8 Creative Ways to Use Instagram Polls for Business

Looking for a quick way to capture audience attention? Try Instagram polls.

As part of the Instagram Stories feature (which 500+ million people use each day), polls are a fun way to put the social back into social media.

They’re more than just another way to make your community sit up and take notice. Instagram polls are all about actively engaging with your audience.

Today, you’ve got two options with your Instagram polls:

1. You can keep it simple with the classic poll (just two answers to choose from)
2. You can use the emoji slider to gauge audience sentiment

Here, we’re going to show you a handful of creative ways to build Instagram polls for sensational social media campaigns.

Capturing Audience Attention with Instagram Polls

Instagram polls are a fun way to boost engagement and grab attention. They let you ask questions with two answer options, encouraging quick interaction. Polls can be used for feedback, market research, or just for fun.

 Real-time results keep followers coming back to see updates. Add them to Stories or posts, ask interesting questions, and use them to learn what your audience wants. It’s an easy way to connect, get insights, and build community!

Overview of Instagram Stories and Polls

Instagram Stories keep people watching with quick, fun content. Brands and influencers use them to share behind-the-scenes moments, product launches, and special offers. Polls make it easy for followers to join in and share their thoughts.

With millions of daily users, Stories are a must for marketers. Their short, interactive style keeps followers coming back for more, especially when brands use creative visuals, polls, and fresh content.                  

First, Here’s How You Create Instagram Polls

Want to grab attention on Instagram? Use polls! With over 500 million daily users, Instagram Stories are a fun way to engage your audience. Add polls or emoji sliders to your images or videos by tapping the sticker icon in Stories. Engagement is key to growth, so track responses by swiping down after posting.

1. Crowdsource Feedback and Ideas

If you’re launching a new product but unsure what your customers want, Instagram polls can help. Use polls to gauge interest in your latest ideas, like asking your followers if they’d prefer skirts or shorts for summer. 

Everyone’s favourite Swedish furniture company, IKEA, used polls to ask people which kitchen collections they liked the most. 

Polls like these are an excellent way to make sure that you’re investing your R&D budget into the right concepts for your customers.

Product Development

Here are a few examples of how you can use polls to refine and validate new product ideas:

• Feature Prioritization: Use a poll to let your audience vote on which features they want most in your next product, like choosing app functionalities.
• Design Preferences: Share design concepts and ask followers for feedback on colors, patterns, or packaging to ensure your product resonates.
• Naming or Tagline Selection: Poll your audience to help choose the best name or tagline for your product, ensuring it aligns with their preferences.
• Product Usage Scenarios: Present different ways your product could be used and ask followers which they find most appealing or useful.

Concept Testing

Using slider polls on Instagram is an effective method for gauging interest and gathering nuanced feedback on new concepts or ideas. Here’s how you can use slider polls for concept testing:

• Introduce the Concept: Start by introducing your new concept or idea with a brief description or image in your Instagram Story.
• Set Up the Slider Poll: Tap on the sticker icon (the square smiley face) and select the “Slider” sticker. Enter a question that prompts followers to rate their interest or enthusiasm towards the concept.
• Customize the Slider: Choose an emoji that represents the scale (e.g., a thumbs up emoji for high interest, a thumbs down emoji for low interest). Followers can then slide the emoji along the scale to indicate their level of interest.
• Collect Responses: Publish your Story and encourage followers to interact by sliding the emoji to their preferred position on the scale.
• Analyze Feedback: Monitor the responses to gauge overall interest. The slider poll provides a more nuanced view compared to traditional yes/no polls, allowing you to see the spectrum of opinions among your audience.
• Iterate Based on Feedback: Use the insights gathered from the slider poll to refine your concept, address concerns, or emphasize aspects that resonate most with your audience.

2. Learn More About Your Community Using Instagram Polls

How much do you know about your Instagram tribe?

In everyday life, one of the easiest ways to get to know people is to ask them questions. So, why not follow the same strategy on Instagram?

Instagram polls give you an excellent way to learn more about your followers, and what they like, dislike, or want from your account.

Instagram polls are simple to use and packed full of handy statistical information. Sure, they’re not going to tell you everything you need for a comprehensive user persona, but they’ll put you on the right track.

For instance, Mimi Hammer, the swimwear brand which is now known as Mimi & August, used their polls to figure out whether customers preferred high-waist swim-suits, hipster cuts, or low-rise Bikini pants.

Hey presto – with one campaign, the company knew exactly where they should focus their efforts on their next line of bikini offerings.

Audience Preferences

Understanding your audience’s content preferences is key to creating impactful Instagram posts. Use polls to ask followers what they prefer—videos or pictures—and use the insights to shape your content strategy. 

Product Preferences

A company like Glossier uses Instagram polls to gather customer feedback and understand product preferences. By sharing different product options or design concepts and asking followers to vote on their favourites, Glossier engages its audience while collecting valuable insights in real-time. This strategy not only strengthens their connection with customers but also helps them refine future product offerings based on direct consumer input.

3. Drive Traffic Back to Your Website

Getting lots of attention on Instagram is awesome.

But what if you could pull that engagement over to your website too?

In 2017, Instagram added the option to put links in your Instagram Stories, if you have at least 10K followers. That made it much easier for companies to get the attention they needed from Instagram back to their websites. Of course, you still need to get people to “swipe up” to visit your site – but Instagram polls can help with that.

If you can tempt your audience by convincing them that you have the answers to their questions elsewhere, you’ll have them swiping in no time.

For instance, the Zoe Report used Instagram polls to imply that they knew exactly how much their customers should have in their savings by the time they were 30. By swiping up, the audience could read the article, then vote on a poll asking whether the amount was more or less than they thought.

This Instagram campaign was effective not just because it made the most out of compelling content, but also because it gave customers part to be part of the “in-crowd.”

By swiping up, you got to find out whether you were on the right track or not, and you were able to say that you knew something your friends didn’t.

Engaging Content Examples

Content platforms like Refinery29 use Instagram effectively to drive traffic by sharing engaging and visually appealing content. For example, Refinery29 often posts teaser images or quick, informative videos that highlight trending fashion, beauty, or lifestyle topics, encouraging followers to swipe up to read full articles on their website. 

By creating compelling content that aligns with their audience’s interests and sparks curiosity, Refinery29 successfully uses Instagram to direct traffic and boost engagement.

4. Keep Your Brand Top of Mind

It’s not enough to just grab customer attention these days. You also need to make sure that your audience keeps thinking about you when they’re no longer on your social media channels or site.

This means developing a strategy for brand awareness.

Asking someone to help vote on the next product you release, or which item should be your best-seller makes them feel like they’re contributing to your growth.

You can also use Instagram polls to keep your brand top of mind by reminding people of what sets you apart.

For instance, MailChimp uses their mascot, Freddie, to showcase a unique identity that their customers love. The company regularly releases polls that ask users to vote on their favorite versions of the mascot, such as “Yeti” Freddie, or “Rock and Roll” Freddie.

It might not seem like much, but playful posts like this mean the world when building affinity with your audience.

Combined with Stories that keep your followers up-to-date on product updates and brand announcements, they’re excellent for strengthening the connections you have with your community.

Building Brand Awareness

To increase brand recognition on Instagram, maintain a consistent identity with the same colors, fonts, and images, as well as a clear voice in captions and Stories. Regular content like tutorials or behind-the-scenes posts helps build your reputation and shows your brand’s values. 

5. Entertain Or Educate Your Followers

Finally, when people come to your Instagram page, they’re looking for valuable content. It’s the same as when they visit you on a blog or another social channel.

The more worthwhile content you share, the more people will keep coming back to interact with you.

It’s up to you whether your posts are educational, sophisticated, informative, or playful. The key to success is maintaining the same brand aesthetic throughout every customer touchpoint.

Vanity Fair

For instance, Vanity Fair used the quiz format with their Instagram polls to ask users questions about the upcoming royal wedding in 2018. The concept worked because it harnessed the playful, yet cutting-edge identity of the publication.

On the other hand, the wellness and meditation app Headspace used a series of Instagram polls to teach people about mindful eating and reflection. This helped their customers to get more out of the application and discover how to live more healthily.

6. Gain Insights About Your Products or Services

Instagram polls are a quick and engaging way for brands to learn what their audience loves most about their products or services. By asking followers to choose between two options, you can easily gather insights on which products to launch or which features to include.

This way, you’ll see which ones they like better and you’ll be able to use these insights to shape upcoming campaigns and offerings.

Customer Preferences

Instagram polls are a great way for brands to gather customer feedback, especially when exploring new products or features. For example, fashion brands can ask followers about their preferred styles or colours for upcoming collections. 

Service Feedback

Service polls on Instagram help brands gather valuable customer feedback. For example, hospitality businesses can ask guests to rate aspects like service quality and amenities, while airlines can inquire about in-flight services or new routes. 

7. Improve Your Engagement 

Polls are also a great way to improve your engagement on Instagram. As Stories are only seen for a 24-hour period, they’re typically viewed by your most active followers. Take advantage of this captive audience by using polls to grow your engagement even more. 

Using polls to get your audience to participate can do wonders for your Instagram marketing strategy. Even something as simple as asking followers entertaining or silly questions is enough to grow your engagement with polls.

Plan Your Content

Being consistent is one of the key rules of a successful and growing Instagram for small businesses. And planning your content is the only way to stay consistent.

Think of different content types you will include in your content plan. Of course, the majority has to introduce your products, but you can consist of something fun and slightly off the topic here and then.

For example, there are so many ways to create a post around #OnThisDay — it can be dedicated to your brand’s history, the world history, or any event celebrated on the day of your publication.

Utilizing Time-Sensitive Content

Instagram Stories, visible for just 24 hours, offer brands a powerful way to engage followers with time-sensitive content. The sense of urgency drives higher engagement, as users rush to interact with flash sales or event announcements. 

Engaging Questions

Creating fun and engaging poll questions on Instagram can spark interaction and interest among your audience. Here are some creative ideas to inspire your next set of poll questions:

• This or That: Ask followers to choose between two options related to your brand or industry. For example, “Coffee or Tea for an afternoon pick-me-up?”
• Pop Culture Polls: Tap into current trends or pop culture references. For instance, “Which superhero would win in a battle: Iron Man or Captain America?”
• Interactive Quizzes: Create trivia quizzes about your products or industry. For example, “Test your knowledge: Which of these skincare ingredients is known for its moisturizing properties?”
• Personal Preferences: Poll followers about their personal preferences or habits. For example, “Do you prefer reading books or watching movies on weekends?”
• Seasonal Themes: Align your poll questions with seasonal events or holidays. For instance, “What’s your favourite holiday treat: eggnog or gingerbread cookies?”

8. Promote Your Marketing Campaign

Your main Instagram feed isn’t the only place to promote your marketing efforts. Your stories are the perfect place to continue to promote your current campaigns. Use Instagram polls to get customers to interact with information from your campaign.

Asking your followers to participate in a poll directly engages them with your Instagram campaign. If the polls pique their interest enough, they’ll also serve to drive traffic to your website as your followers hope to learn more about your brand or current campaigns. 

Integrating Polls with Campaigns

Instagram polls are a powerful tool for boosting engagement and gathering audience insights. Brands use them to gauge interest during product launches, refine offerings, and shape content strategies. 

Are You Making the Most of Instagram Polls?

Used correctly, Instagram polls are an excellent way to engage and delight your followers. They can keep people coming back to your profile, improve the relationships you have with new and existing customers, and even earn you new fans.

However, like anything else in an Insta campaign – they need creativity and planning to work. Make sure that your Instagram polls aren’t just there to boost your metrics. They should also convey the unique personality of your brand and deliver something valuable to your customers.

Experiment with your polls and look for a way to create mutual value for you and your audience. The results will be better customer insights and affinity for you and more memorable experiences for your followers. That’s an outcome you don’t need to vote on.