Despite being the second most popular social network in the world, one of the biggest challenges for marketers on Instagram has been driving traffic from the popular platform. Since Instagram doesn’t allow you to post links along with your photos, marketers are restricted to posting links in their bio. As you can imagine, this is an inconvenient step for users to undertake. So while marketers can get engagement on the platform itself, converting this engagement into web traffic is a huge problem.

This challenge has extended to Instagram Stories as well as most users still don’t have access to clickable links feature. But that may change very soon as Instagram recently rolled out the clickable links feature on Stories to more users.

In this article, we’ll show you how you can add links to your Instagram Stories to drive traffic to your website and increase sales of your products/services.

Who Has Access to Clickable Links Feature on Instagram Stories

Instagram released this feature first to verified business accounts. Even now, this is the only info on clickable links feature you’ll find on Instagram’s website.

In May 2017, Instagram quietly rolled out this feature to more businesses. Clickable stories links feature is now available for business profiles with more than 10000 followers on Instagram.

Like many other features released by Instagram in the past, one can hope that Instagram will soon release this feature for all users. But until then, business profiles (not personal profiles) with over 10000 followers can access this feature.

Need tips to increase your follower count on Instagram? Check out this article!

How Marketers and Bloggers Can Leverage Clickable Links Feature

As you can imagine, this is a highly useful feature for marketers. Here’s how you can leverage clickable links on Instagram Stories:

• Promote your latest blog post
• Promote your products or services
• Unveil exclusive content
• Promote a contest
• Complete a tutorial

How to Add Links to Your Instagram Stories

Adding links to your Instagram Stories is as simple as it gets. Follow these steps:

#1 Start Your Instagram Story

To start an Instagram story, take an image or video directly within the Instagram Stories app or swipe up on the Story screen to import any image taken within the last 24 hours.

#2 Add the URL

To add a link to your Story, click on the chain link icon at the top of your story.

Image Credit: Later

You’ll be prompted to input the link destination of your choice in a new window. Type the URL and tap on “Done” to save the link.

If you’d like to track clicks from your Instagram Stories, use a URL shortener service such as Bitly.

Once you’ve added your link to the story, the chain link icon will be highlighted to indicate that your story now has a link.

Continue editing your story and include text, stickers, and add filters to your stories.

#3 Add a Call to Action to Your Story

The link button on Instagram stories is not obvious to the users, so it’s important to let your followers know that there is more to your Instagram Stories. So the last, and perhaps the most important step, is to include a call to action (CTA) in your story to direct users to your website. Some of the common CTAs include are “See More” or “Swipe up”.

That’s it! Your Instagram Story now has a clickable link.

Over to You

If you have more than 10000 followers on Instagram, you can leverage this feature to drive traffic to your website, offer exclusive content to your users, or even promote your products or services.

What do you think of the clickable links feature? Do you think Instagram should allow all profiles to have access to this feature? Let us know in the comments section.

Looking for more Instagram Stories hacks? Check out these resources:

• How to Use Instagram Stories: A Simple Guide for Marketers (HubSpot)
• Instagram Launches Instagram Stories: Everything You Need to Know (Buffer)
• 13 Hidden Hacks to Make Your Instagram Stories Stand Out(Later)

Related Articles

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• Shorby Review and Walkthrough: Turbocharge Your Instagram Conversions
• Top 15 Marketing Apps for Instagram

The post How to Add Links to Your Instagram Stories to Drive Traffic and Sales appeared first on 99signals.

With millions of Instagrammers posting content every day, Instagram has started sorting posts on users’ feed with an algorithm.

Here’s a quick overview of how the new Instagram algorithm works (courtesy – Buffer):

Needless to say, marketers all over the world are noticing a stark decline in their organic reach.

But that doesn’t mean you should give up hope on Instagram. In fact, with the new Instagram algorithm, it’s possible for your brand to reach more followers than ever.

In this article, we’ll share 6 simple tactics to increase your organic reach on Instagram. And yes, these tactics don’t include investing in ads.

6 Ways to Increase Your Organic Reach on Instagram

#1 Leverage User-Generated Content

User-generated content (UGC) is defined as brands selecting the best of the best user content from around the web and featuring it on their social media accounts while giving credit to the user.

UGC may include user’s photos, product reviews and testimonials, and photo contests. One of the easiest ways to generate UGC is to create a unique brand hashtag and include CTAs in your posts, reminding your followers to contribute UGC content with the hashtag.

For instance, Expedia, the world’s largest online travel company, asked their audience to share their most memorable holiday experiences costing £139 or less by using #My139 to win one of five £500 travel vouchers. Over 1,000 people entered the #My139 challenge in in just 5 weeks.

Spending time curating UGC is a great way to engage your fans and increase organic reach of your regular posts.

And that’s not all.

Using UGC also makes your brand more trustworthy.

According to Crowdtap, millennials are 50% more likely to trust user-generated content than any other type of media and 35% more memorable than other media.

Bottom line: Leverage UGC to increase your organic reach on Instagram.

#2 Tell Instagram Stories

With Instagram Stories, Instagram is not just luring users away from Snapchat, but also retaining interest among current users of the platform.

The best part about Instagram Stories is that it allows you to post as many photos or videos you want without fear of being too intrusive or annoying to your followers. 

Over 200 million users post Instagram Stories every day. Despite its popularity, however, very few marketers are leveraging Stories to engage their followers.

According to a study conducted by Buffer, only 16% of marketers currently use Instagram Stories. This is the right time to craft brilliant Instagram Stories and engage your audience before this trend becomes more popular.

All Instagram Stories appear above the feed on Instagram, allowing you to stay on top of your followers’ feed and grab more of their attention. If your followers view your Stories regularly, your regular posts may eventually start gaining more organic reach.

#3 Post Content at Optimal Times

Despite algorithm updates, posting content at optimal times on Instagram is still a good strategy to use.

Each social media network has its own optimal time to post content. Check out this article to learn more about the best times to post content on different social networks.

In a recent poll by Later, over 50% of social media managers said that evenings from 7-9pm was the best time to post on Instagram.

TrackMaven found that Instagram engagement remains consistent throughout the week, with slight spikes on Monday and a slight dip on Saturdays.

Pro Tip: If you are using an Instagram business profile, you can deep dive into your Instagram Insights to learn more about when your followers are most active by day of the week or time of the day.

#4 Go Live on Instagram

Just like Instagram Stories, a live video appears right on top of Instagram’s feed with a “LIVE” logo on your profile. And like Stories, live videos are not mainstream yet. In other words, this is the right time to start uploading live videos before other brands jump on the bandwagon.

Instagram’s parent company, Facebook, is prioritizing live videos on both Facebook and Instagram. Users on both platforms receive notifications on their smartphones whenever someone goes live.

#5 Create Native Content for Instagram

Instagram is a visual platform which means you need to pay more focus on the photo or the video than the text. A post that does well on Facebook may not necessary do well on Instagram. As such, you need to create content which is native to Instagram.

While creating graphics on Canva, select Instagram templates to make sure you’re using images with the right resolution.

Another great content idea would be to post behind-the-scenes photos/videos of your employees at work to offer something different to your audience.

Brands such as Buffer and HubSpot do this regularly on Instagram. Follow these brands for some pointers.

Even crossposting from other platforms works well, but make sure that you craft unique captions for each social media platform. This will also give your fans an extra incentive to follow you on different platforms.

#6 Post Videos

According to several studies, photos still rule Instagram despite video consumption increasing by 40% over the last six months.

Photos tend to get more likes and shares than videos on social media. Videos, however, generate more comments than photos. A study conducted by News Whip found that videos, on average, generated 2x the amount of comments than photos.

Since commenting requires more effort from a user than liking or sharing a video, it’s safe to assume that the Instagram algorithm values posts with more comments over posts with more likes or shares.

So experiment with videos and see if they get more comments than images. Aim at creating 1-2 videos per week and see if you notice a spike in the organic reach of your regular posts.

Over to You

The algorithm update on Instagram values user experience on the platform over anything else. As such, aim at creating content that your audience enjoys and engages with.

Now that you know a few tactics to increase organic reach on Instagram, it’s time to experiment with these techniques and see how it works out.

What’s your strategy to rank your content high on Instagram? Did we miss out on any of your favorite tactics to increase organic reach on Instagram? We’d love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

If you liked this article, you may also like:

• 7 (Insanely Simple) Growth Hacking Tactics To Get More Instagram Followers
• 10 of the Best Brands on Instagram You Need to Follow
• 15 Best Instagram Apps for Marketers

The post 6 Simple Tactics to Increase Your Organic Reach on Instagram (Without Spending a Penny on Ads) appeared first on 99signals.

But with over 5 million businesses using Instagram, it goes without saying that marketers need to think of new, innovative ways to differentiate themselves from the rest of the crowd.

Luckily, there are apps to make life easier for marketers. To save you time, we have made a list of 15 best apps for Instagram which marketers should use to grow their presence on the most popular photo-sharing platform.

15 Best Apps for Instagram

1. Boomerang

Boomerang shoots a burst of 10 photos and then turns them into a GIF-style 10-second video that loops back and forth.

Marketers can use Boomerang to:

• Show off your new products
• Showcase a cool feature of your product
• Offer a behind-the-scenes sneak peak of the work that goes on at your workplace

Price: Free

Available on iOS and Android

2. Shorby

Shorby is an Instagram marketing tool which allows you to side-step Instagram’s ‘one link in bio’ limitation by helping you create a custom profile containing your most important links, messengers, and social networks.

Price: Starts at $9/mo

Click here to sign up for Shorby

To learn more about Shorby, watch our in-depth Shorby video review and walkthrough below:

3. Buffer for Instagram

Buffer, one of the most popular social media scheduling apps, recently started providing support for Instagram, making it easier for you to schedule content on the popular photo-sharing app.

When it’s time to post, Buffer will send a notification to your phone that loads your photo into Instagram with your prewritten caption saved to your phone’s clipboard, ready to be pasted.

Marketers can use Buffer for Instagram to:

• Manage Instagram marketing from a single dashboard
• Create a consistent schedule
• Track key analytics

Price: Free (Up to 3 social media accounts)

Try Buffer for Instagram

Related: 12 Best Social Media Scheduling Tools

4. Layout

Layout creates collages by remixing your own photos (up to 9 photos) and instantly presents them in various combinations.

Moreover, the app gives you complete creative control to tell a story and change the look of your regular photos to convey a mood or theme.

Marketers can use Layout to:

• Showcase company culture
• Post collage of your products
• Showcase the best of user generated content (UGC) from your community
• Share event photos

Price: Free

Available on iOS and Android

5. Pic Stitch

Pic Stitch quickly combines multiple photos and videos into one beautifully framed picture. Not only that, but you can also select from 245 different layouts and even add music to your collage.

Marketers can use Pic Stitch to:

• Show behind-the-scenes photos of employees and offices
• Showcase event photos

Price: Free

Available on iOS and Android

6. Have2Have.It

This app is a must if you run an e-commerce business. Have2Have.It allows you to create, schedule, and post photos and videos, and link them to your products online, making it easier for users to purchase the items featured on your Instagram feed.

Marketers can use Have2Have.It to:

• Drive traffic to your e-commerce website and boost revenue
• Make it easy for your followers to shop

Price: Free on iOS, Android users can try it free for 30 days

Click here to sign up for a 30-day free trial of Have2Have.It

7. Repost

Repost makes it easy to re-post (with hashtag #repost) your favorite photos & videos on Instagram while giving credit to the original Instagrammer. Understandably, it’s the best repost app for Instagram.

Marketers can use Repost to:

• Share UGC on your Instagram feed to show appreciation towards followers
• Repost content from employees and clients.

Price: Free

Available on iOS and Android 

8. Prisma

Prisma transforms your photos into artworks using the styles of famous artists: Munk, Picasso as well as world famous ornaments and patterns.

Marketers can use Prisma to:

• Add a mix of variety and creativity to your photos
• Promote UGC

Price: Free

Available on iOS and Android

9. Quick

Quick makes it super easy to add text to images and upload them to Instagram, all from within their app.

Marketers can use Quick to:

• Promote an event
• Caption your products
• Create a fun meme
• Share quotes

Price: Free

Available on iOS and Android 

10. Over (Now GoDaddy Studio)

Over allows you to create visually appealing graphics for Instagram while you’re on the go.

Marketers can use Over to:

• Create graphics on the go
• Share inspirational quotes
• Post short instructions on how to use your product
• Share event invites.

Price: $3.99

Available only on iOS

11. Unfold

Unfold lets you create beautiful stories on Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook with minimal and easy-to-use templates.

The free version of Unfold lets you choose from a collection of 25 minimal, elegant, easy-to-use print-media inspired templates designed to bring your Instagram stories to life.

Price: Free

Available on iOS and Android

12. Later

Later is an Instagram scheduling app which helps you create a queue of posts and then receive notifications when they’re due to go out.

Marketers can use Later to:

• Schedule photos and videos at optimal times
• Easily find great posts on Instagram from your community so you can engage with them and repost their content.

Price: Free (1 Instagram account)

Click here to connect your Instagram account with Later

13. Grum

One of the biggest drawbacks of Instagram is that you can’t upload photos and videos from your desktop. Grum solves this problem by allowing you to upload and schedule photos and videos right from your desktop.

Price: Starts at $9.95/mo

Click here to sign up for Grum

14. Hyperlapse

Hyperlapse shoots polished time lapse videos that were previously impossible without bulky tripods and expensive equipment.

Marketers can use Hyperlapse to:

• Create buzz for new products
• Give your followers a behind-the-scenes view of your work culture
• Build excitement around events
• Highlight product features.

Bonus: Check out this post from Social Media Examiner on how businesses can use Hyperlapse to engage Instagram followers.

Price: Free

Available only on iOS

15. Crowdfire

Crowdfire analyzes your Instagram account and takes you through a few quick tasks everyday that are personalized to your goals (more followers, more visitors, sales, etc.).

Marketers can use Crowdfire to:

• Monitor your Instagram account in real-time
• Grow your followers and increase web traffic.

Price: Free

Available on iOS and Android

Over to You

So these are the 15 apps that can help you create quality content on Instagram while saving you time.

Did we miss out on any of your favorite Instagram apps? Let us know in the comments section.

If you found this article useful, please share it on Twitter using the link below:

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The post 15 Best Instagram Apps for Marketers appeared first on 99signals.

Instagram presents a unique opportunity to visually represent your brand, celebrate its personality, and keep it fresh for all users who scroll through their Instagram feeds every single day. With the introduction of Instagram Stories, the photo-sharing social network now allows brands to tell engaging stories about their product, service, or work culture to their followers.

Here’s a list of 10 brands on Instagram who should serve as an inspiration to your own Instagram content strategy.

1) Headspace (@headspace)

Headspace is a popular guided meditation app that is helping millions of people across the world practice and master mindfulness meditation. Headspace’s Instagram feed features tips, tricks, and reminders for practicing meditation. In addition to these, Headspace also posts mindfulness challenges to help people practice mindfulness in their day-to-day activities.

Follow Headspace on Instagram

2) Red Bull (@redbull)

The energy drink brand has an active presence on all the popular social media platforms. So Instagram is no exception.

The company shares images of extreme sports and adventures with their followers on Instagram.

Follow Red Bull on Instagram

3) NASA (@nasa)

If you love space, then NASA is a must-follow Instagram account. NASA shares stunning photographs which feature everything from astronaut selfies to images of Earth seen from space.

To add to their astonishing Instagram feed, they also make optimum use of Instagram’s latest feature, Instagram Stories, to tell a deep story behind each Instagram post.

Follow NASA on Instagram

4) WeWork (@wework)

WeWork is in the business of providing shared working spaces to entrepreneurs, small business owners, and freelancers all around the world. So it makes sense that they post images showcasing their beautiful shared workspaces.

Along with this, they share images of their biggest events, including WeWork Summer Camp. They also encourage their customers to share images of their workspace accompanied with a hashtag of their slogan – ‘Do what you love’ and contribute their popular #DogsofWeWork hashtag.

Follow WeWork on Instagram

5) TechCrunch (@techcrunch)

TechCrunch is the best brand to follow on Instagram if you’d like to stay up-to-date with all the tech news. What makes this account special is they often share behind-the-scenes images and stories from tech events which they cover.

Follow TechCrunch on Instagram

6) National Geographic (@natgeo)

With a following of over 60 million followers, National Geographic is one of the top Instagram brands. Their Instagram account includes posts from contributors who travel all around the world to share some of the most breathtaking photos you can find on the web. An impressive feat considering National Geographic is still primarily a print magazine.

Follow National Geographic on Instagram

7) Buffer (@buffer)

Buffer is a popular social media marketing, scheduling and analytics app which has a major presence on all social networks, including Instagram. Not only do they leverage Instagram’s new feature, Instagram Stories, to create interesting snippets of latest social media news and trivia, but also encourage users to share images of their workspace using the hashtag #BufferCommunity.

Buffer is one of the best examples of a brand that’s benefiting immensely from User Generated Content (UGC).

Follow Buffer on Instagram

8) GoPro (@gopro)

If you’re going on an epic adventure, you’d probably want to include your GoPro camera in your travel kit. As such, GoPro’s Instagram feed features images from all kinds of adventurous environments, staying true to their reputation as the ‘World’s Most Versatile Camera’.

Follow GoPro on Instagram

9) Nike (@nike)

Nike’s Instagram account has more followers than any other fashion brand on the photo-sharing social network. Their Instagram feed features ad campaign images/videos and inspirational athlete stories that resonate really well with their followers.

Follow Nike on Instagram

10) BMW (@bmw)

BMW has a solid social media presence across all the popular platforms (even Google+) and their Instagram account is no exception. BMW’s Instagram feed features images of their automobiles in different locations, oftentimes in stunning backdrops to make the followers personally relate and imagine themselves behind the wheel.

Follow BMW on Instagram

Which brands on Instagram are your favorite? Let us know in the comments section.

If you liked this article, you may also like:

• 7 Proven Growth Hacking Tactics to Get More Instagram Followers
• The Best Times to Post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest
• The Ultimate Guide to Twitter Moments

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The post 10 of the Best Brands on Instagram You Need to Follow appeared first on 99signals.