How to Use Instagram Highlights to Tell Your Brand Story

Today, social media has become an integral tool for brands to show their unique identity to their audience. Storytelling is quite beneficial for brands when marketing their services. For this, the Instagram app has become a prominent tool. This is because of its visually appealing features and engaging content.

Instagram highlights work smoothly for these features. Using these highlights can be extremely beneficial to telling a brand’s story. Through this, you can build connections with your audience and increase your online visibility. In this article, we’ll explain different ways to use Instagram highlights to tell your brand’s story.

Understanding Instagram Highlights

But before understanding strategies, we must know what Instagram Highlights are and how we can utilize them.

What Are Instagram Highlights?

Do you want to display Instagram stories on your account indefinitely? Instagram highlights are available for you to do that. These highlights are the collection of moments that you post on your stories. Although we cannot assess the stories after 24 hours, highlights allow us to watch them even after many days.

How They Function

Highlights can be created by going to your archive folder. Simply go to archives. Select the stories that you want to post in the highlights. Give a title for your highlights and select the cover for them. You can also create new highlights while you are posting the stories. These highlights appear as the circular icon on your account. You can view them by clicking the icons below your Instagram bio. Your viewers/visitors can watch these highlights to get a glimpse of your brand.

Difference from Regular Stories

Stories are only posted for the regular updates of your daily activities. Meanwhile, highlights are posted permanently on your profile and they show the important elements of a brand. You can highlight your brand’s themes, content, and campaigns on these highlights. Additionally, your highlights can be your potential portfolio to show the achievements of your business.

Why Instagram Highlights Matter for Brands

Some advantages of Instagram highlights for the storytelling of brands include:

Extended Visibility

The stories usually disappear after 24 hours and some users might not see the content that you’ve posted. On the other hand, highlights are available to the audience until the account holder deletes them. This feature allows your new visitors to view the content. These highlights can engage them and they don’t have to wait for a story each day to get information about the brand.

Showcasing Key Aspects

You can show different aspects of your business such as the services that you’re providing, testimonials, BTS, and various products available at your brand. The customers can easily view different aspects of your business.

Enhancing Brand Image

If you design the highlights according to your brand’s unique theme and identity, it can make your business look more professional. Moreover, a well-polished look enhances the credibility and appearance of your brand.

Steps to Use Instagram Highlights for Brand Storytelling

Follow the given steps to use the Instagram highlights strategically:

1. Define Your Brand Story

Identify Core Messages

Start by telling your audience about the core message of your brand. Every business stands on its mission, values, and aim. Make a strong vision for your brand and then align your highlights according to it.

The logo, typography, color, and overall style of your brand is its unique identity. Make your highlights according to these elements so they complement your brand.

2. Plan Your Highlights

Categorize Content

Select some categories for your brand. The elements you choose must be according to your brand. Some categories are:

• Products/Services: Show your viewers the products and services being offered. Add the details of your product’s benefits and other essential information.
• Behind the Scenes: The little glimpse into the everyday routine at your company such as production, preparation, and operation can fascinate the audience.
• Testimonials/Reviews: Feedback and reviews from previous customers can make your brand more trustworthy.
• Events/Launches: Make a highlight about the launching of various products.
• Tips/Tutorials: Give your followers complete information about your products and business.
• FAQs: Add a section about FAQs to answer the common questions asked by customers.

Prioritize Relevance

The categories chosen should reflect your brand. The brand identity should be unique but according to the ongoing market trends and demands.

3. Create Engaging Content

Visual Consistency

Maintain consistency in your stories. Use the same fonts, colors, and backgrounds for every story. This will give a sleek look to your brand that shows its identity.

Compelling Narratives

If you want to put a strong impression on your viewers, create interesting stories about your brand. Some storytelling techniques that can be utilized include character development, conflict/resolution, and many more. Include a clear start in your story. Then add details. And make the ending memorable for your viewers.

Use of Captions and Stickers

You may improve your highlights by using stickers, captions, and hashtags. The engagement on your account can be increased.

4. Design Custom Highlight Covers

Aesthetic Coherence

Use customized covers for your highlights. This will make your highlights distinct from other businesses and will enhance the overall aesthetic appearance of your brand. The designs must be appealing and eye-catching for the viewers.

Brand Colors and Icons

Add the logo and colors of your brand to the highlights. This will make your highlights appealing and relatable to the other content.

Simplicity and Clarity

Use designs that are simple and clear. Do not use designs that look overwhelming to the idea of your brand.

5. Organize and Update Regularly

Keep Content Fresh

Keep your highlights updated. Any irrelevant content must be removed from the highlights. Moreover, remove the outdated and past content from the highlights to maintain your audience’s focus on current services.

Seasonal or Campaign-Based Highlights

For any temporary promotional content, make separate highlights. Similarly make highlights for campaigns. This will make your viewers focus on current events and will not divert their attention.

Monitor and Adjust

There is a tool called Instagram Analytics to monitor the performance of your content. From here, you can check the categories that your audience is most likely. Then you can adjust your next content according to this.

Best Practices

Using these practices can help in delivering the unique narrative of your brand to the audience.

Consistency in Branding

Your brand should be consistent throughout. The elements, message, and tone should remain the same. It will also make your brand more professional in the competitive market.

Quality Over Quantity

Provide quality to your viewers instead of quantity. Only add the content that provides some valuable information to your target audience.

Use of Analytics

Utilize the Instagram analytics tool to check how your highlights are working. Check the views, engagement, and interactions on the highlights to see what works best for your business.

Interactive Elements

Make your audience engaged in your content through different elements such as swipe-up links, polls, and Q/As.

Story Sequencing

Maintain the sequence in your stories. Arrange them in an order that makes them look engaging. They must look smooth and convenient to the viewers.

Case Studies / Examples

To get more information regarding Instagram highlights, let’s see how different brands are utilizing them.

Nike

Nike is utilizing this feature to showcase different products, motivational stories, and reviews from athletes. These highlights look appealing and attractive to the viewers. They’ve used bold pictures and their brand’s unique message about being persistent to achieve excellence.

Glossier

A famous beauty brand glossier uses highlights to show reviews, make-up tutorials, and BTS of their business content. This clean and minimal theme is according to their brands message of being simple and authentic.

Starbucks

One most famous brands Starbucks posts seasonal drinks, initiatives, and events on their highlights. Their organized and interesting content keeps the viewers hooked to their brand.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Some common mistakes to avoid while making highlights include:

Overcrowding Highlights

Don’t post too many stories on your highlights. Only post the most relevant and important content on your highlights. This is to make your content more engaging and qualitative for the audience.

Neglecting Updates

Outdated content in your highlights can leave a bad impression on your audience. Keep it fresh and updated according to the ongoing events of your business.

Inconsistent Branding

Avoid being inconsistent in the elements and visuals of your brand. Adhere to the guidelines of your brand. This will help your audience understand your brand more closely.

Ignoring Analytics

Don’t ignore the analytics. Regularly monitor the performance of your highlights. Make the changes according to the need of time. Keep your profile optimized.

Conclusion

Instagram highlights can be a significant tool to enhance the online presence of your brand. With the right strategy, you can get maximum benefit from this. By utilizing the strategies explained you can build a strong online presence for your business. By keeping your audience engaged, you can increase the follower count.

In today’s world, social media is a perfect place for marketing, and Instagram highlights are one tool. You can make your audience knowledgeable about different aspects/products of your brand. Thus, Instagram highlights are an excellent choice to spread your brand’s voice and identity to the world.