How to exploit the full potential of Instagram and expand your business by selling through social media.
Until a few years ago, he was at the top of the list of the most popular and used social networks: Facebook.
Today things have completely turned around, and we can confidently say that Instagram has stolen his place.
The consequences? If at first glance it seems irrelevant, on closer inspection, it affects not only the new standards of communication but also, above all, a new way of selling.
That’s why everyone is wondering how to sell on Instagram.
But let’s take a step back and try to understand why Instagram is so popular.
Table of Contents
Instagram: What Does This Social Network Allow Us To Do?
Instagram is a social network with millions of users.
From 2010, the year of its launch, to today, Instagram has gone from a simple photo-sharing social network to a real market agent :
- 70% of companies have an Instagram profile, which in 2019 spent 2.38 billion on influencer marketing;
- The estimated total is over 25 million companies on Instagram;
- 50% of users follow at least one company account ;
- Social media is considered the most helpful platform for a call to action and interaction between company and customer.
These data are enough to understand how marketing has changed today and how the market has also oriented itself on social networks.
We realize that the way of marketing, advertising, and selling has become almost entirely virtual by now.
In this ever-changing world, three main characteristics make Instagram stand out over others:
- Visual content
- Interactive content
- Fast content
Instagram influences our way of seeing, our style, and our way of buying and, therefore, selling.
Instagram And Influencer Marketing
Today, Influencers have become more trusted than any brand.
Brands have to go through the screening of users with the most prominent followers to sell.
Even if, in practice, this is not quite the case, the innovative aspect that arose with Instagram is that anyone could become an influencer and therefore decide on the luck or not of a brand.
We know that earning a place among the millions of social network users is not an easy thing.
Yet Instagram remains a reality where small and large entrepreneurs can sell.
If you have a small business and would like to expand, or you are a freelancer who wants to sell their services, understanding how to sell on Instagram will be for you.
How To Use Instagram To Sell Your Products And Services?
Before starting, it is necessary to make a minor premise.
Opening an account on Instagram and starting to publish photos of your products or propose your services will not be enough to reach a large audience.
Instagram is, yes, a social network that allows you to have excellent visibility and impact, but it must also be supported by other elements: videos, text, and stories.
So here are some tips:
- Learn how these tools work before starting your sales strategy or rely on an expert in the sector;
- Link your social profile to your company website. You can fully show your product offer, your contacts, and all the information concerning your brand on the site.
- Also, create a Facebook page; it will be necessary when you have to use the most valuable sales functions of Instagram
- Also, consider opening a YouTube channel; communicating with videos will help you expand the ideas you provide on Instagram.
The support network for your Instagram business is ready; now, you can take action.
What Are The Best Strategies For Selling On Instagram?
We have collected 7 tips to help you present your products and services to the public on the Internet and guide them towards buying.
Optimize Your Instagram Profile
Yes, even and above all, on Instagram, you have to do things right.
Unfortunately, a few photos posted here and there are not enough without a particular thread.
First, you can view some profiles and get an idea of how they are set up.
In short, a peek at what the competition does and how it does it.
The main characteristics of a profile are:
- Consistency: The shape must first all show photos consistent with each other, both for the subjects and for the choice of the color filter. Don’t rely on preset filters, but try to find something original that sets you apart. The idea is that the photos reflect the style of the company and, why not, the colors of your logo;
- Actuality: Try to be present on Instagram every day and, when necessary, even several times a day. This society lives in the present and immediacy; that’s why stories are so successful. Getting familiar with the stories they are the best way to affiliate customers;
- Interaction: This is crucial, so write an engaging text and inspire people to comment. Reply to all comments and have your say on other profiles. You need to create a community, so try to use friendly and personal language.
Create A Business Account
Instagram gives the possibility to create three types of accounts :
- Basic: your personal or private profile.
- Business: the business account that offers many exciting options: view statistics, add the contact button, and enter your business address. The essential tool for you is the statistics, which show you a complete view of the progress of your posts: how many people have seen them, how many have interacted but above all, the demographic information about your audience. Keep in mind that to have a Business account, you must also have a Facebook page.
- Creator: a halfway between the other two. This is a profile created specifically for all those who work with Instagram but do not have a business. So, in addition to influencers, we can consider all the people who sell a service, such as celebrities, photographers, artists, etc.
Sponsorship
You can buy, even for a few euros, an advertising space to sell on Instagram.
Remember: all sponsored posts are marked as advertisements, but it could work well if you get the right message.
Influencer
Don’t forget to invest or partner with influencers to sponsor your products.
It can be a very effective resource.
Shopping Tag
The shopping tag is an option to sell on Instagram, available only for business profiles.
What’s it about? The shopping tag allows you to connect the product displayed in the photo with its e-commerce.
This allows the user to view the price and facilitates the buying interaction.
Shopping With Stories
We talked about it a while ago: stories are a real strength in implementing your business.
Just click on the sticker icon of the stories and add the related product.
This option can be handy in case of an offer or the release of a new product.
Shopify And BigCommerce
If you want to sell online, you can’t ignore these two platforms.
They are two e-commerce sites on which it is possible to create an online store and be affiliated with Instagram.
And now? Space for your creativity and your products.
Remember, the most important thing is to stand out. Create something new and captivating. Be provocative, but don’t overdo it; surprise people and make your product and experience.
Only in this way will you be able to get noticed by the immense community of the most loved social network of all time.
