Do you want to increase brand visibility while also getting your products seen by a growing number of consumers? If so, Instagram is the ideal place to achieve these goals along with many others. The site boasts of more than one billion active monthly users, which surpasses any other social media network.
What’s nice about these large numbers is that most Instagram users are shoppers. If you know how to tailor your content, you can put out a marketing message and appeal to customers without being overly pushy.
Here are five powerful ways that you can use Instagram to market your online business to increase leads, conversions, and ultimately sales.
1. Create a Business Instagram Account.
While you may have thousands of followers on your personal Instagram account, you need to have a separate business account. Remember, social media marketing isn’t about you, it’s about your target audience. Consumers won’t be encouraged to buy your product after seeing selfies and vacation snapshots.
With your business Instagram account, you have the perfect place to post content that customers care about. This is a must if you want to get sales.
- To best optimize your Instagram profile be sure to:
- Include a link to your website to drive traffic
- Write a catchy bio
- Choose a profile image that’s consistent with your brand
By optimizing your Instagram business profile, you can promote your business and give all of the important details about your product or service.
2. Post Images Followers Will Love.
On Instagram, a photo is not only worth a thousand words, but it may also be worth a thousand follows and possibly even sales. In posting content to this social media network, you want to embrace the power of photos as a way to hook customers.
What’s great about photos is that the human brain loves them. Studies have found that 90% of the information that is transmitted to our brains is visual.
Be sure to avoid hard or pushy sales. You want to showcase your products without being overly promotional. Allow consumers to make their own decisions without feeling pressured by your business. This ultimately means that you’ll need to get creative when posting content.
Avoid posting a photo of your product with a description and broad hashtag. This will do nothing for your sales as consumers aren’t looking for sales pitches.
Instead, post pictures of your product being made. Share content posted by followers. This way you’re able to get your offering in front of viewers without being too upfront.
3. Know the Power of Hashtags.
Even if you have the best and most unique images on Instagram, you need a way to get people to see them. Your business only flourishes when your number of followers is consistently growing.
One of the best ways to reach more potential consumers is to use hashtags. Hashtags are the best way to widen your business’ discoverability. By using hashtags, you can prevent your content from getting buried. Hashtags link content by a keyword, allowing them to be easily found.
This means that each post should have at least one hashtag, but studies have found that 10 hashtags create the most engagement and interaction. You can research hashtags by:
- Looking at what’s trending in your industry
- Seeing what industry influencers are posting about
- Studying Instagram insights to see what your followers like the most
- Staying on top of industry news
By using the right hashtags on the right content, you can easily get Instagram followers, which increases your chances of making more sales.
4. Focus on Engagement.
Photos will get people talking, but there are even more effective ways to encourage engagement. One way to get followers talking about your brand is to offer exclusive announcements and promotions to Instagram followers. Special offers, insider announcements, and bonuses are always a great way to stir up interest in your business.
You’ll also want to use Instagram Stories and Stickers, which allow you to ask questions, create quizzes, and poll your followers. The more engaged consumers are, the more likely it is that they’ll make a purchase.
Engagement also makes your brand more personable and relatable. When consumers see you as less of a corporation and more of a person, you’re working in the right direction.
5. Be Active.
Social media is all about engaging and interacting. While you may post some of the most amazing photos, you also need to be amazing at interacting with your followers. This means following other people, influencers, and brands. It also means publishing customer content and conversing in the comments section.
Being active on Instagram shows followers that you care what people are saying and talking about. It also shows that you’re willing to take the time to interact with everyday people.
Remember, it’s your audience that ultimately drives the success of your business both on- and off-line.
Conclusion.
Instagram can be a truly powerful marketing tool for online businesses. These five tips are sure to help your brand become more visible and recognizable throughout the Instagram world.
