Are you exploiting social media to boost your sales? More specifically, Instagram? Social media has revolutionised how we connect and how brands communicate with their target audiences.
Instagram is a global leader in social media, appealing to a wide audience demographic and suiting a diverse array of industries. Since launching in October 2010, the photo and video-sharing platform has risen in popularity to now be the world’s sixth most-visited website (after Google, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter/X, and Wikipedia)[1], with more than 2 billion monthly active users and 500 million daily active users. Staggeringly, more than 20% of the world’s active internet users visit Instagram daily[2].
The opportunities this presents for brands and marketers are limitless.
Furthermore, the recently implemented capacity for actively selling on Instagram has, to an extent, been an organic progression and one that many brands and consumers have welcomed for its convenience and unquestionable effectiveness.
Leveraging Instagram as an e-Commerce Platform
Did You Know[3]?
- More than 200 million businesses promote their products and services on Instagram and 90% of users of the platform follow at least one commercial account.
- 98% of fashion brands market on Instagram.
- 81% of Instagram users research new products/services on the platform before making a purchase decision.
- 87% of Instagram users act based on seeing a product on the platform.
There is arguably no better way to get your brand, business, products, and services in front of a wider audience than by using Instagram and all it has to offer.
From showcasing your products through exceptional imagery to opening a virtual “Instagram shop” to promoting your brand through user-generated content and influencer collaboration, the opportunities the platform delivers can’t be ignored.
Instagram – A World of Potential for Brands
The benefits of marketing and selling on Instagram are myriad – from boosting brand exposure and driving traffic to your profile page and website to telling stories and curating tailored shopping experiences. Instagram effectively lets consumers explore and discover more about your brand, your company, and your offerings.
- Showcase Products Effectively Via Posts and Stories
Target your niche audience by showcasing your products and services in your posts, stories, and reels. When you execute this well, you drive action in terms of likes, comments, shares, follows, click-throughs, and conversions.
As an image-based social platform where photos and videos resonate with audiences, Instagram is ideal for helping consumers discover new products and services – everything from fashion and beauty to tourism, health, wellness, events, entertainment, food, trades, construction, government services, non-profits, and more.
- Instagram Shopping
Enable your audience to buy directly from your website without navigating away from Instagram! Instagram shopping allows brands to create and complete compelling shopping experiences directly from their profile and posts, stories, and reels. Rather than requiring consumers to click through from an Instagram post and convert on their website, the customer journey can instead be completed in its entirety right on the platform, including with a built-in checkout. What could be easier?
- UGC and Influencer Collaboration for Product Promotion
Comments, testimonials, reviews, and other social posts by consumers or other businesses that mention or tag your brand represent extremely effective content marketing in the form of user-generated content or UGC. It’s a fantastic way to build trust and authority and passively generate new leads. Likewise, partnering with the right influencers for your brand, product, and audience can dramatically boost your reach and further compel new audiences to follow, browse, and purchase from your online store. Building this community of loyal customers means more brand ambassadors on – and off – the platform.
How to Sell on Instagram
- Find your Niche – who is your target customer? What problem do they need a solution for and which you can provide? Who are your competitors – and what are they doing? There’s a lot of valuable information to be gleaned by reading social media comments, threads, forums, and reviews, and searching relevant hashtags. Identify your niche and figure out how to do it better or uniquely compared with how your competitors do.
- Build Your Following – post an array of captivating, visually appealing, informative, entertaining, motivating, and inspiring content. It must be of high value. Post on a regular schedule but be careful not to spam – so don’t post so often that you annoy your audience. Engage with comments in a positive way and analyse your engagement levels to understand what types of posts best resonate with your audience. Make sure to post stories and reels as well as static feed posts.
- Obtain an Instagram Business Profile – this free service should be set up once you’ve identified your niche and built a following. A business profile allows you to manage your online store and brand presence, accessing sponsored posts, branded content, insights, quick replies, and other tools. (You action this by switching your account type in Instagram Settings.)
- Set up Your Instagram Shop – and create an immersive shopping experience for your Instagram audience. There are instructions on how to do this within the Instagram app. Alternatively, your expert digital strategist can help!
- Create an Array of Posts – as well as marketing and engagement content, you will now need to create shoppable posts to add to the mix. (Don’t exclusively post shoppable content – doing this may be perceived as pushy or spammy).
What is a shoppable post? It is a Post, Story, or Reel that includes a product tag – this clickable tag shows the product name and price and enables audiences to directly add it to their cart. Alternatively, a link may take them directly to the website landing page to complete their purchase. Don’t forget to include a clear call to action!
(Partnering with the right digital agency is a great way to streamline this process – they can do the hard work on your behalf while you focus on running your business and enjoying your well-deserved downtime.)
Tips to Boost Sales on Instagram
- Create Engaging Content – create a strong foundation with high-quality, compelling content that encourages likes, shares, comments, and direct messages, and prompts clicks and purchasing. The more an audience interacts with your posts (and the more you interact back), the more Instagram will show your posts, as interactions on social media are an SEO ranking signal. Optimise captions and image quality and use hashtags appropriately.
- Post Reviews – as a very effective way to build trust and authenticity. Word of mouth is powerful!
- Use Instagram Ads – Paid or Sponsored Ads on Instagram can deliver a great return on your investment. Use them to boost lead generation, promote sales, and retarget audiences.
- Open an Instagram Shop – to dramatically simplify the conversion process. You could also (or instead) add an actionable button to your profile – for example, View Shop, Book Now, Order Food, Get Quote, Reserve Now, Buy Now, etc. (Understand that some of these options require supported third-party app integration.)
There are many other ways to boost sales on Instagram – including but not limited to tracking results with analytics tools; automating conversations with Chatbots; running giveaways and contests; offering discounts; partnering with influencers; leveraging UGC; triggering conversations; brand partnerships; including strong CTAs; cross-promotion across social platforms, and more.
The friendly team at Dot-to-Dot Digital is here to help.
Book a Digital Strategy Session Today!
Selling on Instagram is a great way to exponentially increase your reach and boost your sales.
Dot-to-Dot Digital has the tools, techniques, and expertise to help you get the most from social media marketing, including Instagram (and other social channels) in terms of lead generation, click-throughs, and sales – and even to sell directly to your target audience from your Instagram profile.
We are passionate about helping our clients reach for the sky and achieve greater success through a variety of digital channels. Let us take you on a journey to explore and discover how this new way of selling could help to revolutionise your brand.
Book a digital strategy session today. We look forward to meeting you!
[1] https://explodingtopics.com/blog/most-visited-websites
[2] https://www.socialpilot.co/instagram-marketing/instagram-stats/
[3] https://www.socialpilot.co/instagram-marketing/instagram-stats/
