How Are Big Brands Using Instagram Stories?

As Instagram Stories turns one this week, it’s clear that they have been blazing success, with brands as well as users taking advantage of them on a daily basis. But how are big brands using them?

Snapchat has found itself in a bit of a tough spot since Instagram rolled out its Stories a year ago. Instagram’s “copy” of the former’s signature feature now has over 700 million users of which 250 million are active daily. Snapchat has 166 million users overall. Yes, Instagram Stories are incredibly popular – Facebook’s investment is paying off big time. But how are brands using them? A report from Klear gives us some details.

The report looks at 149 big brands, across 8 industries, that are using Instagram Stories, and details the most popular types of Stories, as well as the industries getting the most success. Out of the brands surveyed, 45% of them are using Instagram Stories at least once a week. Not surprising is the fact that the most active brands on Stories are mainly well-known brands.

The study also found that the most successful type of content being shared by brands is merchandise promotions, behind the scenes, and guest takeovers.

The the most active industries that use Instagram Stories are fitness and fashion – by a long shot. This is hardly surprising, as they are the most active industries on Instagram in general.

The report also looked at the most most-used content in each industry.

Finally, Klear looked at where the participating brands link their Instagram Stories traffic to. The ability to link Stories to outside content has been given to some big influencers – business accounts with over 10k followers. Hardly surprising that 52% sent users to a shoppable page.