When building your social media strategy for Instagram, it  essential to plan what content you're going to use and how to get the audience to engage with it. Instagram stories are among the most attractive features in the social media world, with one in five stories getting a direct message from users. With engagement so high, this creates an excellent opportunity to craft a story that drives sales.  

Instagram comes with several features that help your stories act as promotions for your business. Here are four practical ways to create stories that drive sales.  

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1. Story Ads

Use the story feature to create an ad. While maintaining the same marketing goals you've already chosen, you can create immersive content within the app to capture your viewers' attention. But unlike a regular ad on your grid, an Instagram story features fifteen-second videos, boomerangs, reels, gifs, and stickers that can integrate into your post. Your ad doesn't have to be perfect; audiences may appreciate the authenticity that comes with playing around on the app. Implementing tools already provided by the app helps create a dynamic ad that might be hard to replicate on your basic online ad.  

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2. Question Sticker

Do you want immediate feedback from your story? Use the Question sticker for users to ask questions about your business or product, and your response can show up on your story later. Consider this an impromptu Q&A session where potential buyers can interact with your business through your story.

Incorporating the Question sticker into your social media strategy helps with customer interaction and gives the impression of your business  customer service skills. By having the questions and answers visible in your story, you ensure that you interact with your customers and be willing to answer their questions. Plus, it  always great when you get to talk more about your products!

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3. Countdown Sticker

When your business is planning a promotion or event, the Countdown sticker is your friend. Like the Question sticker, the Countdown sticker can be attached right to the story itself. Here you put when the event begins, and the sticker will create a live countdown to that specific time. Whenever users interact with your story, they can see how far the event is according to when they see the post. Customers will know when your event will happen and hopefully drive sales on that particular day.  

The visual of seeing a countdown on your post lets customers know that you are excited about this post, and they should be too.  

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4. Include Your Call To Action

Your Instagram story can also be your call-to-action (CTA) back to your page or website, but this is easier for accounts with more than 10k followers. If your business has hit that landmark, you can unlock features that allow you to add a link to your Instagram home page or website. This way, you can post a product and lead customers right to it through a swipe-up link, driving more traffic to your website. If you haven't broken 10k yet, don't worry. You can still lead people to your website or page by sharing one of your posts as a story and bringing them to your business that way. Include a  link in bio   or  click post   sticker in that story to encourage viewers to see more products on your page or check out your website.

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Instagram stories are yet another social media tool that shouldn't be underestimated because they're an innovative way to engage with potential customers. Be creative in your Instagram strategy and figure out which method works best for you.  

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