Instagram is the fastest-growing social media platform; since its establishment in 2010, it has gained over 800 million users, 130 million of them being in the US alone. Moreover, it has 25 million business profiles, and 90 percent of users follow at least one business. So, what does the widespread use thereof mean for your business?
Typically, Instagram allows you to market your brand to a broad audience without hard selling to potential customers. Ready to get started now? Check out our ultimate guide to RevOPs here! However, for you to successfully use the platform to sell your brand, there are a few things you need to learn. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
Switch to a business profile
The very first step to using Instagram for marketing is to open a business account; here, you can easily switch your current account in the settings rather than registering a new one. To make your business profile suited for your audience, make use of these tips:
• Make it about your customers and not business
• Use it to promote content or events relevant to your audience
• Include links for users to explore
• Encourage users to interact with your business
An Instagram business profile offers numerous benefits to your brand: For instance, followers can get in touch with you through the site without having to go to the website. You are also able to assess your brand's outreach through Instagram analytic tools to see how customers are interacting with it. This will help you understand the areas you need to improve on to make your business more successful.
Leverage free Instagram tools
Instagram tools are integral to your brand as they provide a better assessment of your audience vis-à-vis how they interact with your business. Basically, you can view statistics such as impressions, engagement data, and demographics (in relation to age, location, gender, and hours they are most active).
These tools are critical to your marketing efforts as they give you a clear view of how users are interacting with your brand. With this information, you are able to adjust your strategies and content accordingly to boost engagement.
Post product teasers that urge customers to buy
Instagram is certainly the ideal place to advertise and showcase your products through photos. You can tease your audience with photos and images of the products, of course without being too salesy to avoid pushing them away. Be sure to incentivize them with attractive discounts and new items while guiding them on how they can make purchases.
Learning how to sell a product without coercing or nagging your users can go a long way in boosting your business growth. Product teasers can urge customers to buy a product, or at least like, comment, or share your post with their users.
Create sponsored ads
Sponsored ads allow you to target users more effectively; initially, only users who followed your account could see your content and updates. However, with sponsored ads, you can promote photos to anyone who fits the description of your target customers regardless of whether they are following you or not. This helps to increase your reach to a broader audience, in turn boosting your brand. Sponsored ads can be in various forms;
• Photos
• Videos
• Stories
• Stories canvas
• Dynamic ads/ carousel
Remember to keep your content engaging and relevant to the target audience you are placing an ad on to connect better with them.
Use interactive branded hashtag
Branded hashtags are great in creating instant engagement with your customers. Moreover, they serve as free advertising for your brand as followers can use them to generate content and share photos under the hashtag. This works to sell your business to more people at no cost. If you have a popular brand phrase that customers relate to, you can use it to create a branded hashtag. Note the content and time you post determines how users interact with your hashtags.
Summary
Instagram is undoubtedly the place to go for business marketing, thanks to its ability to attract millions of users every day. Learning the nuances of using it as a marketing tool, from using Instagram tools to creating sponsored ads, is critical in leveraging the vast opportunities it offers.
At The Insight Studio, we strive to help your business grow by guiding you on how to make use of various marketing tools. Reach out to us to learn from our Revops experts!
