Use Instagram for ecommerce and boost sales of your online store.
That would be nice, wouldn’t it?
Are you wondering how to do it?
Your products are unique, and your ecommerce is designed down to the smallest detail: microcopy and eye-catching images to captivate people. But selling online is a tough struggle. Even if your product is amazing, if no one knows about it, they won’t seek it out. Therein lies the power of social media: it gives you a chance to go out and meet potential target customers, grab their attention and make them aware that you exist.
Instagram is an ever-growing social platform with more than a billion monthly active users-no one can afford not to be there. So whether you are a start-up or an established brand, doing Instagram marketing is an effective way to create engagement: it helps you acquire new customers and grow your ecommerce.
Let’s find out together how to use Instagram to boost your ecommerce sales.
Instagram for ecommerce: switch to a corporate account
Instagram offers your brand the opportunity to face a rapidly expanding audience. People can have an engaging visual experience and have easy, mobile access to shopping. With the continued implementation of tools and features geared toward promotion and sales, Instagram is shaping up to be a social commerce platform you absolutely must take advantage of.
The first step in taking advantage of the new features added by Instagram, and launching ecommerce marketing initiatives, is to move from your personal account to a business account. This step allows you to give your profile a professional look and allows you to pull your contact information from Facebook. In addition, you have some important statistics at your disposal, such as the number of impressions, clicks on posts, etc.
Switching to a corporate account is quite simple:
- Go to your account settings and select – Switch to a corporate account;
- Connect your Facebook page, as required (note: you must be an administrator of the page);
- Set up contact information for your Instagram business page.
The first step is taken. Now let’s see what strategies you can use to reach your audience, increase followers and sell with Instagram for ecommerce.
Instagram for ecommerce: strategies for selling on Instagram
The benefits offered by a business account are essential to your strategies. However, optimizing your Instagram profile for ecommerce means first going through the basics that fuel a profitable presence on the platform.
Publish posts with effective captions and eye-catching images that express your brand’s style
Instagram is a social based on visual content. Therefore, images should be flawless, to bring to life a feed that expresses a coherent and compelling narrative. Whatever your artistic vision, you need to convey the essence of your brand and how it is reflected in the daily lives of your target audience.
It’s not just about expressing “taste” with images designed for the purpose of conveying your company’s values and mission, but about being able to lead your followers to action. Images are the medium of communication that best interfaces with the language of our brains. So, do not think of taking lightly the quality of the images you post on Instagram.
Choose your images carefully but don’t forget the importance of words. Writing a post with an attractive caption, using emotional words, allows you to enhance the associated image. You can multiply the chances of engaging people and pushing them toward your goals.
Follow the rule of thirds to publish your posts on Instagram
I know you are convinced about your products and services; you would like to shout it to the world every moment of your social presence, but there is a problem. If all of your posts are brand-centric and shout out to people “look how nice and good I am,” very quickly they will leave you arguing with yourself in the echo of an empty room. That’s why you should follow the rule of thirds and deliver a balanced message to your followers by mixing posts:
- Promotional – such as product posts or brand-related information.
- Conversational – that is, posts that encourage your audience to engage in conversation.
- Shared – for example, posts that feature news from your industry, content from your followers, the famous UGC (user generated content), but also posts from Influencers, if you have opted for this strategic choice.
Plan your editorial calendar and find a balance. Over time, with the statistics available in your business account, you’ll be able to see which content gets the most hits. You will be able to refine your publishing strategies, increase follower engagement and your following.
Use Instagram’s Shoppable posts for shopping and tag your products
Shoppable posts are one of the latest new features introduced by Instagram for online shopping. So, in addition to Boosted posts and sponsored content with Instagram Ads, you can now tag products in an image and add valuable details.
Being able to tag products featured in an image gives you a clear call to action, and simplifies the buying process for the customer. You can turn Instagram into a sales channel in just a few clicks. In fact, when people tap on the small “shopping bag” icon that appears on the image, they can view the tags and see your products up close. Clicking on the tags allows people to view product details and a link to buy. Easy and immediate.
Tagging a product for shopping on Instagram is easy, but first you will need to get approval from Instagram, which will verify your account so that it meets the requirements:
- your products must comply with Instagram sales regulations;
- your business location must be in one of the states specified in the regulations;
- the account must be a business profile;
- the profile must be associated with a Facebook catalog (You can manage it with the Business Manager or through ecommerce platforms, such as Shopify).
Here is a three-step summary for tagging your products:
- create a store section on your business Facebook page linked to Instagram and add products.
- wait for a notification from Instagram confirming that your account has been verified and enabled to tag products. (Three to several days).
- when you post an image, select the option – tag a product – and select it from the list of products you have uploaded to your Facebook store.
Now, you are ready to use Instagram’s Shoppable posts and boost sales of your products.
Bring people to your ecommerce using Instagram Stories
Tagging products featured in images is an opportunity to take advantage of, to optimize your strategies on Instagram for ecommerce. People can discover your products easily and get to know your brand more closely. However, bringing your ideal customers to your ecommerce means hosting them in your home and establishing a deeper relationship that does not depend on a third party. When it comes to online business, this aspect, to me, is imperative.
A great way to get attention is to take advantage of Stories on Instagram. Are you thinking that you really don’t want to do that as well? Believe me, Stories can be an effective marketing tool for your strategies on Instagram.
It is true that Stories on Instagram are volatile content, but statistics say that temporary content converts better than the classic post in the feed. Don’t be fooled by the volatility of Stories, don’t confuse temporariness with futility. If you create captivating content that knows how to reach an interested audience, at the right time, its volatility will stimulate the fear of losing it forever and convince them to immediate action. Then, you can take advantage of the link, which you can place in Stories, and lead followers to your online store.
Stories on Instagram are an example of scalable content because, in addition to the clickable link, they can be saved as “Featured Stories.” Use your business pragmatism and think about what that means: you can create categories at the top of your profile and leverage them to promote a product or business initiatives.
Curate hashtags to find the target audience for your ecommerce
Hashtags are very powerful on Instagram. They allow your content to stand out in search results and attract new customers. To boost your content and reach your target audience you will need to define who are the people who might be interested in your products. This is the basis of any self-respecting web marketing strategy. If you want to build relationships and sell online you will need to understand what your ideal customers are thinking and doing as they consider their options for fulfilling a need.
When you know who you want to target, then you can start collecting all the hashtags you will need to connect your brand with the right people. To do this you need to start looking for industry hashtags, find and observe your competitors, it is painstaking work that requires patience. However, there are tools that can help you speed up your research.
If you want to know how to find Instagram hashtags, this post will come in very handy: 7 tools to find the right hashtags for you.
Selling on Instagram for ecommerce: get your online store off the ground
Instagram is the social commerce platform that can open your online store’s doors wide to your target audience. But it is your engagement that is the key to success.
Selling on Instagram, as well as all social media, requires you to be active and proactive. Ready to establish relationships to nurture them with humility and patience.
Now, you have in your hands the tools and strategies to be able to attract and persuade your potential customers by leveraging Instagram for ecommerce.
To help you organize and manage your presence on Instagram, and leverage Instagram marketing strategies, I have created this course: Instagram – How to Increase Followers and Create a Business. I can help you use Instagram professionally, to develop your online business strategies.
Believe in your ideas, don’t give up and don’t abandon them.
If you liked this article I will be grateful if you would like to share it on social! And if you have any questions or want to tell me yours, please leave a comment below.