You may have an Instagram profile where you post pictures/videos of your products or services but you’re not sure where to go from there to increase sales. You may be wondering what hashtags do or how to reach your audience. Keep reading for some creative tips and tools to help you win more business on Instagram.
Use Instagram Shopping if you’re an e-commerce business
Instagram Shopping is a set of features that make it easy for potential customers to shop your products from the moment they discover it through your posts, stories and ad campaigns. A potential customer can watch your Instagram story about your new baking tools and they can proceed to checkout in-app in just a few steps. This will improve your sales and bring more traffic to your business. A recent study shares that 82% of surveyors discovered a product on social media and bought it directly on their phone. The study also found that 42% prefer to check out directly in-app instead of using third-party websites. Instagram Shopping provides these conveniences for you.
For visuals and a more in-depth explanation of what Instagram Shopping is, click here.
Other Instagram features can be strategic tools to showcase your business. Some of these other features are:
Reels: These are short videos that will bring your brand to life.
Instagram stories: You can post a collection of photos and videos that appear at the top of the app, above the news feed. It is also an effective way to conduct polls and get quick feedback.
IGTV: This is Instagram’s longer video format. Instagram announced in February 2022 that IGTV will be discontinued to focus on shorter video formats. So don’t spend too much time learning this one.
Instagram guides: You can present your content on Instagram in a format similar to a miniature blog.
Why are hashtags important in e-commerce?
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the pound symbol (i.e. #fitness) included in your posts that is used on many forms of social media, including Instagram. Hashtags connect you with others’ posts within the app that use the same hashtag. This collects similar topics, conversations, events and themes that is searchable through the app.
Here are five ways you can take advantage of hashtags:
Increase engagement with customers: You can find and be found by potential customers by searching different hashtags in-app. Searching for hashtags that reference your business or business values can connect you with more customers. On Instagram, users can follow certain hashtags that lead them to your profile. If you use the hashtag #Disneyland in a post, someone searching through #Disneyland can find your post. When you find relevant posts from potential customers, you are able to like, comment and gain new followers.
Build brand awareness with branded hashtags: Create a branded hashtag to promote your business. This can be your company name or a phrase that identifies with you. The Utah Jazz uses #utahjazz or #takenote to promote games, players, team events and campaigns. The President of the United States uses #potus so that users can find government updates easily.
Show support for social issues: By using hashtags about social issues, you are able to expand your brand beyond your typical online audience. A company can show their support for mental health by posting about how they are in support of improving mental health within their company and using the hashtag #mentalhealth. By reaching beyond your normal online audience, you can expand your brand to new groups.
Add context to your social media post: Sometimes short captions to your Instagram post are more effective. If you want to add more depth and understanding to your caption without using many words, add hashtags that provide context to your post.
Disclose your sponsored partnerships: If you have sponsored partnerships with an influencer, they are legally obligated to disclose that they have a sponsored partnership with you in their content. If you have partnerships with other brands, make sure that the brand approves of your content before adding their branded hashtags.
How to increase customer loyalty by responding to comments/direct messages
It can be challenging to know how to initiate conversations and how to create interesting topics with customers online. Here are a handful of effective ways to increase engagement:
Ask creative, conversation-sparking questions for your customers to respond to: Generic questions such as “What is your favorite flavor ice cream?” will not get many responses. Instead, give them a multiple choice answer that makes it easier for the customer to think about, thus easier for them to respond to.
Create contests: Add a giveaway incentive or cash prize for those that have the best answer to your question. If your target audience are moms, create a contest where whoever can share “the funniest thing their kid does” will receive a giveaway prize. This will generate a lot of comments! Keep in mind that there are giveaway/contest regulations for social media. You can learn more about those rules here.
Conduct a Q&A session on Instagram Live: You can create a live video of yourself conducting a Q&A with your customers. This is a great way for them to see you and how your business operates.
Why do collaborations help you increase online sales?
Collaborating with other brands will increase your engagement with potential customers when tagging partnered accounts in your posts. In return, your partnered brands will tag you in their posts which will drive more traffic to your page. Your partnered brands’ endorsement will encourage their customers to learn more about your brand, gain more credibility and increase sales. Make sure that expectations within your partnerships are clear. The goal of partnerships is to help both brands grow their business.
Instagram has many features to increase your sales! Creating a well-rounded approach to marketing on Instagram creates a seamless shopping and buying experience, and can be an effective way to earn more revenue. Excited to try out these tools and tips? If so, fill out the contact form below and we’ll get back to you quickly!