In order to sell on Instagram you need to:
- Have a company profile on the social network.
- Post relevant content for your followers.
- Get more quality followers.
- Offer your products through Instagram Shopping.
So that you can advance in each of these steps successfully, this definitive guide will help you to understand how to sell on Instagram.
You will learn the keys to creating a company profile, how to customize it, how and when to publish quality content, how to attract more followers to your account (and, later, to your online store) and much more.
Today Instagram has more than 1 billion active users around the world. It is, without a doubt, a great sales channel for brands that want to publicize their products.
With the Instagram Shopping feature, brands have the ability to use their Instagram account as a virtual window to display their products with price tags and redirect followers directly to their online store.
In this way, Instagram becomes an excellent ally in the marketing strategy of any online business, and it is that potential that you will discover in this guide.
Requirement To Sell On Instagram
Before telling you what these requirements are, it is important to understand the relevance of Instagram as a sales opportunity for all online businesses. An interesting fact about this is that 50% of the visits that Cloud stores receive come from a social network such as Instagram or Facebook!
Visits in e-commerce are essential to generate sales, and the most powerful network to achieve this today is Instagram. Therefore, it is essential not only that you are present in it, but that you dedicate the time and effort necessary to take advantage of its full potential.
Instagram can help you generate more traffic in your online store and achieve a greater presence on social networks, and this can translate into an increase in your transactions!
In addition, and very important, 1 in 4 sales made between Cloud stores are from sessions started from a social network, the main one being Instagram.
A year and a half ago, Facebook represented 80% of those sales, but Instagram is growing month by month and today 60% of sales come through that network (and less than 40% via Facebook). There is no doubt that Instagram is the social network of the moment.
Now, then, let us see what the requirements are so that you can start selling on Instagram.
✔ From personal profile to company profile
To sell on Instagram, the first thing you have to do is change your personal profile to a business one.
This will allow you not only to show yourself to your followers as a professional brand, but also to have additional functionalities that the platform offers exclusively to businesses.
The most relevant are:
- Statistics of your account: Where you can check the interaction that people have with your posts and, thus, make better decisions in your social media strategy.
- Promotion of your posts: So that your reach is growing and you get more quality followers.
- Activation of Instagram Shopping: The star functionality of Instagram that, by linking it with your online store, allows you to sell through this social network.
Once you have changed your personal profile to a company one, you are ready to optimize this new profile.
✔ 4 keys to a successful company profile
Your company profile on Instagram is a very special space that you have to take care of because it represents your brand on the web. From your photo, the name of your account, your description and even the use you give to Instagram stories: all this is important to achieve a successful company profile and, thus, attract new followers and retain those you already have. Following four tips needs to be followed.
1) Use a simplified version of your logo
To make your profile photo well recognizable and leave no room for doubt, it is recommended that you use a simplified and condensed version of your logo.
2) Pay special attention to the name of your account
When thinking about what name you are going to choose for your business profile, it is important that you use keywords related to your business. This will help Instagram users to quickly identify what your brand is about or what category it belongs to.
3) Take advantage of the description ( bio ) to get closer to your audience
This is a key place where you can tell more about yourself and your brand. Therefore, take advantage of it in an attractive way to make yourself known on Instagram.
Of course, you have only 150 characters to achieve it! So put your imagination and creativity to the test and communicate, even in a few words, the spirit of your brand.
If you have an online store, you can add a call to action inviting your followers to visit it (for that, add the link to your store in the corresponding tab). Take advantage of this space to add more sales!
Extra tip: In your posts, tell your followers that there is a link in the bio that they can access to know your e-commerce.
4) Don’t forget to exploit the featured stories
Unlike “normal” stories that last only 24 hours, featured stories do not disappear but are placed in a privileged place in the feed .
Therefore, it is recommended that you take advantage of this functionality by creating different stories about aspects of your business that you think maybe attractive to your followers. For example:
- How your brand was created.
- Images of your showroom, premises or workshop.
- Photos from your latest collection (remember to update them as soon as they change).
- Ideas on how to use your products.
- How to buy in your online store.
- What forms of payment and shipping do you offer in your e-commerce.
- If you provide with other contact options (such as WhatsApp).
The important thing is that your featured stories catch your potential customers and generate (a lot) of interaction with them.
Highlighted stories are, then, a very valuable space within Instagram since they also allow you to answer the most frequent queries that your potential clients may have and, thus, help them to get to know you and buy from you.
Tip: when you create your featured stories, it is recommended that you be very clear in the titles you choose (they have to guide people) and also that you add “separators” or “covers” in them so that they are better understood and reinforce your image of the brand.
The Key On Instagram: Content Is King
Being a social network that is 100% based on the visual, it is very important to create quality content to differentiate yourself from the competition.
Therefore, it is necessary that you focus on the creation of that content, both visual and written since it can define the success of your brand on Instagram. Check out the tips below:
✔ Take care of the image quality
The triumph of brands (and not only on Instagram) is totally related to branding. In other words, your power is in your image and the ideas associated with it.
Before you start posting your photos you have to ask yourself: What is the concept that your brand wants to convey? What feeling do you want to awaken in your clients? Your objective on social networks does not have to be simply to promote products: you have to propose to the public a lifestyle in line with your business and that arouses their interest.
For example, if your products are related to alternative fashion, your photos should capture scenes from that universe, with an underground and relaxed style. On the other hand, if your company is dedicated to jewelry, it makes more sense to upload elegant and sophisticated photos, right?
After identifying what is the main proposal of your brand and defining your target audience, get to work with photography!
● Capture unique scenes
Make sure your followers access photos that they wouldn’t see otherwise. The essence of Instagram is to record spontaneous reactions and relaxed moments.
It is important that you take advantage of this opportunity to humanize your brand: post photos of the manufacturing process of the products, behind the scenes of an event or even fun interactions of the team behind the brand.
Train your eye to take advantage of and photograph these moments: that will be the true differential of your content.
● Use good lighting
It is no coincidence that the word photography means “writing of light.” Lighting, which often does not receive the attention it deserves, is the main ally of good images.
Whenever possible, take photos in natural light. The best times of the day are early in the morning and when the sun is about to set, although you don’t have to be so rigid at this point.
In case you have to use artificial light, choose fluorescent lamps for clearer, neutral images, and incandescent lamps for more intimate, amber-toned photos.
● Apply the rule of thirds
To get the perfect framing, photography experts use a trick that you may already use, but don’t know their theory: the rule of thirds.
This rule consists of drawing two vertical lines and two imaginary horizontal lines on the plane you want to capture. The point you want to highlight has to be in the middle square, that is, in the center of the photo. Another option is to be on some of the sides, but always where the lines converge.
Also, do not forget to adjust the horizontal lines to the horizon line, in the case that it is a landscape that you are portraying since that can give it a more professional touch. And always try to have symmetry between the right and left side of the image.
● Explore sensations
Do you remember that lifestyle we just talked about and that your brand wants to convey? Keep this in mind when choosing what you are going to photograph.
The main objective of your images has to be to connect with whoever looks at them. Therefore, it can often be interesting to seek spontaneity and explore new angles.
When you are taking photos of your products, accompany them with other elements that, without overshadowing them, help to tell the story of your brand, its essence, what you want your customers to feel when buying and using them.
They will identify with the message, they will associate it with the concept of your brand and, thus, they will have a greater interest in meeting you.
● Use the indicated filter
Do you already have the photo? Well, now you just need to choose a filter to further reinforce the idea you want to convey.
Most filters generate closed tones that transform light through color nuances. Instagram usually features updates for you to use on your photos.
Keep in mind that if you use the same filter for all the photos, you give a certain visual unity to the feed, which is very attractive to the human eye.
And do not forget that the filters do not have to be with all the intensity with which they are normally displayed: you can choose what percentage of intensity to apply. If you apply the same filter to all the photos by 30% or 50%, the effect will be subtle but the aesthetic unity will be clear. It’s all about taking care of your feed!
✔ Pay attention to the quality of the text
Although the main focus of the post is the photo, the written information also says a lot about your brand. Therefore, with the image duly edited, comes the second part of the content: the description.
Next, let us explore the role that texts play on Instagram and understand how to take advantage of them to complement and reinforce your business proposal on this social network.
The photo description field is available precisely so you can express what the image wants to say, connect more with your followers or add additional information. Therefore, nothing better than to take advantage of the potential of this resource with the following tips:
● Choose your words very well
Each published term has a different impact for the reader, so it is very important to be careful and spend time thinking about what you are going to write.
It is recommended using certain extremely informal expressions only if they are appropriate for the context of the image (and, of course, for your audience).
In addition to that, when thinking about your statement, put down all the ideas that occur to you on a paper and check that it is clear and that it does not lead to misinterpretations. Avoid ambiguity to the maximum so that no follower remains unhappy or a message damages your brand image.
Try to be simple and objective, not using unnecessary words but expressing everything you want to say.
Emerged on Twitter, the hashtags were so successful that today their use is already extended to almost all social networks.
These are keywords related to the topic of the post, preceded by the symbol “#”. These hashtags act as content markers, that is, they indicate a greater context.
On Instagram, hashtags are a separate attraction and make all the difference in terms of engagement. Some users tend to search through hashtags, which can increase the chances that they will see your photo.
The app allows up to 30 hashtags to be used on each photo, but it’s no good overdoing it. It is advisable to use a maximum of five or six, always after the description.
To define these keywords, first look for terms related to your content. For example, if your store sells women’s fashion garments, include “#fashion” or, better yet, “#womenfashion” to get more reach. Also, investigate which are the most popular hashtags of the moment and see if it is possible to use them in any way.
Anyway, keep in mind the following Instagram writing restrictions:
- Within hashtags, you cannot use special characters like “?” or “&”.
- The platform does not recognize spaces between the words of the hashtag and, if you use them, it will only be counted as part of it to the first word.
- It does not differentiate between uppercase and lowercase letters.
Also Read: How To Choose The Best Hashtags For Instagram?
● Correct the errors
Fortunately, Instagram offers the option to edit texts. If you missed a spelling or typing error when posting, you can easily fix it.
Open the photo and click on the symbol with the three dots. Among the available options, you will find “Edit”. Select it, make the necessary modifications and save the changes. The faster you can correct your mistakes, the fewer people will see them and the credibility of your brand will not be damaged.
● Write attractive posts
The copywriting is a concept that is growing stronger in the mind of communicators and consists of creating commercial texts.
Its objective is to coordinate the verbal language of the brand to achieve the desired psychological effects.
How are your photos on Instagram? Do they suggest a more informal and relaxed lifestyle or do they seek to convey a certain formality? It is important that you have this clear answer because it will be the essence of each caption (the text of the post that accompanies the photo) that you publish on your profile.
The reality is that there is no right or wrong caption model: it all depends on the overall positioning of your business. What should never fail is the grammar you use in your language, which has to be impeccable: spelling and punctuation errors can make you lose credibility with your audience.
✔ Put the focus on your potential clients
Now that you know the keys to create quality visual and written content, let us have a look at some strategies to increase the visibility of your profile and the reach of your images.
● Locate your photos
Use the “Add to map” option on your images. Thus, customers who reside close to where your online store is will feel more confident when buying, since the delivery process can be faster and, in addition, you will provide them with greater security and confidence in their purchase.
If you forget to use this resource, you can add it later with the “Edit” option that we saw in the previous section.
● Plan the frequency of your posts
No posting every 5 minutes and bombarding your followers’ feed with photos! This practice, known on the internet as flood, is not seen with good eyes and can make people uncomfortable to the point that they stop following your profile on Instagram.
You’re not going to win customers just by being insistent: focus on producing memorable content and you won’t need to repeat it all the time. Keep in mind that the ideal frequency of posts is between 1 and 2 per day.
● Study the best times to post
Some internet specialists have already observed that there are times of the day and of the week when the number of people online is greater, which generates more visibility for your content.
In general, daytime and weekend hours are quite far-reaching, but there is no official recommendation because these factors may differ over time.
Therefore, it is advised that you discover the preference of your audience: start posting at different times and analyze the interaction in each post from the “Statistics” option.
In addition, in the “Public” tab, you can check the days and times when your followers connect the most and, thus, make the most of those moments to post your content.
● Find your target audience
Starting from the lifestyle related to your brand that we saw earlier, you have to make sure that your potential customers can identify with it.
To start getting followers on your company profile, you can ask family members or acquaintances to follow you. Even if you have a personal account on Instagram, you can send a follow request to some of the people who follow your profile. This will generate an initial credibility so that your business account obtains some relevance.
Then take advantage of one of the powers of hashtags that are mentioned above: do searches related to the terms that you are going to associate with your content and follow the profiles that publish things on these topics.
Also locate the followers of your competitors who probably already show interest in your segment. There you will have part of the journey!
Finally, it is interesting to spread your company profile on Instagram among your customers, telling them about it after they buy from you, inviting them to follow the news and, why not, to use the hashtags that identify your brand.
On the other hand, keep in mind that each profile can follow up to 7500 people (according to some research, up to 50 profiles every five minutes). Once this number is reached, you will have to delete contacts to follow new profiles, which is not very pleasant.
Therefore, it is necessary to follow only the users who respond to your initiatives.
✔ Get the most out of your stories
Because they are spontaneous and create a greater sense of closeness with the public, celebrities around the world are fans of Instagram stories, and brands are not far behind.
To take advantage of all its advantages and use them correctly, it is important that you take into account some tips.
Also Read: How To Get More Views On Your Instagram Stories?
● Keep regular
Do everything possible so that the stories you publish maintain the style of your brand constantly and think about doing something unique and creative to differentiate yourself from the competition: create the habit of publishing news about your store, your latest products, etc.
You can try different schedules and see if this influences the number of people who view your stories.
● Use emoticons, phrases, stickers and gifs
Emoticons, stickers, gifs and text can give your stories a fun and creative impression. But use them in moderation since their excess can:
- “Contaminate” the photo or video.
- Complicate the vision of your followers.
- Distract them from the message you want to communicate.
The stories last seconds and is better left as “clean” as possible so your followers can enjoy them completely.
Think about how to summarize the information you want to communicate with the minimum of words and accessories. If not, try to divide the message into a series of stories.
● Spread joy!
Let’s face it: what is not lacking on the internet is bad news. It is enough to enter any online newspaper and be left with a bitter feeling after reading its headlines.
Take the opportunity to do something different and create stories that convey some joy and smiles for your followers, they will thank you!
● Communicate interesting news
In addition to promoting your products, include other content related to your brand segment that interests your followers.
If, for example, you have a decoration store and you attend an important exhibition in the field, take advantage of these events to share at the moment all the photos and videos that may be relevant to your audience.
● Engage your audience
Choose the ” Poll ” function (survey) in the same section of the stickers that appear in your stories to better know your audience: ask for their opinion on different topics, interact with them, test your ideas for new products and have fun!
At the end of the survey (24 hours after posting it), you will be able to see the final result represented in percentages and share it with your audience.
You can also opt for the “Questions” function, where you give your followers the opportunity to ask you what they want!
This functionality is available as one more tag when you make a story, and offers the default prompt “Ask me a question”, but you can modify it with text, emoticons and colors. Look: Then, you can answer the questions of your followers one by one and, thus, establish a closer relationship with them.
In addition, those responses can be part of other stories that generate interest in your followers. But keep in mind that when you answer the questions publicly, the identity of the person who made the query will not be visible.
● Promote your products with paid ads
In addition to the ads that you can publish on the Instagram feed, there is the possibility of advertising on Instagram stories: a whole world apart! Not only because of its proportion, sound and duration, but also because you can incorporate the drawing tool (the same one you use in your stories when you publish content) and give your ads a personal touch.
✔ Convert your followers into customers
As we told you before, 1 in 4 sales made between Cloud stores is from sessions started from a social network, the main ones being Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest (in that order).
Therefore, being a sales channel with a lot of potential, it is very important that, as you get more followers on Instagram, you gradually take them to become customers.
Also Read: 5 Ways To Convert Your Instagram Audience Into Customers
Below are the keys to achieve it:
● Know your audience
It is not a minor fact to know where the audience that follows your brand is from, how old they are, how much time they spend on social networks and what are the most frequent hours, if they are women or men, etc.
All this data (and others as well) can be found daily in the statistics of your company profile.
It is ideal that you can update a monthly spreadsheet with all this data as your audience grows and, in this way, write down your own observations and comments to better align the content and promotions of your brand.
● Include clear and engaging calls to action
Customers like to be explained step by step: what is the link of the store, where do you have to enter to find that product that you saw in an Instagram story, etc. So, always include a “call to action” so your audience knows what to do.
For example, if you are promoting the bikinis of your last season through the stories, include a message that tempts your followers to go directly to your online store. Something like “Do you want to wear this bikini on your next trip to the beach? Get here! ”. These types of calls to action can work very well.
● Organize a monthly giveaway
Who doesn’t like to receive an unexpected gift? One of the simplest ways to keep your audience connected and interested in what’s new about your brand is to organize a giveaway.
But, and here is the key, the strategy consists of maintaining it over time: communicating to your audience that every month they will have a new opportunity to win a raffle, it can generate more interaction and interest in your products.
You can plan in advance what the gift will be (it can also be several, depending on the area of your business) and announce it through a post in the feed or in the stories.
● Enchant your followers
Who better than you to spread the love for your brand? Focus on your Instagram content in a way that makes your audience fall in love.
Try to make them diverse, visually attractive (taking into account the keys that we tell you above about photography and text), that they tell a story, that they excite and that they generate empathy.
Not only can you take advantage of the Instagram stories resource to show the “behind the scenes” of your brand, you can also present yourself as the owner of the store: it is a super-effective resource to spread the love for your brand and generate more interaction.
Customers like to know who is behind each business and connect from person to person. In this way, you will humanize your brand and achieve an enriching approach with your audience.
✔ Get to know the magic of storytelling
The storytelling (which means “storytelling”) is a marketing strategy very powerful based on recounting key moments of your brand and your business and share with your audience in order to achieve greater emotional connection with him.
Since the beginning of time, people made use of stories to communicate with their peers, convey their feelings, share a lesson and, why not, to stay in time.
Within marketing, stories have that magical component that differentiates them from other messages because they reach the heart of the public and bring them closer to your brand, creating a much deeper bond with them. That is why we recommend that you make use of storytelling!
In addition, and very important, this strategy can help you win new customers and retain current ones because you are connecting from an emotional place, where stories become unforgettable and emotion occupies the first place. But beware, the secret of storytelling is knowing how to detect which story can arouse the interest of your audience, since not all of them generate the same interest. Some that usually work very well are:
- Tell what you were inspired by to create your brand (here you can also tell if partners, family or friends helped you on this path).
- Share what were the main obstacles or challenges that you had (or have) to face in order to build your business.
- Show a prize that you have won (and what impact it had on your day to day).
- Introduce your collaborators, comment on what motivates them to work in your business, what are their favorite tasks and why.
Dare to tell the main moments of your brand on Instagram and be surprised with the results!
✔ Discover the Instagram algorithm
Have you ever heard of Instagram machine learning? It is a learning machine that understands what each user likes according to their actions within the network.
To define it, it is based on three fundamental variables: interest, relationship and novelty. And it is from the results of this machine learning that Instagram defines what it shows first to each user.
Therefore, if you want to understand more fully how the Instagram algorithm works so that your posts appear to your followers, do not miss our exclusive post!
Also Read: How Does The Algorithm Of Instagram Work?
✔ Instagram TV
Some time ago, Instagram launched the Instagram TV (IGTV) mobile application to create and broadcast longer videos than what was allowed until then.
Those videos have certain characteristics:
– Its duration is from 15 seconds to 30 minutes (and up to 1 hour if the account is verified).
– The format is vertical.
– Its size is 1128 x 2008 pixels.
This application competes directly with YouTube, which, to date, does not offer the possibility of watching videos vertically.
IGTV is very easy to use: it works as a free application that can be used both inside and outside of Instagram and where, as soon as the user enters, content from the people or brands that he follows and that he considers relevant to him begins to be reproduced (here too the Instagram algorithm that we told you in the previous section applies).
Tools To Sell On Instagram
Selling on Instagram became the great goal of many brands around the world. From large companies to small businesses: no one wants to miss out on the benefits of being present on this social network and increasing your sales!
Therefore, and so that your brand can also sell through Instagram, we tell you what are the tools you need to grow your business.
✔ Your Online Store
So that your client can find your products easily and quickly on the internet, it is important that you centralize everything you offer in one place .
And that’s what an online store is all about: when you create e-commerce, you are creating a professional space for your business with the unique identity of your brand.
Having a Cloud store allows you to:
- Access a professional design that is easy to configure and customize.
- Offer different means of payment and shipping.
- Integrate your store with other sales channels such as Instagram Shopping.
- Provide customer service through WhatsApp.
Thus, the purchase process is faster and safer for both you and your customers. Once you have created your online store, you are ready to integrate it with Instagram Shopping! Let’s see what this is about.
✔ Instagram Shopping
As we told you at the beginning of this guide, Instagram Shopping allows you to mark products with prices and links that can redirect your followers directly to your online store.
For example, a fashion brand can post a look and quickly tag up to five products in a single Instagram photo (or up to 20 in a carousel format).
And it doesn’t end there! From nine tagged posts, the account automatically wins the ‘Buy’ tab. To differentiate posts with labels from those that do not, Instagram adds the icon of a mini shopping bag so that your followers can identify them. The operation of Instagram Shopping in the stories is exactly the same as in the posts in the feed: you only have to create purchase labels on the products that you want to promote in the stories, in the same way that a person would be tagged in any post.
So when you create the tag and some follower touches it, they will see the following:
- An image of the product of your post.
- A description of the product.
- How much the product costs.
- A link that will take you directly to your online store, where you can buy the product.
To activate Instagram Shopping, some prerequisites are necessary: your account must be commercial and must be associated with a Facebook catalog, which can be created or managed in the Business Manager, by Facebook Business.
After complying with these conditions and requesting use, your profile’s access to the functionality will be analyzed by the Instagram team.
If your account is approved (this may take a few days) you will receive a notification from Instagram confirming that you already have the feature available in your company profile.
Brand catalogs are becoming authentic showcases within this social network, and the purchasing process is becoming easier and more intuitive. Instagram Shopping came to increase organic engagement, traffic and, above all, conversion.
Free Strategies To Sell On Instagram
So that you can take advantage of all the boost that Instagram can give your business, let’s have a look at some sales strategies that do not require the investment of money.
✔ The link to your online store on all Instagram!
One of the main free strategies to promote your brand and sell more on this social network is to take advantage of every possible space to add the link to your online store.
This is essential to be able, on the one hand, to facilitate the access of your followers to the products you show on Instagram and, on the other hand, to get a lot of juice from the effort you make with the generation of content.
Nowadays Instagram offers the option of adding the link to the online store only in two key places: in the biography and in the stories.
As mentioned above, the link of your store in the biography is essential so that, from the first moment, the followers know that you sell online and that they can access your e-commerce from that link.
But for those who still do not know you, it is ideal that you add in the posts that you think are most relevant, the famous phrase “Link in the bio”. In this way, all your followers will know that you have an online store and they will be able to buy from you!
Regarding the link in the Instagram stories, you need a minimum number of followers to put it there, until Instagram gives you that option. It can be done easily by tagging your account in the story and inviting your followers to click on the bio link. In this way, you will be able to take advantage of every space that the social network gives you to add your link and sell more on Instagram!
✔ Alliances and collaborations with other brands
The proposal consists of looking for a business that sells complementary products to yours (and that ideally already has a history in the online world) to organize joint actions on Instagram.
For example, if you have a bikini store, you can organize a raffle with a store that sells beach covers or travel accessories. Customers love this!
It is very important that you previously evaluate the audience that this business is aimed at to ensure that it is made up of people who could become followers and potential customers for your brand.
You can also create alliances with professionals from other disciplines to design new products and surprise your Instagram followers!
Are you already thinking about which brand you are going to contact?
✔ Actions with influencers
While some influencers (opinion leaders on social networks) do their work in exchange for financial remuneration, others also do it through product exchanges.
The reality is that the recommendations of these opinion leaders can become key for your customer to be defined by the purchase, which can have a very positive impact on your sales and on your quality and number of followers. Therefore, it is recommended working with influencers.
But beware, in addition to the influencers , there are also the micro-influencers .
Unlike the first, micro-influencers are people who dedicate themselves to a particular topic very thoroughly and share it on their Instagram account.
They have a less massive audience than the influencers, but one that interacts fluidly with them, who checks their content every day and who is faithful and trusts what they publish because they consider them experts on the subject.
In short, micro-influencers have a smaller but better defined audience, and the products they promote are closely related to their niche.
✔ Exclusive promotions
The last free strategy that we propose to sell on Instagram is promotional actions. But beware, they have to be exclusive actions only for your followers on the network, and not for everyone. That is going to make you feel special!
These promotions can be:
- Discounts.
- Coupons.
- Limited editions.
- Free shipping.
- Benefits on future purchases.
- Any other action you can think of.
All of them are very effective, but your choice will depend on the objectives of your business. For example, if what you want is to retain customers, you should offer benefits for future purchases. On the contrary, if what you want is to liquidate a remnant of products, you should opt for discounts.
You can spread these promotions through your feed posts or Instagram stories, but the important thing is that they are engaging and draw the attention of your followers.
So how to achieve a successful promotion on Instagram?
– With an original post (which includes excellent quality, striking colors and some impressive image).
– With a clear and neat legend which consists of all the details of the promotion.
– With a call to action at the end of the text in which you invite your users to participate.
– With the strategic hashtags for that promotion. Continuing with the bikini example, it could be #bikinisale #hotbikinis or whatever action you choose.
Exclusive promotions are usually irresistible for customers, take advantage of them to sell on Instagram!
Paid Strategies To Sell On Instagram: Instagram Ads
Due to its huge number of active users, Instagram Ads are a great way to reach your audience and achieve the goals of your advertising campaign.
In itself, Instagram Ads aims to show relevant ads to its users based on:
- The accounts that follow.
- Your preferences (likes).
- Your information and interests on Facebook (yes, all information is linked!).
- The websites and mobile applications that you visited or often visit.
Therefore, Instagram takes full advantage of the powerful Facebook Ads Manager tool to serve ads with a strong targeting ability, thus increasing the effectiveness of your ads.
Investing in advertising campaigns on Instagram can bring significant benefits not only to your business numbers but also to your brand itself. Let’s review some of them:
✔ Better brand positioning
Due to the 100% visual imprint that ads have on Instagram, the high quality that their images require and the aesthetic details that users expect, advertising campaigns on this social network can improve (and a lot) the current positioning of your brand. Don’t miss out on this opportunity and focus on the quality of your ads!
✔ Increase in followers
Instagram Ads also serve to grow the number of followers of your account and, thus, boost the community of your business.
This can later be reflected in an increase in sales, more interaction with followers and / or in a better perception of your brand on the part of your clients and potential consumers.
✔ Focus on target
You can use Instagram ads to set up campaigns for a specific purpose: publicize your brand, present a new product, launch your online store, etc. Thus, the ads become a precise tool to boost your marketing strategies.
✔ Closeness to the public
If we had to mention one of the main strengths of this social network, without a doubt one of them would be the possibility of holding contests in very attractive formats (such as the ones we tell you about Instagram stories) and obtaining almost immediate responses.
The ads that invite the user to participate in a contest are a very good strategy to capture their attention, make them participate in the actions of your brand and make them feel part of your community.
After the contest, you can work on an email marketing strategy by sending promotions to those users with the preferences you already know they have. This way, it will be easier to convert them into customers.
Do you want to create your first advertising campaign on Instagram? Don’t wait any longer and take advantage of all the advantages that this tool has for you!
Take advantage of this social network to reach potential customers who are browsing it and share valuable content. When you have their full attention, offer them a direct shopping experience with Instagram Shopping, where they can access all the information they need to buy from you (such as the price of the products and their characteristics).
After they choose the item they want, provide them with a reliable and professional channel to complete the operation: your online store, with your brand identity, a variety of payment and shipping options. Thus, you will sell more on Instagram.
