How to Boost Your Sales With Instagram: A Small Business Guide

Instagram is one of the most widely used social media platforms today.  According to Instagram data, more than 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile daily, and 60% of people say they use the platform to discover new products. Here are five ways to increase and boost your sales on Instagram.

how to boost sales with instagram

1. Set up an Instagram business account

The first step, and one of the most obvious ones, is to set up a business Instagram account that is entirely separate from your personal account. Within the Instagram app settings, you’ll find the option to “switch to business account.”

When you have a business account, you can add important information like a bio with a link to your small business website. Creating a business account over a personal one will give you additional benefits that a personal account doesn’t have access to, like analytical tools (which will be touched on later).

From your Instagram, there is only one way to directly lead a potential customer to your website: your bio. Because your bio is the only place where a link can be shared, it’s important to link back to your website or online shop. This is located at the top of your Instagram page right under your username and description. Create a successful bio that appeals to the audience you want to reach and reflects your brand image.

Setting up a business account also gives you access to insights, analytics, and data that is vital in growing your business. If you don’t have a business profile yet, you’re missing out on critical analytics that is vital in growing your account.

If your business sells physical goods that comply with Instagram’s merchant agreement and commerce policies, you can also partner up with an e-Commerce company. After uploading your content catalog and linking to your Facebook store, you are able to connect your product catalog with your Instagram business account. Doing so will help increase leads and sales on both platforms, helping you reach more customers when they are most active online. Your followers will be able to see a product tag on your post or story. When they click it, they will be redirected to a product page and a link that sends them to your website. This provides a smooth and continuous customer checkout experience, which will increase more leads and sales.

2. Engage to give your followers exclusive content

Instagram is great for finding potential customers with no hard-selling or spamming involved. To attract new followers, you’ll want to post engaging content, photos that are high resolution, and content that is visually appealing.

Use your creativity and vary your product photos while maintaining your overall brand image. Show behind-the-scenes pictures and videos to create an exclusive “inside only” type of following. You can create a community and fanbase by providing exclusive discounts, contests that are only available on Instagram, and free trials or products to give your followers.

3. Invest in Instagram ads

Consider investing in Instagram advertising to help reach a new target audience, especially if your business is fairly new. Create a lookalike audience to reach out to potential customers who are most likely to be interested in your brand. The great thing about Instagram ads is that they look just like regular posts, which avoids spamming your followers with inauthentic content.

You can also use retargeting ads on Instagram to help reach people who have already visited your website and expressed an interest in your business. To get started, create and download a Facebook Pixel, insert it to your website, and upload your product catalog into Facebook Business Manager. The ads will then be automatically created based on the products viewed on your site and the product image.

4. Make use of Instagram influencers & brand ambassadors

Instagram influencers and brand ambassadors allow you to create a network of people who can share you business and products. To promote your content and expand your followers, consider using influencers and ambassadors that reflect your brand.

Influencers and brand ambassadors can share your products with their large number of followers, thus reaching more potential customers. To find influencers that align with your business, use tools to drive traffic to your content.

5. Use analytics to measure your growth

As stated, another perk of creating a business Instagram account is that you’ll have access to analytics. Using analytics data helps you know what type of content your audience resonates with and what kind of content drives the best results. You have crucial info at your fingertips, like how many people viewed your product information and how many followers visit your website.

Using Instagram analytics will give you a better understanding of what hashtags, products tags, product descriptions, and product types are popular with your followers. This information is important when identifying buying patterns in your customers, and for measuring small business growth.

Using the steps described above—and fine-tuning your Instagram strategy—can be a huge catalyst for growth for your business. By accurately measuring your analytics, engaging with your followers, investing in Instagram ads, and setting up a bio and link that reflect the tone of your brand, you can gain more followers and ultimately more customers.

Natasha Ponomaroff is the Director of Communications of Instasize – a content creating tool kit for anyone editing photos and online content on mobile. A weekly contributor on the site’s blog, Natasha tracks social media trends and updates the millions of “creatives” who are currently using Instasize to curate awesome online content. When she isn’t writing up the latest trend, Natasha is overseeing a team of 10 over at the Instasize HQ – ensuring that the marketing content on the apps various social platforms is ready to go.

These views are made solely by the author. 

These views are made solely by the author.

Natasha Ponomaroff

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