is into hosting events and conferences or if you have attended any for your business, showcase them in your highlights.

You don’t need to highlight the entire event. Just highlight your speakers, memorable moments, and key takeaways. This lets your audience experience the event even if they couldn't attend in person.

Use Instagram Highlights for Storytelling and Brand Engagement

Social media features like Instagram highlights can be a brilliant tool for brands to tell their stories in a more meaningful way - which is one of the most effective strategies to engage with your audience. It helps you connect with your audience emotionally and in a stronger manner.

However, it’s important to remember that Instagram marketing works best when you’re consistent with your activities. That way, it helps you set user expectations which is crucial for more engagement in your profiles.

It’s also essential to keep your highlights fresh and relevant by regularly updating and curating new content. This gives a reason for your users to return more often and stay updated with what’s happening.

Additional Reading:

author

Syed Balkhi

Co-Founder, OptinMonster
Syed is an award-winning entrepreneur and co-founder of OptinMonster, a powerful conversion optimization software. He is also the founder of Awesome Motive, the company behind several popular small business software that collectively powers over 3 million websites and serves billions of page views every month.
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