One of the most popular and most visited social media apps, Instagram has become a sales hub for several big and small businesses. In a 2020 report by eMarketer, Instagram is reported to have over 1 billion users and is projected to increase by about 73 million.
While the average person is heading there to get entertained, business owners are seeing a huge market they can profit off of. Another report showed how people who bought something on the app did that because of what they had seen at one time on it.
You are missing out if you’ve not started selling on Instagram. Keep reading to find helpful and proven tips to make that happen.
- Optimize Your IG Page
If you’re going to make sales on IG, you have to be willing to make a very good impression when people visit your page and read the bio. It is the only hyperlink opportunity that would be on your brand’s profile page so take it seriously.
What we’re trying to say is that you should think of your profile page as prime real estate that must be optimized to work in your favor. In order for that to happen, your bio section should be used to include captivating call-to-action that drives users to a landing page they can buy your products from.
Ensure that your CTA and link are unique, use relatable/ actionable language to make that happen. To help you keep track of your selling results on Instagram, create a landing page for your IG page. One that isn’t connected to your website directly and interested customers can buy from your page.
- Build a Shoppable IG Feed
Shoppable media allows your businesses to tag products in their posts if they can create a salesy Instagram feed. You’d only be able to sell physical goods whether it’s etsy instagram where you can have a personalized URL that links your posts to your products or whatever it is you want. Just ensure you have a business profile to create the shoppable Instagram feed.
- Engage With Your Audience
Engaging your customers is very essential if you’re to keep them interested in your posts and the products you’re selling on Instagram. A 2019 report by Brand Watch claimed that it is much easier to engage on Instagram than other major social media platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Keep in mind that what defines your business isn’t the number of followers you have at the moment but the level at which you can engage with your audience. This can be done by posting images and videos on your page, uploading your Instagram stories, and transforming the highlights reel on your profile.
You might not get engagements almost immediately but if you can remain consistent, you not only get their attention they’d keep coming back for more. Free ways by which Instagram helps your audience stay engaged: via stories, images, hashtags, and branded hashtags. Be certain that people would share your posts if you use those tools properly, thereby, increasing your followership and conversion rate.
- Run Paid Ads
As stated earlier, Instagram is becoming more popular and saturated which means heightened competition on the platform. For you to be seen and make sales, you do need to use what works by running Instagram ads (which are seen as sponsored posts). They are essential to Instagram’s marketing strategies for businesses.
After your business profile has been set up on Instagram, you can create your budget based on the amount you’re willing to spend, where your ads should be seen, and the running time. There are multiple choices, you just need to select an option that meets the needs of your business.
You could also run ads and make sales via Instagram stories. If you’re very creative, it can really work to your advantage. There’s this ‘Swipe-Up’ feature on Instagram stories, that makes it easy for potential customers to buy your products as long as it is linked with your story. Your account, however, needs to have over 10,000 followers.
- Run IG Promotions
You could run promotions by offering discount codes, giveaways, or coupons exclusively on Instagram thereby creating a portal for sales. Considering the offers would be just on IG, your clients are surely going to feel special which would ultimately get you more followers and engagements. It’s basically a quid pro quo; they follow you and they get rewarded with great offers.
Social media creates a relationship between businesses and clients so customers can connect with the big brands on a more personal level. Instagram makes things more interesting with its eye-catching and captivating aesthetics that lure the unsuspecting to watch one more video or view a new post. The graphics do the groundwork and the constant posts or ads help boost the buying process.