Instagram will soon introduce Link Stickers. This sticker is replacing the current swipe-up links. What does this sticker do, and how can you use this feature for your Marketing purposes? These are the things we know so far:

From Swipe Ups to Stickers

Instagram is rolling out their Link Stickers starting from August 30. These stickers are replacing the current ‘swipe-up-for-link’ function. The swipe-up-links have been around since the early days of Instagram Stories. Companies and indiviuals with 10K+ Instagram followers could use this feature to direct their followers to an external page — The company’s website, for instance.

With the introduction of Link Stickers, Instagram users don’t have to swipe up to get directed to a website. Instead, they can click on an Instagram sticker that displays the website link.

The benefits of using Instagram Link Stickers

What is the point of changing swipe-ups to stickers? Both consumers and contributors will benefit from this new feature. Here are the key advantages:

1. Link Stickers are more user-friendly than swipe-up links. Swipe-up links only appear at the bottom of your screen and they don’t tell you which page you’ll be referred to. But you can place link stickers wherever you want, and you can also tell your audience to which website they will be sent.
2. Because stickers are more easy to spot, Instagram users are more likely to click on them. That’s why many users engage with stickers like polls, questions and mentions. We don’t know how everyone will respond to link stickers yet, but many believe that users are more likely to click on a link sticker than swipe up for a link,
3. Instagram are looking to make the sticker accessible to all users, whereas the current swipe-up function is available to large, verified business accounts only. If Instagram does make these stickers available to everyone, we can finally say goodbye to ‘link in bio’ posts! A great way to amplify smaller voices.

How can I use Instagram link Stickers for my own business?

You can send your instagram audience to:

1. Blog article you’ve just written
2. Product page that elaborates on product features you’ve mentioned in your Instagram Stories post
3. Landing page that asks people to sign up for your newsletter
4. Event sign up page
5. Product check-out page
6. A news article
7. A charity donation page
8. Links to other social media platforms, like Faceboook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube
9. And much more!!

Things you should be aware of when using the Link Sticker function:

So you can do a lot with the Instagram link Sticker, and you can use it for multiple purposes. But be careful: There will likely be some unwritten rules of using the sticker:

If you can enter any website URL into the link sticker, make sure to:

• Have a link that is fully visible and easily accesible
• Avoid making your link too lengthy. Your link should be short, readible and tell your audience where they’ll be directed to. For instance: socijel.com/services instead of socijel.com/book-our-services-now
• Personalize your link! Let people know where they will be directed to! So: restaurantpage.com/dinner-menu instead of bitly.com/gX5Hd or restaurantpage.com/mYfirstPage
• Add some text next to your Link Sticker. You can use this text to write a Call To Action.

And be careful with using your Instagram Link Sticker too:

• Only use them if you want to send your audience to a page that can be useful for THEM.
• Don’t overuse the link sticker function. Make sure to create entertaining and engaging Instagram Stories content too.
• Make sure that the linked page works well and smoothly. No one likes being sent to a slow or non-existing page.