On average, over one billion people use Instagram every month. For those looking to reach a larger audience, this can be a great way to increase revenue.
How often do you use Instagram or other social media sites for promoting your brand? Having a small follower count or lack of multimedia resources shouldn’t be an excuse. With the right approach, proper business plan, and a smartphone it’s very well possible to increase sales.
Are you looking to transform your company’s Instagram page from a bland profile to an extension of your store? Keep reading for seven tips to help you best utilize Instagram for sales.
1. Quality Over Quantity
The first approach to enhancing your Instagram profile and interest in your company’s products is being active. Social media for businesses has become a recent marketing trend. You should be frequently posting images and videos to build a customer base.
Create compelling media that will capture attention and lead users to check out your profile. One quality post per day is more beneficial than three filler posts per day that don’t contain any valuable substance.
This also goes for captions. Instagram conveniently allows users to edit captions after content has been posted. Take advantage and readjust captions as needed for previous posts.
2. Create Stories
Since its introduction in 2016, Instagram’s story feature has been a great outlet for sharing content aside from permanent posts. Because it’s temporary, creating stories is practical for trending updates.
Use this feature to get creative. Rather than post from in-store, get outside or change venues and mingle in the same places as your followers. This integrates your brand in a more social setting that users subconsciously flock to.
Stories are also a great place for information about sales and promotions. Create coupons or discount codes that customers can screenshot and use to make purchases.
3. #UseHashtags
Every day there are new, clever hashtags circulating on social media. You can easily join this trend without requiring a viral post. Hashtags are fun branding tools that anyone can take advantage of.
The goal of a hashtag is to draw more people to your account who aren’t already following you. Make a hashtag that’s simple, easy to remember, and appropriately reflects your brand.
A convenience of hashtags is that you can track its reach to see which ideas may work better than others depending on response.
4. Replicate a Storefront
Whether your company is brick and mortar or solely online, anyone browsing your Instagram profile means they aren’t at your actual business. Visually appealing images of your products can take them there. This is also helpful for those looking at how to sell on Instagram without a website.
Consider the square blocks of photos and videos on your profile like actual storefront windows. Promote products on Instagram by using different angles or modeling shots in each post.
Furthermore, create albums on your profile for users to browse and learn more about products. These can be categorized based on style and design. Keep these updated so your followers can expect new content on a frequent basis.
5. Organically Increase Your Follower Count
It can be discouraging to put time and effort into enhancing your company’s Instagram profile if your audience is small. A high follower count undeniably gives brand credibility at first glance. This shouldn’t, however, be holding you back.
Increase your amount of followers organically by creating promotional incentives. For example, offer a free item or discount when new customers follow your profile. This is hassle-free and much less intrusive than asking for an email address or phone number.
Additionally, you can organically increase your follower count by commenting on relevant posts or following users who are applicable to your target audience.
6. Make Your Website Accessible
In a perfect world, Instagram users will immediately close the app, open a new browser tab, and head to your website after seeing a post of interest. The reality is though most of us will keep scrolling.
Combat this issue by making it as easy as possible to jump from your company’s Instagram profile to its website in one click. Use your bio section to post a link to your website, whether it’s the homepage or a special promotion.
No need to post longwinded URLs. Create shortlinks to your website that are appealing and don’t take up too much space for other important text.
7. Advertise and Influence
All of the mentioned tips so far are free methods you can do on your own without having to pay for assistance. For those looking to reach a larger audience, investing in advertising can be productive.
Boosting your content in the newsfeed of users who aren’t already following you is a valuable tactic that Instagram offers through advertising. Rather than blindly posting your ad hoping the right people will see it, you can tailor your audience based on Instagram’s demographics. This includes age, gender, location, viewing habits, and behaviors.
Another method to spread brand awareness is advertising through social media influencers. There are well-known public figures in specific industries with a large following. Many times offering your product for free in return of a sponsored post can have a significant impact.
Utilizing Instagram For Sales
The truth is, most of us don’t log onto social media wanting to be influenced into making purchases or buying products. This doesn’t mean, however, that we aren’t. In fact, 72 percent of millennials are influenced by Instagram when it comes to purchasing fashion and beauty products.
As these steps for using Instagram for sales will help reach new consumers, use them accordingly for what works best for your brand. For example, one business may find creating a hashtag more practical for their brand, while using a social media influencer is more applicable for another company.
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