How to Measure Instagram Stories to Crush Your Social Media Content

[Originally published on the Dash Hudson blog.]

The inception of Instagram Stories was major bombshell news, to say the least. But its clone-like sensibilities ensured it didn’t disrupt any established conventions — a brilliant strategy from mothership Facebook for onboarding users immediately. That’s right, everyone was already plenty familiar with how to use the functionality thanks to a little friendly ghost (hint: not Casper). No learning curve and the convenience of the tool living inside the most used social app rendered it immediately adoptable, eclipsing OG Stories purveyor Snapchat.

Snapchat’s biggest growth obstacle from the get-go had been its lack of available data for businesses, giving the ‘Gram the upper hand with marketers. While Instagram Stories insights were also non-existent, the company was still making it way more enticing for businesses to put their eggs in its basket thanks to other seductive strides. Instagram soon emerged as the clear Stories leader and brands never looked back.

Speaking of leaders, e-commerce authority REVOLVE understood the importance of a strong social media strategy very early on by putting the emphasis on creating engaging Instagram content depicting the REVOLVE ethos, influencer marketing, and community-building on the channel. The brand immediately adopted Stories as a part of its bigger game plan, in spite of a lack of IG analytics available for the tool. The team instinctively knew that it could take its visual storytelling to even greater heights by complementing its regular feed with the raw, unfiltered IG story quality.

When Dash Hudson released an insights tool for Instagram Stories, it enabled REVOLVE to finally have concrete answers about the performance of its ephemeral photos and videos. Having used the functionality as a supplemental method to engage followers and to further illustrate the REVOLVE lifestyle, the social team would now finally be able to get real answers about what’s resonating.

With the Instagram Stories metrics provided by Dash Hudson, the REVOLVE social team members were able to get a full picture of what engages their audience, and optimize accordingly. Download the Instagram case study PDFnow to find out:

• How REVOLVE uses these Dash Hudson Instagram insights to inform its Stories strategy.
• The impact of knowing Instagram story impressions on content.
• How knowing Instagram story views enabled REVOLVE to understand how its audience connects with its content.
• What REVOLVE did to adjust its strategy based on the Insta Stories metrics surfaced by DH.
• How the Dash Hudson Stories insights allowed REVOLVE to fine-tune its content schedule.
• The granular level at which REVOLVE is able to now connect with followers and provide its audience with the type of content it wants to consume.
• How REVOLVE is now able to present brand partners with clear Stories ROI.

See below for a short excerpt of the Instagram marketing case study and get the rest delivered to your inbox now. 🎥

Keeping up with the fast-paced world of social media is nothing new for REVOLVE. In fact, the L.A. based fashion e-tailer has made a name for itself by setting the trends rather than following them, thanks to Insta-worthy apparel, lavish parties with high profile guest lists, and effective global influencer campaigns. So when Instagram Stories hit the scene in August 2016, the brand didn’t skip a beat and began experimenting with the new tool right away.

REVOLVE Unfiltered

Unlike the polished images donning REVOLVE’s Instagram feed, the social team takes a more unfiltered approach to Stories content. Several times a month, they give viewers an uncensored peek into what really goes on behind the ‘Gram. This raw REVOLVE content generated from trips, parties, and products allows followers to see a different side of the brand, making them feel like they’re along for the ride IRL. But this strategy came with a caveat: the brand had no idea if the content was achieving engagement goals or resonating strongly with viewers.

We had no idea if our Stories content was engaging our followers. With Stories Insights, we’re actually able to gather data! It’s so helpful to be able to look back at older stories for reference and learnings.
-Anna Tran, Brand Director at REVOLVE

Instagram Stories have become such an integral part of brands’ social content strategies, yet measuring their performance still eludes marketers because of an absence of available data. With Dash Hudson’s new Stories insights tool, there’s no limit to what you can achieve with your content. Take it from REVOLVE, who’s been able to sharpen its strategy, put Stories content distribution into focus, and hone a method that allows it to create more meaningful connections with followers.🏆

Get the case study now.

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