If your online course is in development, or you want a specific educational institution to be well known, it’s time to start promoting it and warming up subscribers before the start of training. If you run Instagram, you’ll want to promote your school.
However, some subscribers will see your post immediately, while for others, it will appear only after a few days. This is why Instagram Stories are considered a more important tool for promoting your school or online course from this point of view. So, if you want to promote something urgent, Stories will be much more effective than a feed post that your followers may or may not see in time.
Stories are effective for advertising not only higher education but also for other niches. For example, if you have a writing service that helps students, you can make a story from the perspective of a paper writer who will tell you why students need their help. Another example is using stories to advertise a product. You can demonstrate it in stories and talk about its benefits.
Remember that stories have limitations.
You may not have much time to provide information about your course or school when using stories. Since stories fans have a little less patience for a lot of text in a video, everything needs to be kept short and playful.
If you’re not sure where to start promoting your school or online course on your Instagram Stories, we’ve outlined some tips to help you get started as quickly as possible.
Clearly explain to your audience the value of your school or course
This may seem like an easy task, but sometimes, it can be difficult to explain information to others when you perceive it as part of yourself. When promoting higher education in your stories, be sure to tell subscribers what your course or school is about, who it is for, when it will launch, and how they can get more information and register.
Tip: If you have reviews you’d like to share, whether it’s feedback from a previous course, a review from a student, or a follower, share it in your story. If necessary, post anonymous reviews.
Don’t be afraid to show your face on camera when communicating your school or course through stories
Personality sells. Whether you’re a boutique owner or a course creator, people like to know there’s a person behind a brand (and maybe a genius!). Most importantly, people feel more comfortable giving money for products and services offered by people with whom they identify themselves.
Relax and feel comfortable in front of the camera. This will help you create a genuine connection with your audience.
Here’s a good tip for relaxing:
Whenever you speak on camera, try to imagine that you are talking to just one person – as if you were sending a video to your ideal client. This will make your video more personal and, therefore, more likely for it to perform as intended.
Use the graphics and tools built into Instagram to convey your message
Graphics is a great way to convey information to people. Therefore, don’t be afraid to use it in your advertising materials in Instagram Stories. Use built-in tools like a countdown timer, polls, questions, etc., to interact with your subscribers. Make sure you have a two-way conversation with your audience.
Tip: Your speeches should be short but to the point. Don’t overload your stories with text, but focus on the key points your audience needs to know. If necessary, direct them to a place where they can learn more.
Create pinned stories covering all information related to your school or course
Instagram stories can only live for 24 hours, but you can create an archive that your followers can access at any time through your profile. Save all your promotional stories to Instagram. Don’t forget to remind your followers that they can check the Story Highlights section for updates on anything they might have missed regarding your school or course.
Track the statistics of your advertising stories
From sticker clicks to profile visits, you need to track what’s working and what’s not. This can help you change your strategy if necessary and, of course, help you learn from it to promote future courses or events in your school.
If you set up a business profile on Instagram, you’ll have access to Instagram Insights, which can help you decipher data, better target your audience, and develop a smart higher education promotion strategy.
Use quiz stickers
First, Instagram is not a viable source of market research if you are collecting feedback from followers who are not your customers. To conduct quality research, you need to make sure that your Instagram followers include your target audience.
How should you do it? Using the quiz sticker, ask your followers relevant multiple-choice questions. Once they make their choice, they will see the correct answer in real-time. This feature not only increases user engagement but also helps you gauge how well your followers know your school or course.
Use varied and effective methods to increase the reach of your Instagram StoriesÂ
Here are practical tips to help you achieve this goal:
- Use geotags to attract local audiences.
- Include interactive elements such as polls and quizzes.
- Collaborate with other bloggers (mostly students) and brands to share your audience.
- Post stories regularly to keep your followers interested.
- Create original and high-quality content that evokes emotions.
Conclusion
Instagram Stories are an important tool for promoting higher education, establishing personal interactions with your audience, and analyzing the results of your actions. Not only do they enhance audience engagement through personal interactions and behind-the-scenes exposure to the brand, but they also serve as an effective channel for direct advertising and promotional announcements. Feedback received through stories provides valuable data to adapt and improve marketing strategies. Regular analysis of audience engagement and the effectiveness of posted content allows you to optimize marketing efforts, making them more targeted and effective. Use them wisely, and remember to analyze the results to improve your strategy continually.
