Social media has become a vital tool for small businesses looking to connect with their audience, build brand loyalty, and drive growth. Among the many features available, Facebook Stories and Instagram Highlights offer unique opportunities to engage creatively and effectively with customers. These tools aren’t just about aesthetics; they are powerful assets to communicate your brand message and showcase your offerings.

If you’ve been wondering how to make these features work for your small business, this guide will walk you through the benefits, practical tips, and strategies for success.

Why Use Facebook Stories and Instagram Highlights?

Both Facebook Stories and Instagram Highlights enable businesses to connect with followers in fresh and exciting ways. Here’s why they’re essential platforms for growth:

  • Visibility Boost – Stories appear at the top of the feed, ensuring your followers see your content before scrolling through their timeline.
  • Authenticity – Stories offer a less polished, more real glimpse into your business, helping you build trust and relatability.
  • Ease of Use – Creating stories is quick and simple, making them ideal for sharing updates without the pressure of perfect execution.
  • Longevity Through Highlights – On Instagram, Stories usually disappear after 24 hours, but Highlights preserve your best content permanently on your profile page for anyone to view.

For small businesses with limited budgets or resources, these tools allow you to stretch your creativity and make a big impact at a minimal cost.

Practical Tips for Using Facebook Stories

Facebook Stories can help you stay in front of your audience in a fun and interactive way. Here’s how to maximise them for your business.

1. Share Behind-the-Scenes Content

Give your audience a glimpse into your brand culture, employees, or the process behind your products. For example, a cafÊ could share stories of a new recipe being tested in the kitchen.

2. Promote Time-Sensitive Offers

Stories’ 24-hour lifespan makes them perfect for promoting flash sales, daily deals, or urgent calls to action. Pair these offers with features like stickers, countdown timers, or polls to create urgency and engagement.

3. Use Interactive Stickers

Polls, questions, and voting stickers are excellent tools to engage followers. For instance, you could use a poll to ask your audience which product they’d like to see discounted next.

4. Add Links to Your Stories

Businesses with over 10,000 followers or those who qualify for a verified account can use the swipe-up feature to direct viewers to a website. Use this to lead your audience to key landing pages, such as new product pages or booking forms.

Practical Tips for Instagram Highlights

Instagram Highlights provide a golden opportunity to categorise and display important aspects of your business on your profile. Since they sit right under your bio, they play a key role in making a great first impression.

1. Organise Your Content

Create themes for your Highlights, such as “Products,” “Customer Reviews,” or “How It Works.” This ensures visitors can easily find the information they’re looking for.

2. Showcase Your Best Stories

Feature Stories that have been successful in engaging your audience. For example, a florist could include highlights like bouquets of the month, wedding arrangements, or tutorials on how to care for flowers.

3. Use Branded Covers

Custom Highlight covers are an easy way to make your profile look polished and consistent. Ensure the design matches your branding to maintain a professional image.

4. Highlight FAQs

Consider answering common questions about your products, services, or processes through a dedicated Highlight. This could include shipping policies, sizing guides, or how to redeem offers.

Engaging Strategies for Small Businesses

Now that you know how to use Stories and Highlights, combine them with these strategies to take full advantage of their potential.

Create a Content Plan

Randomly posting Stories might get you some views, but a consistent, structured plan ensures you’re maximising engagement. Plan your content around sales events, product launches, or even national holidays relevant to your brand.

Encourage User-Generated Content

Ask customers to tag your business in their posts and stories. Reposting their content on your Stories not only acknowledges their support but also builds social proof, encouraging others to interact with your brand.

Cross-Promote Between Platforms

Since Facebook owns Instagram, the two platforms work hand-in-hand. Share your Instagram Stories directly to Facebook for a wider reach without extra effort.

Analyse Performance

Use Facebook and Instagram Insights to monitor how your Stories and Highlights are performing. Pay attention to views, interactions, and completion rates (for Stories). Use this data to refine future campaigns.

Why Small Businesses Should Make the Most of These Features

Facebook Stories and Instagram Highlights offer a cost-effective, approachable way to tell your brand story, engage with customers, and leave a lasting impression. With their visual appeal and ease of use, they’re invaluable tools for small businesses looking to compete in an increasingly digital world.

At Footprint Digital, we help businesses harness the power of social media to achieve real results. If you’re unsure where to start or need expert guidance, our team can help you craft a social media strategy tailored to your business goals.

Feel free to contact us to find out how we can take your digital marketing to the next level.

Start making Stories and Highlights work for your business today – your audience is waiting!