Wineries: Stop Sleeping on Instagram Stories
Why consistent Stories can transform your Instagram strategy, plus a special announcement.
You may not know this, but Instagram Stories are my absolute favorite part of social media. They are just so much fun! All of my favorite Instagram accounts to follow have banger stories (Lookin' at YOU @deannacat3, @juniperfoxx, @emily_elsie, @shwinnabegobrand, @jessedriftwood —please go watch some of his old Stories highlights!).
But a ton of wineries sleep on this Instagram tool, and that is a damn shame.
Never fear, though; this month, I'm here to share with you some awesome ways to use Stories. But first, here's why I love stories so much and why you should too:
Low maintenance: Since they only last 24 hours (unless you save them to a highlight), Stories offer you the opportunity to show off your brand voice and personality in a more uninhibited (and, for me, unhinged) way. This also means you can experiment with your content and see what your audience responds well to in a low-pressure environment.
Excellent for Engagement: There are myriad ways to engage your customers using Instagram Stories, including quizzes and poll stickers. But my favorite feature is how easy it is for your customers to slide into your DMs from a story. This offers you an opportunity to build deeper relationships with them, which ultimately leads to more sales.
Front-and-Center: Stories live at the very top of your customers' News Feeds on Instagram, meaning they are much more likely to see your Stories than they are to see your feed posts. Plus, Stories are easier to consume than your feed posts (with the possible exception of Reels).
In my experience with clients, when we post consistently to our stories, we see our numbers rise across the platform. That means you’ll have the potential to increase your reach, engagement, and potentially even your followers if you post to your stories regularly.
And if my anecdotal ravings don't convince you, here are a few stats* to show you the power of Instagram Stories for businesses:
70% of Instagram users watch stories daily.
58% of users say they are more interested in a brand after seeing it in Stories.
Smaller brands (under 10K followers) have seen a 35% increase in Story reach rate.
*These stats were pulled from several marketing publications and blog sources. While they are widely referenced, I was unable to track down the original studies/surveys or data releases from Instagram or Meta. As always, take them with a grain of salt, but in my experience, these trends generally track with what I'm seeing across client accounts when we have our shit together and are posting to Stories consistently.
In short, Stories are the bee's knees, and everyone should be using them more.
Welcome to Stories Month!
Every Tuesday this month (what I'm calling Stories Month), we will cover things like what kinds of content wine brands should be sharing to their Stories, how to use Stories to tell a story (they are called Stories for a reason, after all), and ways to give your Stories a little ✨sparkle✨
In the meantime, this week, your goal is to pay attention to which brands or accounts' Stories consistently show up at the top of your feed. Notice what their Stories have in common, and if you are engaging with them often, think about why. You may start noticing patterns you can emulate on your account!
And now for the special announcement:
At the end of this month, I am hosting an Instagram Stories Challenge specifically for wineries!
The goal: help you post 3–5 Story slides per day, five days a week, throughout the month of June — and (hopefully) double your Story views by the end of it.
I'll give you prompts, reminders, encouragement, and a bunch of tactical tips to make it easier (and way more fun) to show up consistently. If you’d like to opt-in, be sure to follow me on Instagram @craftandcluster and opt-in to my Instagram Stories Challenge Broadcast Channel.
*Note: By opting into the Broadcast Channel, you agree to receive DMs from me regularly (between 1 and 5 times per week). You can opt-out at any time, but I encourage you to stay on the broadcast channel throughout the challenge so you can get tips and support.
P.S. to my Paid Subscribers, I am working on building out some extras for those of you who want to participate in the Stories Challenge. Let me know if there’s something in particular you’d like to see as a Paid Member Perk!
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