Instagram Stories in a nutshell:
Instagram Stories features disappearing images and videos in a slideshow format which have been taken in the last 24hrs.
Sound familiar?
Yes it's Instagram's version of Snapchat Stories. Consider the gauntlet thrown.
Let's find out what the differences are and how to use it for marketing in International Education...
Some Instagram stats:
  • Instagram Stories has an extremely high engagement–to-follower ratio
  • Around 80 percent of Instagram’s 600 million monthly users are international
  • Instagram Stories has hit 200 million daily active users
  • Instagram Stories is a mobile-only feature – yep, that means we need to film in vertical (counter-intuitive right). Why? Because one report found that mobile users hold their device vertically as much as 94 percent of the time
  • One-third of the most viewed Stories on Instagram come from businesses
 
Best Practices for Instagram Stories:
  • Variety is the spice of life. The most engaging Instagram Stories use a range of mediums to present their story
  • Try using a combination of videos and photographs, which may include:
  • A short boomerang clip (What is Boomerang?)
  • A slow-motion or sped-up video
  • A live video
  • An image with handwriting/stickers/a timestamp/a location
  • The name Instagram Stories suggests that it should be just that. A story. So think about posting a narrative with a beginning, middle and end.
  • So you finally got used to square crops and now we’re back to using a profile/portrait orientation. Remember to frame your images accordingly and think about having negative space if you want to add some annotations or stickers to your image.
  • Keep to a theme. Although your Instagram Stories will disappear after 24 hours it’s still best to give your followers what they have come to expect from you (after all, that’s why they follow you!). Keep your content relevant and your filter and sticker use consistent.
  • Let your followers know there’s a story to be heard, you only have 24 hours to milk everything you can out of this story! Publish a regular Instagram post (and share it to your Facebook following/followers) with a teaser to let them know the story is up.
  • See if your staff/assistants/interns/affiliated partners are up for sharing a story
 
Stories pros
  • This feature will not mess up your beautifully curated feed – Stories disappear within 24 hours
  • The slideshow. You can post multiple times a day, which adds to your Instagram Story in a slideshow style, so your followers come along for the journey
  • Viewers know it’s authentic because images have* been taken within the last 24 hours
  • Provides a platform to share the more candid side of your business
  • You can tag in users
  • You can add website links (if you have over 10,000 followers)
  • You can add location links
  • If you have a business account then you have access to insights on your stories**
  • Full screen ads are available on Instagram Stories
  • Real-time feedback from your followers
  • The functionality of Snapchat without needing to have a Snapchat account
  • Stories appear at the top of your followers’ feed, the order is decided by an algorithm which determines which people are your close friends
 
Stories cons
  • Images must be taken within the last 24 hours (*the work around for this is to re-save your images to trick Instagram Stories into thinking they’re new)
  • A 24hr shelf-life may not suit every business
  • Planning is required to tell a captivating story
  • **Limited analytics are available for business accounts only at this point. Currently you can access information from the past hour, seven days, or fourteen days
Instagram Insights include:
  • The number of replies your stories received
  • The number of impressions each of your stories received
 
Instagram Stories Ideas for International Education
  • Give a ‘behind the scenes’ look of your business to your followers to build a rapport with them. For example: Office birthdays, orientation days, staff outings, a tour of the office, a day in the life of… you can make it specific to your business and the services you offer and want to highlight
  • Do a guest story for another institution to highlight your city/services/student experiences
  • Give your alumni a sense of nostalgia by sharing local events, new programs, and program anniversaries
  • Team up with other institutions and tag each other into your stories to extend your reach (and for inbound recruitment get in front of your target audience)
  • For inbound recruitment show off your city. Local cafés, delicacies, architecture or cultural events entice students to want to experience life abroad
  • Outbound recruitment get user generated content from your students abroad and post what students are doing around the globe real-time
 
Helpful Resources  
Sources:
Image via Delmondo
Tech Crunch: attack of the clone
Tech Crunch: Instagram bigger than snapchat
Hootsuite: how to use Instagram Stories
Social media week: Ads and Analytics are coming to Instagram Stories
Forbes: Snapchat Vs. Instagram Stories: What Business Owners Need To Know
Mashable: snapchat stories compared instagram
Social Examiner: How to Create Ads in Instagram Stories: Your Guide to Instagram Stories Ads
AdEspresso: How to Get The Most Results with Instagram Stories
Pocket-lint: What is Instagram's new Boomerang app and how does it work?