#DigitalJedi Instagram Training Stage 4: #SocialSith

Do you know your stories from your highlights? Your showcases from your boomerangs? I hope you’ve brought your lightsaber because this 5-step guide will take you from a #SocialPadawan to a #DigitalJedi on Instagram!

You’ve passed stage 3 of your training. Now #DigitalKnight you’ve been tempted by The Dark Side but there is still good in you! Come forth and complete stage 4 of your training to become a #SocialSith

Stage 4 - #SocialSith

You’ve become a master of the stories and have even turned them into highlights. But, stories aren’t just pretty photos and short videos. There are a lot more cool features to Instagram to turn your stories into the truly WOW #SchoolStories. When you load up the stories function, you’ll notice a list of words at the bottom. These are all of the different tools you have at your disposal to create a great story.

• Boomerang: This features takes lots of quick photos and then turns them together into a mini video that plays forward and backward (hence the name).

• Superzoom: Want to post a short video but make it more interesting? Play around with Superzoom and add some fun to your #SchoolMarketing.  

• Stickers: This feature deserves a whole section! Taken a great photo but want to add some text to it? Then stickers are what you want. Click on the image at the top and load up the stickers you can use.

From emojis to polls, the possibilities are almost endless. Here are 10 fun ways to use Stickers:

1. Add your location to your story.

2. Mention another department/relevant account (this will allow them to share it to their story too)

3. Add in a hashtag.

4. Put the date in.

5. Add a poll and allow users to interact with it. This tool is great to gauge feedback and increase engagement.

6. Add a GIF.

7. Questions: Allow others to ask you questions that you can answer on your story. This is a great tool for student/alumni interviews or any questions about events.

8. Add a countdown as a build-up for a big event.

9. Add a slider to see how people like your photo/video.

10. NEW FEATURE! Add a quiz to your story that followers can answer and gain instant feedback on whether they were correct or not. Maybe a weekly quiz about your school? E.g. In what year was XYZ School founded?

BONUS TRAINING!

If you followed our #DigitalJedi Twitter training you will be familiar with Periscope and the ability to go LIVE on Twitter. Well, if you loved this feature then you’re in luck. Instagram stories also has the option to go LIVE. This is a great tool to use for school events such as open days/productions.

NOTE: Instagram will give your followers a notification letting them know that you have gone live. To avoid catching your followers by surprise, try building up to your live event on your stories before you do eventually go live.

That is the end of Stage 4 and you have taken a trip to The Dark Side. But, do not fear #SocialSith, there is still good in you! Stay tuned for the final step 5 tomorrow to complete your #DigitalJedi training. The final stage will include some of our TOP tips to drive engagement and interesting advanced features to Instagram that you didn’t even know existed! This is set to be your biggest test yet!