5 Proven Ways to Generate B2B Leads with Instagram Stories

You’ve created a business profile on Instagram and now what?

Like Alice in Wonderland, you have no idea where to start. You posted a few photos, but you’ve also been told you need to share stories every day.

How do you actually leverage stories to generate leads?

While every great strategy takes time to implement, there are a few Instagram Story tips and tricks you can start using now to generate B2B leads.

Simple Ways to Get B2B Leads from Instagram Stories

In this post, we’ll share 5 simple ways to get B2B leads using Instagram stories. You can also find more advanced, real-life brand examples on how to generate B2B leads with Instagram Stories via Databox. Without further adieu, let’s jump into the 5 proven methods you can start using right now.

Tell a Story Using “Instagram Stories”

Stories are appropriately named, don’t you think? We can’t stress how important it is to use this Instagram content type for its intended purpose. To connect, build empathy, and enroll clients into your brand narrative. It’s true, people buy from brands they can trust, this includes B2B brands.

That’s why Instagram Stories can be a great way to tell your brand story. You can actionably accomplish storytelling by doing any of the following:

• Share your brand’s values
• Tell the audience about your beginnings
• Share a behind the scenes sneak peak
• Talk about the making of your product
• Enourage your employees to share their experiences
• and so on…

Essentially, your goal is to make your ideal audience think – wow, we are alike! For example, Atlassian shares #OfficeLife stories. They share stories about their employees, different places to work in the office, and even office life events like #atlassiankids.

Share Your Followers’ Content

Did you know that millennials believe what they read on social media 50% more than information from other sources? Given that millennials are surely among the business owners you’re targeting, it makes sense to use Instagram to share user-generated content from your followers. UGC serves as social proof that your brand is trustworthy, further decreasing the existing friction between your brand and potential b2b sales leads. Stats also show that UGC generates more sales than paid ads, so… you know what to do.

A great example of B2B brands using UGC in their stories is Formlabs. The company uses UGC to showcase its products in real workspaces.

Create FAQs in Highlights

How much information is available to someone who’s visiting your profile for the first time? Help your potential clients get the most important answers quickly by highlighting FAQs in stories.

Here’s how to do it.

Publish a set of stories that cover the most common questions you receive from qualified b2b leads and customers. Save them in Highlights, just like any other important set of stories you’d like to keep visible on your profile. By simply increasing brand transparency you’re likely to get more qualified leads in your DMs or inbox. Hubspot “What is Hubspot?” highlight is an excellent example of using stories to answer common questions.

Use Engaging Elements to Reach More People

The more your followers enjoy your stories, the more they’re going to see them on your feed. So, if you’re sharing relevant, entertaining, and engaging content, your brand will become more visible in the story feed.

Using hashtags in your stories is a simple example of engaging elements that help b2b brands reach more people. When you use the right hashtags your content will appear on the hashtag’s page and in the feeds of users who follow the hashtag. It’s important to select hashtags that your b2b sales leads are actually following. For example, Airtable uses hashtags to aggregate content and engage their growing community.

Use Swipe-up Links to Direct Followers to Landing Pages

Sure, Instagram has certain limits when it comes to stories. However, you can leverage story features like swipe links to expand lead generation opportunities. For example, b2b brands can use eye-catching Instagram stories to capture attention and convert views into leads.

Slack’s Instagram account provides an excellent example of using Instagram story swipe-up links to generate b2b sales leads. In the example below, the company’s story highlight features an online event registration.

Get Started with Your Insta-Story Strategy

Stories are an excellent opportunity for b2b brands to showcase short and snackable content. More importantly, it’s uniquely structured to generate b2b leads by simply sharing information about your brand, industry, and client experiences. These 5 simple but actionable tips above will help you easily launch your first organic lead generation campaign on Instagram.

So, what are you waiting for?

If you’re a B2B brand It’s time to start creating more stories and generating more leads. Do you need more help carving out a solid Instagram story strategy? If so connect with our experts on a free 30 minute Instagram strategy consultation call. Hurry available slots are always filling up fast.