Instagram Stories isn’t a popular choice for B2B marketing because it’s more personal than professional. People use Stories to share “spur of the moment” updates that drive engagement, not detailed information about how your software works (as is often the case with B2B marketing). Little wonder many B2B brands think they won’t get much value from this platform.
But the truth is, Instagram Stories can work for B2B marketing. In this article, we’ll share simple and creative ways to market your B2B brand via Instagram Stories.
1. Host Customer Takeovers
A customer takeover is precisely what the name says. It involves handing your Instagram Stories over to a customer for a specific period (like a few hours or the entire day). During this time, the customer can share how they use your product for day-to-day tasks, offer product tips and best practices, or simply showcase their services.
Customer takeovers build trust and humanize your brand. Seeing another business or professional using your product or service in real life creates credibility and serves as social proof that reassures potential buyers. It also shows that you’re not desperately trying to control the narrative around your product. You trust its impact enough to let users do the talking.
2. Create Interactive Product Launch Sequences
Instead of a static product announcement, build up to your launch with a series of Instagram Stories.
Show the behind-the-scenes, let developers and product managers do the talking, and tease your users with small reveals. You can further whet your audience’s appetite by revealing different product features through short, engaging videos.
Showing your product launch process builds excitement and helps your audience connect with the product better. Another benefit for your product development team is that you’ll likely get immediate insights into what features resonate most with your audience, allowing you to implement real-time adjustments and improvements.
3. Share Real-time Case Study Updates
Instead of writing lengthy, boring case studies that nobody reads, share short, interactive customer updates via Instagram Stories. This is an exciting way to showcase ongoing projects or collaborations with real-time updates.
If you’re working on a major client project, share progress updates, key milestones, and team insights. Do quick interviews with your client’s team members and celebrate successes live on Instagram. This gives people an idea of what using your product or service looks like in the real world, and it’s also nice PR for your client.
You can embed these case studies on your website via an Instagram Stories aggregator to make them permanently accessible to your audience.
4. Host Expert Mini-Series
An expert mini-series on Instagram Stories is a sequence of stories featuring insights and knowledge sharing from an expert on a specific topic. This can be delivered through short video clips, Q&A sessions, or various formats, including images and text answers.
The expert could be someone from within your company, such as a product manager, an industry specialist, or an external professional recognized in their field. The aim is to provide significant value to your audience by digging deeper into subjects of interest, addressing common challenges, sharing tips, or offering new perspectives — all in a concise and engaging way.
This format leverages the expertise of thought leaders and enhances your brand’s credibility by associating with knowledgeable individuals. It’s a creative way to educate and engage the audience while highlighting the depth of knowledge within or associated with your brand. Plus, since Instagram Stories are ephemeral, it creates a sense of urgency, encouraging viewers to tune in so they don’t miss out on valuable insights.
However, you can always save these stories as highlights on your profile or create an Instagram Stories social wall on your website to make them permanently accessible.
5. Customer-Led Tutorials
Creating a customer-led tutorial on Instagram Stories is a fantastic way to engage your audience, showcase real-world applications of your product or service, and build credibility with authentic user experiences. This shouldn’t replace your professional tutorials, but it makes for great Instagram Stories content, where people often look for authentic experiences.
Look for a customer who is not only a fan of your product or service but also comfortable and articulate on camera. Then, work with them to create the correct script and plan their content setup (light, sounds, and camera). Use Instagram features like polls, questions, or quiz stickers to make the tutorial interactive.
6. Weekly Industry Roundups
Industry news doesn’t have to be boring. The perfect example of an Instagram account that proves that is Morning Brew (@morningbrew). This award-winning account takes the biggest news in tech and Wall Street and condenses it into genuinely funny video content, often with a form of satire and role-play.
You may not have any comedy writers on board, but you can still take a page from their book. Every week, look at the news in your industry and explain it in simple terms, as well as how it impacts your target audience. You could add some tips, humor, or links to additional content.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before Posting Any B2B Story on Instagram
Before you hit ‘post,’ pause and ask yourself a couple of questions to make sure your story doesn’t do your brand more harm than good:
- Is this content interesting/fun/engaging/surprising enough to be on Instagram?
- Does this content hook people from the first second?
- How likely is it that someone would engage with this post? (Always ask yourself honestly if you’d engage with a post like this if it came from another brand, or if you’d feel it is misplaced/boring/cringe)
- Does this story align with our brand’s voice and values?
- Is the message clear and easy to understand?
- Is the visual content high quality and professional? (Note that Instagram Stories is all about video. It’s very difficult to engage people with a still image unless you’re Picasso or da Vinci)
- Is there a call to action, a reason to respond, or next steps to engage viewers further?
- Is this content too promotional or sales-driven?
- Is this story part of a larger content strategy or series?
- Is the timing of this post appropriate for my audience?
Focus on Quality Over Virality
Chasing virality means you’re trying to cater to trends or sensationalism too much, which might not even align with your brand’s values or long-term strategy.
Success on social media isn’t about the number of views or likes — that also applies to B2B. It’s about reaching the right audience and interacting with them meaningfully and positively. A post with fewer interactions but high-quality engagement from relevant industry professionals is way more valuable than a viral post with superficial interactions.
Enjoyed reading this? Check out other social media resources for growing your B2B brand on Instagram.
