Two weeks ago, we launched Instagram Stories, a new feature that lets you share all of the personal moments of your day – not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. Since the launch, people in our community have come out from behind their cameras to share their behind-the-scenes moments, daily happenings and personalities through stories. As well as just people in our community, businesses of all sizes around the world have been sharing stories with their followers, too. "It's early days, but we've been impressed with the types of stories brands are sharing, from behind-the-scenes looks to new product offers, in all industries from automotive to fashion," says Global Lead for Instagram Creative Shop, Kay Hsu. "It's fun to see businesses' personalities shine through in their stories."

Here's how a few brands in our business community are approaching Instagram Stories:

To run a one-day pre-sale of its new Jane in Pink sunglasses amongst its loyal Instagram community, J.Crew (@jcrew) turned to stories. Because stories disappear after 24 hours, they were the ideal tool for the company to experiment with a limited-time sale. Centred around the sunglasses' distinctive colour, the pink-centric story featured staff at J.Crew headquarters sporting the rose-coloured glasses in a natural, personal and fun way. The story complemented the brand's feed to make sure that people saw the pre-sale information and didn't miss out on the excitement.

In a behind-the-scenes story, Mercedes-Benz (@mercedesbenz) shared a compilation of videos and photos of a photo shoot highlighting its Mercedes-AMG model. The rainy story not only showed off the dramatic German countryside, but also the latest features of the vehicle.

In its inaugural story, the food chain ventured into the world of the unknown. Using a combination of videos and features of stories, such as the drawing tool, Taco Bell (@tacobell) employees entered the world of stories. Once inside, they asked Taco Bell enthusiasts to direct-message them about what they'd like to see most – food, games or behind-the-scenes looks – on its Instagram Stories feed. After the initial story ran, the company tailored its content based on its community's participation.

Multi-platform travel media brand AFAR Media (@afarmedia) shared its first Instagram story from Germany's Mosel Valley. Its associate editor took followers on a tour around the quaint village, from wine tasting to capturing views atop Bernkastel-Kues. At the end of its story, AFAR Media captured a shot of its website, encouraging viewers to enter its Traveller's Choice awards.

In its first short, but tasty, story, Starbucks (@starbucks) showcases its iconic caffeinated drinks that are perfect for summer. Through a combination of photos and videos, both enhanced with the stories neon drawing tool, the coffee chain highlights its chilled cold brew and iced Americano with cream.

Whether spontaneous, insightful, quirky or dramatic, these are a few of the ways that businesses are experimenting with stories. For more inspiration, take a look at the ways that some of your favourite businesses are approaching Instagram Stories. Over time, we look forward to introducing new advertising and other business opportunities as part of Instagram Stories. In the meantime, we're excited to see all of the ways that our community will use it to highlight their businesses on Instagram.