We are in the mobile marketing era where consumers more often access all the social media tools on smartphones than desktops, which is an alert for social media marketers. Of course, Instagram is a good choice, and the app works effortlessly on smartphones and all mobile devices. The vast platform has 1 billion active users, which is a goldmine for marketers and eCommerce brands. According to statistics, 71% of businesses use Instagram, and there are 2 million businesses that advertise monthly on Instagram. Compared to all the other social media sites, Instagram gets the most customer engagement.
Around 86% of the total number of active users buy products through smartphones. Local businesses reported receiving an increased ROI out of using Instagram. The following are some of the best ways to increase engagement and make more sales on Instagram.
Instagram Ecommerce Tips
Create a compelling Instagram profile
Suppose you don’t have an Instagram, download one. Now create an Instagram business account, fill in all necessary details and put your first post. That is the initial step, but this does not focus on sales. If you already have an app and a personal account, switch to a business account to gain access to analytics which provides data of various metrics like post-performance, followers insights, how followers interact with your brand, etc. Plus, a business account allows you to add physical location, opening hours, and contact information. A relevant username, your full name, a good profile photo, and an engaging bio are the essential elements of a business Instagram profile.
Also read: How to Increase Instagram Followers
In the entire name field, you need to write the full name of your business, from which Instagram automatically provides suggestions on available usernames. From the tips, you can pick the most relevant ones for your business. Use the same name and business name across all your interactions to ensure consistency of your brand and for people to recognize your brand more easily.
Having your brand logo as your profile photo can foster better brand recognition. Instagram recommends that profile photos be of 150 x 150-pixel resolution. People who visit your profile for the first time take a look at your bio first. So ensure that your bio convinces them the moment they see your bio, which must clearly say what your business is and how it stands unique from the others. Testimonials and feedback from customers are perfect for getting included in the bio. Avoid using hashtags in the biography because they are not clickable and will not appear in the search results.
Write good captions
While most business captions end with a call to action, it is essential to use the right words in the captions to boost the conversion rate. That is the reason why marketers test the waters with different words before turning the ad live. The takeaway is that potential marketers need a justification for why they should respond to a call to action. You can add some text to justify why you need to click the link in the bio. Several top brands who got this concept right in their minds achieved tremendous success in driving more conversions. Nevertheless, posts that include compelling captions are likely to receive auto likes on Instagram and subsequently boost your eCommerce to the next level.
Use hashtags
Studies conducted by Measured indicated that posts with a single hashtag received 12.6% more engagement than those that did not contain a hashtag. People love brands and to be associated with brands. So, they are more likely to search for branded hashtags than the other kinds of hashtags. Though Instagram allows you to add up to 30 hashtags, it is ideal to use the appropriate number of best to grab more engagement. When people find irrelevant hashtags in your posts, it is more confident that they will leave the page and might even unfollow you. Recently researchers found that using 11 relevant hashtags is an optimal practice to stick around for gaining maximum engagement.
Related Article: 11 Steps to Drive Sales from Instagram
Respond to followers
People follow your Instagram business account because they want to engage with you and indeed buy your products. But have you ever examined why some of them stop engaging and unfollow you? It might be because you may have failed to respond to their queries, suggestions, or comments. Such an attitude will make you appear unresponsive and more sales-oriented. Keep in mind that brand behavior has a lot of impact on eCommerce sales.
48% of consumers feel more connected and buy from brands that respond promptly to them. Failing to follow proper Instagram etiquette will not help you get profit from your business.
Get more creative
You can host Instagram giveaways within your budget to keep people engaged with your brand. People love to participate in giveaways and contests to win exciting rewards. In this manner, you can hold contests at consistent time intervals. Another best thing you can do is to host giveaways when you launch new products or services so that people who take part in the giveaways are more likely to buy your product. Be sure to provide the link to your website at the end of the giveaway to drive more targeted traffic for your website.
Must read: Scope of Facebook Advertisment
You may ask your followers to share their experiences about using your product and tag your brand. Now you may post this to Instagram stories as user-generated content. When other users see this user-generated content, they will more likely buy your product, increasing sales opportunities.
Spend time creating stories
Every year the number of users who watch Instagram stories is growing continuously.
More than 5 million videos were uploaded on Instagram within 24 hours when Instagram launched video posts in 2013. Research indicates that users below 25 years of age spend around 32 minutes daily watching Instagram stories. So eCommerce brands must head on to publish at least two stories every day to keep their audience hooked with the brand, which might take them to buy your product. While Instagram stories appear only for 24 hours, you can make them permanent by using Instagram story highlights and Instagram stories archive feature.
Think differently
While content is the one that makes you stand apart on Instagram, think of the counterparts for all the other social media channels. Try incorporating those elements into your Instagram marketing strategy. Connect your Instagram eCommerce store with your Facebook and Twitter pages so that a considerable amount of followers from there visit your eCommerce store as well. That is an excellent opportunity to get new customers who will buy your product.
Conclusion
Now that you have created an Instagram business account, it is time that you run your campaign strategizing your plan or learn instagram marketing You could also implement Instagram ads to increase conversions and sales. Creativity is the key to promoting your content which in turn increases sales and conversion.
