4 Ways to Drive Traffic with Instagram Stories

Some of the most crucial tasks in any business are driving traffic, improving lead generation and lead conversion. But, without attracting new potential clients and customers, you cannot hope to expand. 

Unfortunately, though, over 63% of businesses report that traffic and lead generation are some of their top marketing challenges. 

If you belong to that 63%, all hope is not lost. 

There are many tools at your disposal that can help you overcome these challenges, and one of them is Instagram. More specifically – Instagram Stories. 

They are a powerful tool that can help you reach a wider audience and spread awareness about your brand and your business.

So, let’s first see whether your business even needs an Instagram account at all, and then we’ll check out how you can drive traffic through your Instagram Stories. 

Should Your Business Be on Instagram? 

The short answer is- yes. As of 2018, Instagram has over 1 billion active users worldwide. It’s a massive platform that allows you to reach your target audience faster and better. 

Over 25 million businesses have an Instagram account, and if you’re not one of them, you’re missing out. 

Whether you’re a small local business or an international corporation, you can benefit significantly from joining this growing platform. 

Primarily, Instagram allows you to put a face to your brand. As a highly visual platform, Instagram will enable you to make your business noticeable and unique. 

Today, it’s not enough to have a website and showcase your products. You need to establish an emotional connection with your audience and allow them to get to know you and all of the people behind your brand. 

You can drive customer engagement levels by sharing pictures of your teammates and satisfied customers, or even show behind-the-scenes clips. 

Share stories, educational content, entertaining videos, and more, and allow your followers to have a glimpse into your brand. When they know and trust you, it will be much easier to convert them into loyal, buying customers. 

So, yes. If you want to grow your business and improve your lead generation, your business should be on Instagram. 

And, if you want to drive traffic, check out the following ways to do so through your Instagram Stories. 

Drive Traffic by Including Links in Your Stories  

Those accounts that have over 10,000 followers, and those accounts that are verified, can include direct links in their stories. 

This is a great way to increase traffic on your website and generate more interest in your products or services. 

Including direct links in your Stories is quite easy. When you go to post a Story, you’ll see a chain-link icon in the top corner of your screen. All you have to do is click on the icon and add the URL you want to include. 

When your followers see your Story, all they have to do is swipe up, and they’ll be taken to the link you’ve included. 

You can link out to your lead quizzes, product pages, your other social media accounts, or wherever else you want. 

Over a third of the most viewed Instagram Stories are from businesses. Use this to your advantage and direct your followers from your stories to your website. 

And there’s no reason to worry if you don’t have a verified account or over 10,000 followers. You can still invite the followers you have to click the link in your bio. 

Your other option is to create an Instagram Story that swipes up to your IGTV video, and then use your IGTV video description to include a link there. 

Make Use of the Highlights 

One of the most valuable Instagram features is surely Instagram Stories Highlights. Using highlights allows you to group several of your stories, and then combine them into a single category that stays permanently visible to your followers (unlike the regular Stories with a 24-hour shelf life). 

Your highlights will be visible on your Instagram account, just below your bio, so any new follower will easily find them. 

Your best option is to create a highlight for those Stories that drove the most traffic to your website. Don’t overdo it. Not every Story has to be included in your highlights, so be very strategic about it. 

Create an Online Quiz and Promote It with Stories 

Lead quizzes are a hidden gem that can help you drive traffic, increase engagement, and spread brand awareness with ease. 

If you haven’t been using lead quizzes so far, it’s high time for you to create an online quiz and reap the benefits of it. 

Over 70% of marketers agree that interactive content, such as lead quizzes, is effective in converting website visitors.  

You can create an online quiz quickly enough with a decent quiz maker, but even the best quiz won’t attract customers on its own. You need to advertise it. 

Use your Instagram Stories to showcase your lead quizzes, share some of your quiz-takers’ results, or even your own. This will drive engagement and encourage your followers to take the quiz themselves. 

Partner up with an Influencer 

If you have a small Instagram account with just a few followers, you don’t have to give up on lead generation through Instagram Stories just yet. You can still achieve a lot through them, especially since they don’t have to be your own Stories. 

Partnering up with an influencer is often the best thing to do. Over 89% of business owners say that ROI received from influencer marketing is comparable to or better than other marketing channels. 

Instagram influencers often have a considerable following, and millions of Instagram users watch their stories. Being promoted through their stories can drive your traffic, unlike any other method. 

It’s just important to be careful when choosing an influencer that you want to promote your brand. Your choice has to make sense. 

Find an influencer who belongs to your niche, or is as closely related to your niche as possible. Check whether their personality matches your brand. 

The Bottom Line 

Instagram Stories allow you to drive traffic and improve your lead generation and conversion quickly. You have to be very strategic about it, though.

The best ways to drive traffic through your Stories include: 

• Adding links to your Stories 
• Taking advantage of the Highlights 
• Promoting your lead quizzes through your Stories 
• Partnering up with influencers 

If possible, you should follow all these tips and tricks for driving traffic as this will give you the best results. However, following just one of them can still prove to be valuable as well, so give it a try and see for yourself.