Instagram has cemented its place as a social media juggernaut. 

I’m sure you know this already, but let’s run through some of the stats. It’s the eighth most visited website in the entire world! With 4.25 billion total visits monthly, that’s like half the world visiting every single month. There are more than 2 billion monthly active users on the platform, and nearly half of all American adults use it throughout the month. It’s the fourth most used social media platform…but they’re counting WhatsApp as 3rd, and that’s not really a social media platform people are using for marketing. So, let’s say Instagram is 3rd. 

Clearly, Instagram is crazy successful. 

It’s also a fantastic marketing tool for local businesses. Whether you’re showing off your latest product offerings, giving a behind-the-scenes look at your operations, or showing off how your customers use your product, people can’t seem to get enough of the platform. 

A shift in how users interact with Instagram

But how users choose to interact with Instagram is always shifting and changing. If you’ve spent any time on the app recently, you’ve no doubt noticed a significant shift lately in what kinds of content people are sharing more and more. 

Specifically, we’re talking about Instagram Stories. More and more users are choosing to check out stories over traditional posts. Maybe it’s because they’re right at the top when you launch the app or our general obsession with video content lately…but whatever the reason, you can’t afford to not be active on Instagram Stories if you want to reach your target audience. 

When polled, more than 2/3rds of all Instagram users watch stories daily and said they become more interested in a brand or a product after watching an Instagram Story. And yet, only 36% of businesses are using Instagram Stories to generate sales. That means there’s still an opportunity for those businesses brave enough to get active with Instagram Stories. 

But many small and local businesses struggle to come up with ideas for what to post. It’s why they’ll often end up neglecting social media marketing altogether and miss out on opportunities to connect with new customers. 

Don’t worry. That’s why we’re here today. 

Here are 29 prompts to help get your creative juices flowing: 

1. One thing that could dramatically change your _____ for the better is ______
2. If I could go back in time and give myself one piece of advice for my local business, it would be ______
3. Expand your ______ with this one simple hack.
4. We’d like to teach you about ______
5. A shockingly quick and easy way to ________
6. Why ____ customers are the best and why I love working with them
7. My ____ changed after I started using this one tactic
8. Here’s a helpful ______ to help you solve _____ completely for free. 
9. Here are ___ ways to leverage your _____ for ______
10. Why ____ is actually good for your _____
11. Here’s why you should immediately stop doing ____ 
12. Today I’d like to celebrate ______
13. The worst thing you can do in ____ is this _____
14. Here are my personal top 3 hacks for dealing with _____
15. The five most effective ways you can overcome _____
16. Here’s how to ____ just like the experts
17. The unwritten do’s and don’ts of _____
18. If you could ask me anything about ____ what would it be?
19. Here’s how I overcame _____
20. Top 5 tips to help you achieve _____
21. Here are the reasons you can’t afford not to _____
22. Here’s everything I wish someone had told me before I started ______
23. A list of how to secure ____ easily
24. Have you seen our new _____
25. Surprising things I invested in for my business that had ____ effect
26. Here’s how to use your ___ to make _____
27. Here are the ___ secret to ____ that no one will tell you when you’re starting
28. ___ easy steps to do ____
29. This is why most people struggle to _____

Get Started Leveraging Instagram Stories

The key to anything in life really is simply to get started. There are tons of leads and customers waiting to interact with your brand, but you have to reach them where they’re at. 

Take time to learn where your customers are going when they’re online, and don’t stop at the top level. Dig in and find if there’s something unique further inside. Like maybe they go to Facebook, but most of their time is spent in a special group and not in their feed. Knowing usage trends is vital when you’re a local business trying to compete with global powerhouses. 

But don’t fret. Often, it’s easier for small businesses to cut through the noise. You just have to be more surgical with what you do. 

If you struggle to keep up with it all, follow us here or get in touch with us for a conversation. We love helping small and local businesses thrive online.