E-commerce has been growing for several years now and there are no signs that this will change anytime soon. It is also hard not to notice the transformation of social channels, which are increasingly inspired by sales platforms and online stores. They represent solutions designed for sellers and allow you to monetize content. Probably the most noticeable change is with Instagram. Recently, we have seen an app that is an inspirational platform, a diary that acts as an album of attractive photos, become an effective tool and business machine. So, how to make sales on Instagram effective?

Sales on Instagram – unlock the potential

Whether Instagram is selling is divided so far. However, its popularity cannot be denied by the statistics (and they are impressive!) — 83% of users admit that they regularly find new brands or products on Instagram, and 80% say that Instagram helps them decide about buying a product or service. Instagram is influencing consumer choices and preferences, and more and more retailers are recognizing the value of being on this platform. Instagram opens up a wide range of opportunities for attracting new customers. Thus, it is increasingly perceived as an excellent medium for advertising and sales. In this article, DaliWin digital will share some tips that will make Instagram a great (and effective!) element of your e-commerce strategy.

Create a business account

A business account on Instagram gives you many advantages that make it easier to promote your business on this website. There are probably companies that have built their success on a personal profile (since it also allows you to create posts, reports, and videos). However, it is worth remembering that the absence of a company account on Instagram deprives us of the possibility of extensive analytics and advertising opportunities, which are critical in sales. After we have a business profile (it needs to be created or switched from a personal one), it’s time to fill it out carefully and get ready to sell.

Here you should use all the necessary functions if you want to successfully run your business. The most valuable thing is access to large statistics, which, above all, will make it possible to better know and understand the observers. In addition to the analytics panel, another advantage of the business profile is the ability to create promotional posts and use the potential offered by the Store function. Benefits include sharing your phone number, email address, or location. Thanks to this, customers will be able to contact you instantly with the click of a button.

Create a store

The Instagram Store has many benefits, but the biggest one is undoubtedly that it encourages spontaneous shopping. Thanks to the store function, you can tag products in photos or stories, create collections and catalogs, send directly to the website to complete the purchase. All this means that the customer can make purchases in just a few minutes, which simplifies the process and significantly shortens the purchase path.

To set up a store, you need a business account and selling physical goods (you can’t currently offer services this way). Instagram must be linked to Facebook, and after linking the accounts, create a product catalog or link to an existing catalog. Products can be added via Facebook form or pixel. It is also possible to integrate the e-commerce platform with the Facebook page. Once the accounts are linked and the products are added, it’s time to check out. After verifying your account, you can activate the “Purchase” feature.

For a long time, Instagram has been testing the “Checkout with Instagram” option, which should allow the finalization of purchases within the platform. The functionality is aimed at speeding up the transaction, without the need to redirect to the site of an external store.

Add a shopping link in your bio

Instagram doesn’t allow you to add active links in your posts. So let’s place the link in the BIO section of the profile. By clicking on the link, you can go directly to the website or a specific subpage. Making sure the link has UTM parameters will allow you to accurately track traffic and sales in Google Analytics. This is a great option for those who use Instagram for sales. Remember to keep your links up to date. You can use it to direct to the main page, the current store promotion, the latest collection or a sub-page of a specific product where the user can immediately make a purchase. In publications and reports, you should encourage your followers to visit the site by clicking on the link in the biography.

Full BIO

Bio on Instagram is a showcase of a profile and the first impression is formed only once, so it is worth using the full potential of this space. Creating an interesting, attractive biography that will interest potential subscribers and set you apart from the competition will positively affect the image of the company, help build relationships with recipients and support sales. Think carefully about what you’ll include in those 150 characters and create a description that sets you apart from the competition. Test alternatives! Include in the description the characteristics of the company, its advantages and distinctive features, brand hashtags, information about new products, promotions, or sales. Keep in mind anything that you think can attract new customers to you.

When optimizing Instagram BIO, you should use functions dedicated only to company accounts. This includes, among other things, the ability to add contact buttons, such as a phone number, email, or directions if the company operates in a landline. Thanks to the features of the corporate biography, you will make it easier for customers to contact your company, and they will definitely appreciate it!

Create engaging relationships and videos

More and more often, Instagram users choose ephemeral content and videos, entirely refusing to view the photo feed. It is relationships and videos that are an important point of contact between the user and the brand. This is worth taking advantage of, especially because that Instagram offers several features that help increase the attractiveness of relationships (including those related to sales) and encourage users to buy even more products.

One option is to use a “Purchase” sticker to mark the product. Another is by using a “Link” sticker with a hyperlink to a product subpage, for example. To engage users and build brand loyalty, you should use elements that are not directly related to sales. One idea is to post InstaStories with a survey sticker and use the survey results for sales purposes, such as promoting a selected product. You can also use the countdown option, for example until the end of a promotion or a question and answer session about a new collection or a premiere product. On the other hand, creating your own branded stickers or gives (for example, with a brand logo or distinctive products) will help create a cohesive image and increase brand awareness.

Creating videos is an ideal way to present your offer in a non-standard way, to show the company or team “behind the scenes”. In videos, you can present the process of creating products, tell a little more about their use, or introduce your team. Videos, such as product tests or tutorials, will be welcomed. These activities have a positive effect on the company’s image and create trust among potential customers.

Build relationships with influencers

When talking about using the potential of Instagram for sales purposes, it is impossible to ignore working with influencers. Inviting people, skillfully chosen according to the nature of the brand, to cooperate can bring unexpectedly good sales and image effects. An influencer will present your product from a different perspective and add credibility to your brand. The referral potential of social media influencers is huge. Someone who is known, loved and appreciated using your product is social proof! InstaStories is a key content destination for promoting products in influencer campaigns. If you want to redirect users to your website or e-shop, use a link sticker and ask the influencer to use it in your report as well.

On Instagram, there are millions of people who have gathered giant communities in their profiles, who follow the actions of their favorites every day and follow them, including in terms of shopping. This is an opportunity for the brand to increase its awareness, promote it, reach potential customers and generate traffic on the website. However, it should be remembered that in order for the influencer campaign to be effective and bring the expected results, it should be well planned – starting from the development of the strategy, the selection of the right people and ending with the activity report.

Use advertising

According to research, a well-designed Instagram ad gets much more engagement than a Facebook ad. But this is not the only plus of paid classes on this platform. Advertising on Instagram has many advantages, so it is really worth considering this way of promoting your business. The biggest advantage of creating ads is the ability to precisely target potential customers (and this is probably the most important thing if your goal is to sell!). Instagram allows you to create your own advertising audience and create groups similar to our customers. In addition, the advantages of advertising include their relatively low cost and the ability to set a maximum budget. Thanks to this, we have full control over costs.

When you create an Instagram ad, you have access to three purposes: you can redirect recipients to your profile (for example, to encourage them to follow), send them to your website (to your store), and encourage them to send you a private message. If you want to get the most out of Instagram, the medium option is perfect! Instagram advertising campaigns offer many possibilities. The key to success is proper targeting and attractive advertising that skillfully fits the target group.

Analyze statistics and optimize activities!

A business account, unlike a personal account, allows you to collect a large amount of data about your followers. This is critical from the point of view of analysis and optimization of sales activities. Thanks to statistics, you will get to know and understand your followers better. You will get information about their behavior and see the actions of people who interact with your posts. You will learn about the effectiveness of the content in a certain audience, get data on the reach of the content and check the results of your activity on the platform.

How do Instagram statistics work? It’s basic! All you have to do is log in to your account, click on the menu and then on Statistics. How often should they be checked? The main thing is too regularly! It is worth developing a habit of checking and analyzing statistics. This allows you to monitor business activity on Instagram and, if necessary, optimize it. Analyzing statistics will help create relevant content adapted to the recipients, which will contribute to increasing brand awareness and support the sales process.

Generate traffic and sell

At this time, Instagram is considered one of the most effective sales tools in social networks! At most, it is designed for further stable growth. Finally, some tips to implement in your strategy to take advantage of this platform and start selling.

• Take care of your content. Make your photos and videos aesthetic and high-quality. Make sure the formats you created are correct.
• Create a special sale or promotion exclusively for Instagram followers. This is a very fascinating idea for getting followers and increasing conversions.
• Create an original concept for running a corporate Instagram account that will make you stand out from the crowd! Be consistent in this.
• Post regularly. Avoid communication downtime.
• Involve observers in discussions, ask their opinion on a specific topic (polls and questions will be very useful here!).
• Use user-generated content. Encourage customers to post and share photos of your products and brands.
• Tag products in publications and reports, add links to the store.
• Take advantage of all the possibilities offered by Instagram – create guides, carousels, use functional stickers in InstaStories.

In conclusion, Instagram has a lot of sales potential that you just need to take advantage of! Optimizing your account and sales activities is one of the key aspects of any eCommerce marketing strategy. It is worth taking full advantage of all the features and available solutions of Instagram. Thanks to this, you will receive tangible benefits – you will increase brand awareness, attract new customers, and as a result – increase the conversion rate. One of them will be successful sales on Instagram!