Sponsored stories are one of the most powerful instruments of marketing advertisements. This is one of the ways businesses and brands can endorse their products and services. Moreover, the stories are shared on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat.
According to Facebook, over 300 million people use Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat Stories. With this number of viewers, the business will reach a lot of users if they use the mentioned stories. These sponsored stories are an effective way to target a large scale of audience. They can be modified to reach specific demographics. However, sometimes, some viewers might perceive them as intrusive or misleading.
What are Sponsored Stories?
Through sponsored stories, brands can share photos and videos for 24 hours. When opening social media platforms, these stories are one of the first things someone sees on their screen. A story can be a photo that shows up for 6 seconds or a video that displays for 15 seconds or more. Using these stories can be an ideal way to grow exposure for the business. These stories offer value to the audience and fit into their social media experience. By posting stories, businesses can promote their products.
How Sponsored Stories Work
Sponsored stories are usually made by businesses in partnership with social media influencers. These influencers share their experiences with the product or services they have purchased. The story is then posted on the influencer’s social media account. The sponsored story usually includes a call-to-action (CTA), such as Shop now or Learn more. Some of these stories work in the following ways:
Advertiser Objective.
A business or brand chooses to advertise specific content, such as a post, video, or image. To reach a broader audience, sponsored stories increase brand awareness.
Platform Selection
The advertiser chooses the social media platform(s) they want to use. They can choose from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. These platforms offer advertising options that include sponsored stories.
Ad Creation
The influencer creates the content for the sponsored story. The content must be appealing, engaging, and relevant to the target audience. The story can include videos, images, text, and a call to action to encourage user engagement.
Targeting Option
The advertiser uses the targeting tools their chosen platform(s) provides. They use this to reach their target audience. They can change the users based on factors like demographics, interests, and location.
Ad Auction
Sometimes, the platform uses an auction-based system to identify which sponsored stories to show users. Advertisers set their bid amounts and budgets for their business campaigns. Then the platform examines the engagement to determine the auction winner.
Displaying Sponsored Stories
The sponsored story will be displayed within their feed. This will be displayed to the target audience. It will appear as native content with the posts, blending in with the user’s regular browsing experience.
User Engagement
Users who view the sponsored story can engage in it. They can do this by clicking on the content, commenting, liking, and sharing the story. These engagements help to expand brand visibility, reach, and possible conversions.
Performance Monitoring and Optimization of the Story
Advertisers monitor the performance of their sponsored stories by metrics in the platform. These metrics are impressions, engagement, click-through rates, and ROI. Advertisers can optimize their campaigns by adjusting targeting based on the gathered data.
Benefits of Sponsored Stories
Sponsored stories can reach a large audience to advertise various businesses. It is known that the effectiveness of these stories can vary depending on various factors. These factors include the platform, target demographics, and campaign optimization.
- Sponsored stories allow businesses and brands to extend the reach of their content beyond their existing audience. They can increase the visibility of their brand and reach potential customers who do not know of their business.
- Different social media platforms provide wide targeting options. This enables businesses and brands to target a specific and relevant audience. They can choose their audiences based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and other factors. This enhanced targeting ensures that the sponsored stories are shown to those who will most likely avail of the products or services offered.
- These stories have various formats, such as images, videos, and slideshows. This allows brands to showcase their products more compellingly. Flexible formats enable advertisers to experiment with different creative approaches. And find a suitable format for their target audience.
To achieve the desired outcomes, regularly monitoring the strategies used for the stories must be done. Also, tracking the performance data can help maximize the benefits.
The Drawbacks
Sponsored stories also have their drawbacks. Sure, they are a great way to advertise a product or service, but not always. Some of its disadvantages are the following:
- Sponsored stories might be deceiving at times. There is a potential for sponsored stories to be deceiving if they are not clearly labeled or if the story’s content is misleading. Thus, businesses need to ensure transparency and avoid misleading practices on their stories.
- Sponsored stories might have limited visibility. The reach of social media posts has decreased over time, and such stories also face this challenge. The stories may only reach a small audience, depending on the platform and targeting options.
- Users often encounter stories repeatedly from the same advertiser. This makes the users experience ad fatigue. Leading to a drop in engagement and a decline in their interest in the brand or business. Therefore, advertisers must diversify their sponsored story content and ensure it is fresh, engaging, and relevant.
Evaluating and optimizing the sponsored story campaigns is essential to mitigate these downsides. Regularly checking the performance metrics to engage with the target audience. This approach can help overcome challenges and improve sponsored story advertising efforts.
Top Tips for Sponsored Stories
The following are some top tips to consider when running stories that are sponsored:
Stay on brand.
When viewers are flipping through their stories, advertisements of the brands must stand out and be recognizable. Use colors on the brand so that the followers and potential customers can recognize the brand.
Maximize the limited playtime.
Stories have only limited time to capture the attention of the viewers. Keeping the message short results in the best outcomes. Remember that sponsored stories can run up to 15 seconds per frame, and users often watch story videos the whole time.
Have a clear call-to-action (CTA)
Sponsored stories CTAs must show viewers what will happen when they click the link or swipe up.
Show products in action.
They are the perfect way to advertise what a product or service can do and what the viewers can expect if they decide to buy it.
Collaborate with influencers and creators.
Partnering with influencers and creators can be a great strategy for sponsored stories. Finding influencers and creators who resonate with the brand and target audience can affect the brand’s reach, credibility, and engagement.
Conclusion
Overall, sponsored stories have become a powerful tool in marketing. They benefit both advertisers and consumers. Remember, the key to success stories lies in finding the right balance between advertising and storytelling. Therefore, if you want to make the most of your stories, Infinity Web Solutions can help. We can guide you through the advertising world by creating excellent stories and achieving better results for your business. Take your marketing strategy to the next level by contacting us today!
