If you’re a small business trying to increase foot traffic or local bookings, Instagram Stories might be one of your most powerful tools. While feed posts and Reels are great for building brand awareness, Stories are perfect for creating a sense of connection, urgency, and action, especially with your local audience.
Here’s how to use Instagram Stories to help drive more business right in your local area.
Why Instagram Stories Work for Local Businesses
Stories are casual, short-lived, and engaging. They sit right at the top of your followers’ feeds and allow you to show up consistently without overwhelming your main profile. With built-in interactive features, they also help your audience feel more involved with your business.
For local businesses, this means:
- Reaching people in your community more directly
- Building trust through real-time, personal content
- Driving quick actions like bookings, visits, or purchases
1. Post Regularly to Stay Top of Mind
Instagram Stories only last 24 hours, so posting consistently helps you stay visible. Aim to share a few Stories throughout the day to give your audience a steady flow of updates.
Examples:
- What’s new in stock today
- Behind-the-scenes from your workspace
- Prepping for the day’s service or opening
2. Use Location Tags and Hashtags
Always tag your business location or your town so that your Stories show up in local search results. This helps people nearby discover your business even if they don’t follow you yet.
Try this:
- Use your town or neighbourhood as a hashtag (e.g. #NantwichEats)
- Tag your exact business location on each Story post
3. Make the Most of Story Features
Instagram offers tools that encourage people to interact with your content. Use them to create quick, simple engagement that boosts your visibility.
Best features for small businesses:
- Polls: “What should we restock next?”
- Questions: “Ask us anything about our new treatment!”
- Countdowns: “Big sale starts in 3 hours!”
- Quizzes: “How well do you know our menu?”
4. Showcase Your Personality
People buy from people, especially locally. Show the faces behind the business to make your brand more relatable.
Ideas:
- Staff introductions
- A day-in-the-life series
- Your thoughts on new products or services
5. Promote Time-Sensitive Offers
Stories are perfect for flash sales, daily specials, or limited-time bookings. The temporary nature of Stories helps create urgency.
Examples:
- “20% off all takeaway orders today only!”
- “We have 2 haircut slots left for this afternoon. DM to book!”
6. Save Key Stories to Highlights
Although Stories disappear after 24 hours, you can pin the important ones to your profile using Highlights. Create Highlights for:
- Services
- Reviews
- FAQs
- New arrivals
- Events or seasonal updates
Make Stories Work for You
Instagram Stories are a simple but powerful way for small businesses to engage local followers, showcase their day-to-day, and drive real results. With consistent posting and the right features, you can build stronger connections and encourage more in-person visits or online bookings.
If you’d like help planning and managing your Stories strategy, SMR Social is here to make it easy for your business to shine on Instagram.