Marketing with Stories

Consumer Usage and Best Practices for Organic Stories, Influencer Partnerships and Paid Advertising

Report by Debra Aho Williamson  | Apr 30, 2020
Download
Report
Deck
Share
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Stories Take Hold for Consumers
What’s New from the Social Properties
Organic Marketing with Stories
Influencer Marketing with Stories
Paid Advertising in Stories
Measurement: A Work in Progress
Key Takeaways
Insider Intelligence Interviews
Read Next
Sources
Media Gallery
About This Report
Social media stories are growing in importance for consumers and marketers. Here’s how businesses can make the most of stories for organic marketing, influencer marketing and paid advertising.
Topics
Social Media Marketing
Social Commerce
Social Media Ad Spending
United States
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Stories Take Hold for Consumers
What’s New from the Social Properties
Organic Marketing with Stories
Influencer Marketing with Stories
Paid Advertising in Stories
Measurement: A Work in Progress
Key Takeaways
Insider Intelligence Interviews
Read Next
Sources
Media Gallery

Executive Summary

Stories are spreading across social media. Twitter and LinkedIn are testing them, joining Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. With consumer usage rising, marketers are increasingly using stories for organic marketing, influencer marketing and paid advertising.

How important are stories for consumers?

More than four in 10 US Instagram users and 34% of US Facebook users watched other people’s Stories in the past month, according to a March survey we conducted with Bizrate Insights. Stories also remain a highly popular format on Snapchat, the app that started the trend.

How are marketers using stories for organic (nonpaid) marketing?

Marketers are using stories to show less-scripted or behind-the-scenes moments, and they are embracing swipe-up capabilities to drive leads, conversions and purchases. According to the Incite Group, 36.1% of B2C respondents considered ephemeral content such as stories critical to their content marketing efforts.

How important are stories for influencer marketing?

In a word: essential. According to influencer marketing firm Linqia, 83% of US marketers planned to use Instagram Stories for influencer marketing this year.

How many marketers are using story advertising?

In 2019, 51% of marketers surveyed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) were using story advertising, up from 42% in 2018. More than 4 million advertisers on Facebook properties worldwide were using Story ads as of January 2020, up from 3 million in 2019.

Is TikTok a competitor to stories?

Indirectly. TikTok videos can’t be strung together like stories can, they don’t disappear, and they can be embedded into stories on other platforms. But TikTok’s vertical format, its appeal to a primarily youthful audience and its tight integration with creators are all commonalities.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report explores the growth of stories as a social media activity and as a marketing format. It also discusses how marketers are measuring the effectiveness of their story marketing.

Instagram Stories Activities Conducted by US Instagram Users in the Past Month, March 2020 (% of respondents)
E-Mail ChartDownload

KEY STAT: In March 2020, more than four in 10 US Instagram users had watched an Instagram Story in the past month.

Here’s what’s in the full report

2files

Exportable files for easy reading, analysis and sharing.

21charts

Reliable data in simple displays for presentations and quick decision making.

24expert perspectives

Insights from industry and company leaders.

Table of Contents

  1. Executive Summary
  2. Stories Take Hold for Consumers
  3. What’s New from the Social Properties
  4. Organic Marketing with Stories
  1. Influencer Marketing with Stories
  2. Paid Advertising in Stories
  3. Measurement: A Work in Progress
  4. Key Takeaways
  1. Insider Intelligence Interviews
  2. Read Next
  3. Sources
  4. Media Gallery

Charts in This Report

Instagram Stories Activities Conducted by US Instagram Users in the Past Month, March 2020 (% of respondents)Facebook Stories Activities Conducted by US Facebook Users in the Past Month, March 2020 (% of respondents)
Which Instagram Activities Have US Instagram Users Done in the Past Month? (% of respondents, March 2020)Which Facebook Activities Have US Facebook Users Done in the Past Month? (% of respondents, March 2020)
Primary Activity on Instagram Conducted by US Instagram Users, March 2020 (% of respondents)Primary Activity on Facebook Conducted by US Facebook Users, March 2020 (% of respondents)
How Important Will Vertical Video* Be in US Marketers' Influencer Marketing Efforts in 2020? (% of respondents, Dec 2019)Formats that Agencies and B2B/B2C Brand Marketers Worldwide Consider Critical for Their Company's Content Marketing Efforts, May 2019 (% of respondents)
Types of Video Marketing in Which US Companies Plan to Invest, June 2019 (% of respondents)Where Do Instagram Users in the US, UK and France Watch the Most Videos on Instagram? (% of respondents, Aug 2019)
How Are US Video Marketers Reaching New Customers? (% of respondents, Aug 2019)Most Common Ways Instagram Users in France, the UK and US Access a Website from Instagram to Learn More About a Post/Account, Aug 2019 (% of respondents)
Which Social Platforms Do US Marketers Plan to Use for Influencer Marketing in 2020? (% of respondents, Dec 2019)Percent of Influencer Instagram Campaigns in Which US Marketers Also Plan to Use Instagram Stories in 2020 (% of respondents)
Where Do Microinfluencers in North America, South America and Europe See the Biggest Opportunity for Brand Collaborations in the Next 6-12 Months? (% of respondents, Sep 2019)Digital Video Ad Formats Used by US Agency and Marketing Professionals, 2018 & 2019 (% of respondents)
Instagram Newsfeed/Story Ad Spending in 2019 vs. Expected Spending in 2020 & 2021 According to US Advertisers (% of total)Instagram Ad Spending Worldwide, by Format, Q4 2018-Q4 2019 (volume indexed against Q4 2018)
Instagram Stories Ad Performance Metrics in North America, Q4 2019 (% of total)Instagram Story Ad Spending Worldwide, Q2 2018-Q2 2019 (% of total Instagram spending on the Marin Software platform)
Most Effective Ad Formats on Instagram According to Agency/Marketing Professionals Worldwide, May 2019 (% of respondents)

Interviewed for This Report

TJ Black
@cloudtalk (TikTok)
Interviewed January 30, 2020
Stephanie Bohn
VidMob
Chief Brand Officer
Interviewed March 2, 2020
Rachael Cihlar
Mavrck
Senior Director, Strategy
Interviewed March 12, 2020
Liz Cole
Digitas
Vice President and Group Director, Social Strategy
Interviewed March 10, 2020
Alex Collmer
VidMob
Founder and CEO
Interviewed March 2, 2020
Kristi Daraban
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
Associate Vice President, Social Media
Interviewed March 5, 2020
Alexis Garner
Jellyfish
Paid Social Director
Interviewed March 9, 2020
Liz Gottbrecht
Lantern
Director, Brand
Interviewed March 12, 2020
Trisha Hershberger
@thatgrltrish (Instagram) TrishaHershberger (Twitch)
Interviewed January 29, 2020
Sean Kim
TikTok US
Head of Product
Interviewed March 19, 2020
Nicola Lawton
Mavrck
Senior Strategist
Interviewed March 12, 2020
Tim Leake
RPA Advertising
Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and Innovation Officer
Interviewed March 16, 2020
Maryam Maquillage
@maryamnyc (Instagram)
Interviewed March 9, 2020
Kate McElroy
Swift
Strategy Director
Interviewed March 12, 2020
Jeff Miller
Snap Inc.
Senior Director, Global Creative Strategy
Interviewed March 9, 2020
Casey Nicoletti
Pandora
Manager, Social Media Marketing
Interviewed March 16, 2020
Aurelia Noel
dentsu X
Head of Innovation and Transformation
Interviewed March 12, 2020
Oneika Raymond
@oneikathetraveller (Instagram)
Interviewed February 12, 2020
Jessica Richards
Havas Media Group
Global Head of Social
Interviewed March 12, 2020
Robert Rothschild
Smartly.io
Vice President, Global Marketing
Interviewed March 10, 2020
Daniel Schotland
Linqia
Chief Operating Officer
Interviewed March 3, 2020
Susan Wenograd
Aimclear
CMO
Interviewed March 3, 2020
Maria Wollenburg
DSW
Manager, Social Media and Content
Interviewed March 18, 2020
Alex Zaccaria
Linktree
Co-Founder and CEO
Interviewed March 10, 2020

Access full deck

View a slide-show representation of this report’s key insights, where carefully vetted data is combined with industry trend analysis, included at no extra cost.
Gain Access to EMARKETER →
Log in to EMARKETER
Download PPTX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Access All Charts and Data

Gain access to reliable data presented in clear and intelligible displays for quick understanding and decision making on the most important topics related to your industry, included at no extra cost.
Gain Access to EMARKETER →
Log in to EMARKETER

authors

Debra Aho Williamson

Contributors

Blake Droesch
Junior Analyst
Jasmine Enberg
Senior Analyst
Angela Kim
Senior Researcher
Natalie McGranahan
Senior Researcher and Taxonomy Manager
Yoram Wurmser
Principal Analyst