When it comes to promoting an online store, Instagram is unrivalled. Statistics show that more than 60% of Instagram’s monthly active users engage with brands and businesses there.
Instagram has evolved significantly from its origins as a simple photo-sharing platform. Features like “product tagging” in posts and “shopping stories” have transformed it from a social network to a legitimate platform for e-commerce.
However, merely having an Instagram account won’t do much for your business; you’ll also need strategic planning and tools to really rev up your sales, as we discussed in our previous post on Instagram marketing for e-commerce stores.
Create social proof
When new customers see that existing customers are pleased with their purchases, they are more likely to make a purchasing decision in favour of your business. This psychological principle exemplifies the weight of consumer feedback.
High-quality Instagram followers are attainable by consistent publishing of engaging material, which can in turn boost an online store’s social proof. As word spreads, customers will buy more and more people will become converts.
Refine your bio and profile settings
Your first order of business is to switch to a professional persona. Simply switch it on in the options menu. Some of the things it will let you do include advertise your posts and deals, sell your wares, and analyse the data from your posts to see how successful they were.
You should use the store’s logo or some other appropriate image as your profile photo. If you want people to remember you on Instagram, you need to show off your logo or the things you sell in your profile image.
Your Instagram bio is the sole area to market your Ecommerce site’s URL if you don’t have more than 10,000 followers.
Use shoppable content as much as possible
Although Instagram’s new “shoppable posts” feature makes it possible for users to browse, choose, and purchase things without ever leaving the app, not all businesses have access to this feature.
Directly connecting Instagram posts to product pages is a great way for Ecommerce stores to reach new customers and strengthen ties with existing ones. In addition, followers may check out your Instagram store feeds directly from your profile. You can turn any Instagram post into a shoppable one with the Shoppable Instagram plugin for the Magento e-commerce platform.
Launch the contests and freebies already
Starting giveaways and contests every so often is a great approach to establish trust and engage with your Instagram followers. It’s common sense that offering freebies to customers is a great strategy to boost sales.
Holding a contest is a great way to get people talking about your online store. If you want more people to see your business’ Instagram posts, you can encourage your followers to tag their friends and use specific hashtags.
Tell compelling tales
Instagram has cornered the market on “stories,” and e-commerce companies are making good use of this function. The effective tale function can be used in a wide variety of ways to improve your online shop’s performance.
Share the user-created stories on your Instagram account. Doing so will show current consumers that you value their feedback while also providing social proof to entice new clients.
Use the narratives to advertise your upcoming events and discount offers. It’s a great strategy for raising brand recognition for your online store.
Broadcast the unveiling of your new product launch live on Instagram. Live streaming to your audience will get them more interested in your items and increase the likelihood that they will interact with them.
Make the most of trending hashtags
Using hashtags is one of the most effective strategies to reach Instagram’s organic audience.
Instagram hashtags function similarly to search engine keywords. Promote your online store by using relevant hashtags.
If your online store is a recognised brand, you should use branded hashtags in your posts’ descriptions and tales. And if your company isn’t yet a household name, don’t fret; hashtags will still help spread the word.
Create a unique hashtag for your contest to make it more engaging. The content entries can then be distinguished from one another.
Hashtags that are too broad, such #instamood, #instagood, etc., are popular on Instagram. Use these in every Instagram post you produce.
Promote temporary sales and seasonal discounts
Time-sensitive promotions are still effective. They significantly increase the conversion rate since customers feel that they won’t be able to take advantage of the attractive prices for too much longer.
Researchers have found that spontaneous personality factors like emotions and self-identity account for more than 80% of the purchases inspired by promotional sale offers during the holidays and festival seasons. E-commerce companies and brands are well aware of this, and they capitalise on people’s irrational need to buy things on holidays.
Overview
In the beginning, consistency in posting high-quality content is especially important. You should work on growing your organic Instagram following before you start selling anything there. Also, do what you can to increase your customer base via word of mouth.
And when your audience grows, you can use shoppable content, contests, freebies, and so on to boost revenue.