How to sell more on Instagram
So you want to sell on Instagram, huh? With two million advertisers and one billion monthly active users on Instagram, if you aren’t already using Instagram for sales, you’re missing out big time.
If you want to start selling on Instagram, or if you’re already doing it but want to improve your game, here are some tips.
Create an Instagram Business account
Open an Instagram Business account, it’s easy and it will give you a lot of benefits if you’re planning on using Instagram to market your business. With Instagram Business, you’ll get insights into your social following and analytics, and other tools that you won’t have access to using a personal account.
Optimize your bio and profile
Spend some time optimizing your Instagram profile. Don’t just copy and paste a generic description of your business, make sure it’s optimized for the socichannel that Instagram is. Your profile visitors must know within a second what you’re selling and what you’re enterprise is about.
👉 Don’t be afraid of using emojis in your bio, not only will it make your brand seem more — human but you’ll also save characters.
👉 Your profile name can be something different than your username. Your username is the name people use to tag you in posts (@mentions) whereas your profile name, or Instagram name as others call it, is visible when someone visits your profile directly. It’s the name that appears in bold on your profile right below your photo.
Having a profile name that’s different from your username can actually be an advantage. Your profile might perform better in searches and it also shows that you’re aware of the differences. Choose a username and a profile name that suits your goal, business and target group. You can use emoijis in your profile name too.
👉 If you’ve added a link in your bio, try to write a bio description that makes it natural for the visitor to click the link. Or for instance you could add an emoji that points down to the link.
Make your photos shoppable
Instagram has launched shoppable posts, which means you can tag products in your posts, making it easy for your followers to purchase items. To access this feature, you must convert your Instagram account into a business profile and connect it to a Facebook product catalog.
You can also use a third-party service to sell products on Instagram. And while you’re at it, why not integrate your Instagram images on your regular website to increase onsite conversions even more?
Instagram only promotions
Give your Instagram followers a treat for being loyal to your brand. You can put a promo code in the caption or embed it the actual photo. If you want to extend your reach outside your current following, you can make it a sponsored post.
But sponsoring isn’t necessary, when you make it an organic post, your followers might tag their friends and people in their network. You’ll then automatically increase your reach and engagement at the same time.
If you decide to add the promo code only in the caption, be aware that some people could miss it. More about this in the next paragraph.
Don’t use only the caption
Having a great caption is important for several reasons. The caption is what gives your photo a context. But if you want to be absolutely sure that your campaign will be seen in your feed, add the promo code in your actual photo instead of in the caption. Or do both, but your photos and images is what first and foremost will attract attention.
Let your customers sell your products
Show the human side of your brand. Today, most consumers aren’t triggered by perfect model shots and product images. They want real and authentic content. However, if you want to sell on Instagram, you need to find a balance between lifestyle and real content vs product images. Different approaches work for different brands.
But don’t stick to just product images. Involve your customers, re-post their content and engage in their posts. A quick hashtag search on Instagram will tell you how much content there already is that you can make use of.
If a customer has already posted a photo of one of your products, why wouldn’t you want to showcase it in your own feed? Just make sure you ask for permission before using it.
Use Instagram ads
Experiment with different types of ads. If you want to find new customers and extend your reach, advertising is your best option. Content is king, but sometimes a regular ad is just want you need. There are a lot of different possibilities when it comes to targeting, and you don’t have to just stick to images — why not try a video ad for example?
Instagram Stories with shopping stickers
Yes, you can now sell your products through Instagram Stories! For ecommerce companies, and especially B2C brands, this feature should be very appealing. To access the shopping stickers, you need to have a Facebook Business Manager account and connect your profile to a Facebook catalog. Getting your catalog set up and running is the tricky part, but once that’s done, the rest is easy!
Use sponsored Instagram Stories ads
Since February 1 last year you can advertise through Instagram Stories. And if you haven’t tried it yet, we recommend you to give it a shot. With the carousel ads format for Instagram Stories you can include up to three swipeable images or videos. This should give you enough space to tell you story and it’s probably a good idea to utilize all three frames, since your audience is normally used to multiple images or videos in this format.
Carousel ads in Instagram Stories is a more interactive way of advertising as users can swipe through the frames, pause or click and tap through them just like they normally do.
For your audience, this means a more engaging and fun experience. When you utilize the interactive nature of Instagram Stories when you create your ads, you’ll get the most out of this new feature.
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