Stories (or stories) have become the fashionable format. To the point that tools have emerged that allow them to be incorporated into companies’ web pages and that are already present in most of the important social platforms on the market. They can be found on Snapchat, its ‘inventor’, but also on Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and even YouTube.
However, there is a social network that has not yet reached this formula: Linkedin . Although that could change shortly. The service led by Jeff Weiner is testing very Instagram-like stories as an add-on to its tool. It would be an attempt by the company to increase user engagement (or commitment) and thus attract the younger audience.
The function is currently being tested internally and Linkedin plans to launch it for its users in the coming months.
“Last year we began to ask ourselves what Stories would be like in a professional context,” acknowledged Pete Davies, Head of Product in Linkedin’s Consumer unit.
“ They appeared on Snapchat, with other platforms like Instagram or Facebook adopting them shortly after. And they were disseminated for a good reason: they provide a light and fun way to share an update without it having to be perfect or stay linked to your profile forever, “he stressed.
Davies envisions organizations and professionals using the Linkedin stories to build a new conversation format in which they discuss “lessons learned in a job, help with ideas for a new acquisition or an outpouring of love from the community after a tragedy will occur ”.
The Product Manager has been quite optimistic about this functionality and has also revealed that some of the features added to the platform in recent years, such as live video, reactions or newsletters have allowed him to increase the commitment of the community by 25%.
Stories: Origin and rise
Stories emerged as a Snapchat bet in 2013, as an ephemeral way of consuming content. However, its true boom did not occur until Instagram decided to take over the format in August 2016.
Through Instagram, businesses use stories to promote themselves and connect with their audience or customers, especially if they have a young profile. 1 out of 3 most viewed stories would come from businesses or brands.
A report from Socialbaker notes that ad spend on Instagram Stories has increased by nearly 70% in the last year and accounted for 10% of total ad spend at the end of the third quarter of 2019.
During the last CES in Las Vegas Facebook revealed that there are already 4 million companies that use stories to advertise on Instagram, Facebook and Messenger. In May of last year, they would have exceeded 3 million.
The consultancy Cowen published in a report a few months ago that there were already 860 million people who used Facebook Stories. For its part, it is estimated that more than 500 million users consume Instagram Stories every day.
