It’s always worthwhile learning new techniques and making use of new features to promote your business offers and time-sensitive events on social media. If you are an Instagram user, the platform has provided another way that you can accomplish this kind of promotion, by using its countdown sticker as part of your overall marketing strategy. This discussion will explain how the countdown sticker works, and how it can be used to accomplish some of your marketing goals and objectives.
About Instagram’s countdown sticker
In the past, probably most marketing personnel have made more extensive use of Facebook when it comes to setting up notifications or reminders, but the countdown sticker available on Instagram has now become just as useful. Whereas Instagram was formerly better known for sharing fantastic photos and interesting stories, it has definitely broadened its appeal over the past couple years. The countdown sticker available in Instagram provides you with the capability to set up a reminder for any day or time within the coming year, for the purpose of notifying your audience about something.
This can be effectively used in tandem with other Instagram features like some of the action buttons available on your profile, or the Buy Tickets feature, or possibly even by making strategic use of your Instagram biography link. This dual action will allow you to drive more sales and more campaign sign-ups for your business. The countdown feature is embedded in Stories, and once your story goes live with the countdown sticker, anyone who reads your story will be provided with the option of signing up for reminders. A pop-up will appear on the countdown sticker, so as to let users know that they can take some kind of action to get a reminder.
How it works
Once a user taps on the pop-up countdown sticker, a screen is displayed which provides them with the capability to invoke the notification for the timer and the date, as well as the specific time. By tapping on the Remind Me button, the reminder will be initiated, and they can then also share the countdown back to one of their own Stories. That will place the countdown sticker into a personal story of their choosing, which they can format for their own usage, and then share with their own audience.
This action does not drag along your story into theirs, it merely copies the countdown into the user’s story. Any time a reader turns on the notification reminder which you have set up in your countdown sticker, you’ll know about it because it will appear in your Instagram notifications. That will provide you with information on who’s interested in your upcoming event, so you’ll also end up with a tally of the possible headcount.
When your countdown finally ends, all those who turned on the “reminder” will be notified, as it will appear in their Instagram notifications to let them know that the countdown has been terminated. Once the countdown timer has completely expired, users will see the clock reading at zero to remind them that the countdown is over.
How to add the Instagram countdown sticker to your story
Most users will be able to take advantage of the countdown sticker, simply by tapping the Sticker icon when uploading an Instagram story and then selecting the countdown sticker from those options which are provided. After you have selected the countdown sticker, it will be displayed in your story, along with some editing capabilities.
At this time, you will be able to name your countdown, change its color, and choose an end date and time to be associated with it. Then you’ll have to tap on the clock field in order to set the timer for the countdown, and you’ll be prompted to select a date and time for your expiration date. You can choose any date during the coming 12 months, and you are not limited to a 24-hour period, although the story itself will fade away in 24 hours.
To choose a specific time of day for your expiration date, you can tap on the slider labeled All Day. This opens up a time of day selection and allows you to choose the precise time you want your countdown to end. Once you have the date and time set, you can choose a color for your countdown by tapping on the rainbow circle situated at the top of the screen. Then all you have to do is name your countdown and tap Done, to have the sticker applied to your story. Once it’s inside your story post, you can resize it, and drag it anywhere on the screen to a position that appeals to you.
Marketing use 1 – countdown to a live broadcast time
While there are endless ways you can use your countdown sticker for Instagram marketing, one of the most commonly used techniques is counting down to a live broadcast time. This is very useful for business people who host live broadcasts on Instagram, and you can use the sticker to inform your audience about when your next broadcast will go live. Once the timer expires, all those users who turned on the reminder will be alerted to tune in and catch your live show.
Marketing use 2 – promoting the launch of webinars or new courses
When you’re hosting events which have a specific registration time frame, you can share these through Instagram Stories, using the countdown sticker so as to encourage people to register before the deadline expires. This usage of the countdown sticker is not to alert users about when an event will happen, but when registration will close. This is a great way to convey the urgency of registering quickly for the webinar or course, and it’s a good idea to include the countdown sticker as part of a series of Stories and multiple posts, to alert users to the value of registering promptly.
Marketing use 3 – highlighting the opening of life events
Countdown sticker can also be used to promote the opening of live events, and for informing your audience about the time and location of those events. If you want to inform your users about a business event you’re hosting, this can be the perfect usage of countdown sticker, so as to invite all your followers to attend. It can also prompt users to register for the event, so you have an idea about how many will be there.
Marketing use 4 – time-sensitive sales or contests
When your business is running a sale, it will always have a start and end date, and you can inform your audience about these dates using the countdown sticker. The same is true of a contest that you’re running, and if you post a Story with a countdown sticker inside, you’ll be able to let everyone in your audience know that there’s just a limited time to participate in the contest or to take advantage of the sale you’re running.
