13 Instagram Stories Ideas for your Dropshipping Store
With an estimated 3.96 billion users globally, the world has been revolving around social networks for a long time now, a fact that comes as no surprise anymore. They’ve gained a dominant role in our private lives and have become an essential tool in the business world, especially in the eCommerce section, giving entrepreneurs a new, more innovative, and exceptionally cost-effective advertising strategy.
With a global revenue that amounts to 4 billion USD, the social platforms undoubtedly had played a significant role in pushing the eCommerce industry to reach that number. Since their creation, promoting products and generating sales has never been easier. One app has been assisting dropshipping business owners particularly in growing their companies and setting them up for incredible success. With an astounding 78% of marketers relying on Instagram for publicity, this social networking service has been breaking records in the number of users that get registered each year. Taking the advantage to expand their customer base, dropshippers have been making the most of the app to promote their products and boost sales through the roof. The Instagram story feature appears to be a favorite among business account users, especially among those working in the fashion industry, helping them drive enormous traffic on their websites considering the fact that up to 70% of all users visit the story section on a daily basis.
What’re the reasons behind the success of Instagram stories?
The numbers presented above certainly don’t lie and stand as proof of the popularity of Instagram stories among online store owners. But how do they generate such great hype in such a short period and is it really worth it using them as the main marketing technique? In order to get your answer, have a look at the following points:
- Instagram stories offer a unique way to interact with customers;
- By posting stories regularly, you let followers know that you’re willing to listen to their demands and meet their expectations;
- You’ll be given a chance to build a long-term relationship with your clients;
- You’ll have the opportunity to present yourself and your company which will humanize your brand and in return make followers relate to your products and become devoted consumers.
Now that you know the reasons, we recommend you give Instagram a try and see how your customers will react to your social media presence. To give you a head start we’re delighted to share with you our finest Instagram stories ideas to help you not only to attract buyers but also to build a connection with your audience.
13 Instagram stories ideas to make your dropshipping store stand out from the crowd
Use special features and light effects
When talking about using Instagram as an advertising tool, marketing your brand on the fourth most used platform can be incredibly creative and original. There’s no need of upgrading professional photos or using special graphic design apps as Instagram offers you outstanding features that’ll help you present your products in the best light possible. For instance, don’t shy away from decorating your stories with bright-colored backgrounds that stand out and attract attention. Moreover, don’t be afraid to play with the fonds, experiment with the various effects and layouts, and even create a story collage. Alternatively, to build up a little suspense, you can share a post you’ve published on your wall by hiding it behind the new post sticker. The options are endless, providing you with a chance to express your creativity but also making your products striking. At the end of the day, if you still experience a lack of inspiration, you can always look for help in pre-made Instagram story templates that’ll make your content as engaging as you had imagined it to be.
Incorporate memes in your stories
There’s nothing that’ll attract more attention than incorporating funny memes in your engagement interactive posts since people find them relatable. Despite using your stories to build a marketing base for your products, it’s nice to show small pieces of your personality by using humorous memes yet still keeping them related to your business.
Attach links that will lead directly to your products
Publishing Instagram stories of your products is the easiest way to make people notice your merchandise and awaken their interest. However, in order to gain greater chances of followers buying the products on your stories, it’s essential to add the link sticker. By clicking on it, customers will be conveniently redirected to your eCommerce store’s website and can immediately purchase the item by following the checkout instructions.
Organize giveaways
Any type of audience would love getting things for free, especially when it comes to dropshipping clothes. During the busiest times of the year, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year, and Black Friday sales, a lot of dropshipping stores provide consumers with the chance of winning coupons, gift cards, or “buy one get one for free” offers on outstanding fashion pieces which simply can’t be missed. This is what makes your store memorable, hyping up customers, making them acknowledge your brand, and continue purchasing your products even after sales are over. Therefore, make the most of the Instagram stories to create a buzz among followers which will definitely be worth the time and effort invested.
Familiarize your clients with your blog/vlog/podcast
Despite being a full-time owner of a dropshipping store, do you happen to have a blog where you write about your latest fashion collections, make vlogs regarding the services you offer or host an eCommerce podcast or a business podcast as well? Then don’t miss out on sharing such an important piece of information with your followers. Whenever you publish new content, create an engaging story on Instagram and, once again, add the link sticker that’ll direct the audience to those channels.
Advertise your products by sharing UGC (user-generated content)
One of the most successful marketing strategies that can guarantee you gain a bunch of new supporters consists of asking your audience to share your Instagram content. Let your followers know that whenever they’re using some of your merchandise, they’re free to tag your brand in their stories. Resharing these stories will make people feel acknowledged and as a result, it’ll strengthen your relationship with your Instagram community. In addition, sharing UGC has great odds of attracting potential customers for the reason that in most cases it’s an unpaid advertisement, making it a sincere and genuine recommendation by the clients of the store. Due to this, it appears that customers are more comfortable placing their trust in user-generated content rather than in conventional advertising. So, take advantage of this marketing plan to increase your customer flow.
Invite an influencer to take over your stories for the day
A collaboration with an influencer who has a significant follower base will surely help you out in marketing your merchandise and kicking off sales in no time. It’s no secret that people rely on recommendations more than anything, especially when they come from celebrities. Hence, find someone whose audience would be interested in your products and let them promote your brand by filming stores in which they use your product and incorporate it in their daily routines but in a way that doesn’t look forced or the influencer’s advertising intentions become too obvious. In addition, you could also let them take over your Instagram stores, host a live stream with them, let them give their reviews about your product, create Instagram shoutouts, and even try to communicate with the audience.
Do Q&A sessions once in a while
Followers always appreciate when account owners organize Q&A sessions as it allows them to ask anything relating to their brand and products. The beauty of the Instagram story is that it permits users to use a question sticker where the audience can freely fire away with questions. In that way, knowing what troubles their customers, dropshipping stores can offer their audience much-needed support and information that might not have been published on their website which will turn their followers into satisfied consumers.
Take advantage of the Instagram poll feature
This is a fantastic way to keep customers involved when deciding on introducing new merchandise in your store. Create a poll to find out your consumers’ interests and preferences by using a classic ‘yes or no’ or ‘this or that’ poll, the two choice poll, quiz sticker, or the emoji sliding poll. Later, use the information obtained to stock up your virtual shelves with the products they find most appealing. It’s a great technique for stores to keep up with their customers’ needs and be always on top of things.
Make good use of the countdown sticker
Another amazing Instagram feature is the countdown sticker. Whether you’re about to introduce a new product or collection, launch a sale, or have in mind to host a live stream, make an Instagram story with one of the app’s most popular options. In this way, you’ll be able to notify your customers of any upcoming events you plan to organize. By clicking on the sticker, followers can set a reminder to alert them when the countdown ends and even share the story on their profiles which could generate your store more publicity. The downside of this idea is that just like with any other Instagram story feature, the sticker will disappear after 24 hours, meaning that if you’ve set a countdown longer than that, followers won’t be able to see it again. But don’t despair because there’s a simple solution to this inconvenience. By adding your story in the highlight section of your profile, people could still come back to it.
Use Instagram stories to collect feedback from customers
As previously mentioned, Instagram stories can be an amazing way to keep in touch with your customers and be kept posted with their experiences of using your products. Despite hosting Q&As, polls, and various other interactive activities, it would be appreciated from their side to invite them every so often to express their thoughts regarding the services they’ve been offered and give detailed feedback of what they liked and what could be improved. Customers cherish when their opinions are taken into consideration which consequently leads them towards valuing your work and seeing you as an entrepreneur worth supporting.
Don’t shy away from sharing the positive reviews
Whenever your clients reach out to you either in DM or by using other social media apps in order to let you know what great customer service you’ve provided them with, don’t hold back from sharing those reviews in your stories. You can publish screenshots of the conversations and later save them into your highlights. There is no better way to allude to the brand’s authenticity and credibility than by reading honest and helpful feedback about previous customers’ experiences.
Give a sneak peek of your work surroundings
Finally, give your audience a chance to take a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes. By offering them an insight into your workplace, consumers have the opportunity to take a look into your typical daily routines, understand your work ethic, become more closely acquainted with your brand, and most importantly, get to know you and your company better. This may not contribute much to advertising your services but it’ll certainly help out in improving your relationship with your customers which subsequently will lead to an increase in sales and growth of customer network.
To sum things up
Since we live in a world in which people are constantly consulting social media regarding anything you could think of, it would be only wise to put social networking to good use, especially if you’re involved in the eCommerce market. For instance, turn Instagram to the advantage of your online store by using it as an advertising tool. While doing that, take into consideration the Instagram stories ideas we’ve discussed. In order to get the best results, try to implement each of them and see what your audience responds to. If they enjoy finding out details about your company, give them more often the opportunity to ask questions. In case your audience is curious about what your workplace looks like, give them a tour of your office. Eventually, all those small efforts to fulfill your followers’ requirements will pay off. By following the ideas featured in this article, Instagram stories can easily make your dropshipping store thrive.
About the Author
Nedina Gjorgjieva
Proud bookworm, passionate content writer and devoted Arctic Monkeys fan. Always in the mood for travel and sightseeing.
