How to use Instagram to drive sales
How to use Instagram to drive sales – Instagram is one of the best social media platforms to build relationships and trust with your audience and this is often one of the first steps of converting your followers into buyers and getting them to click over to your shop/blog/website
Whereas Twitter is great for community and Pinterest is great for driving traffic, Instagram is great for building trust with your audience.
And the best part? Instagram has a global audience, meaning a global reach!
#1. It starts with your Bio
You need to have a good bio which indicates to the audience that you are there to provide them a transformation / solution with something they struggle with. Or you can also use your bio to let people know exactly who you are and what you do. Everything in your bio from your profile picture to your description should be on brand and should appeal to your target audience.
For example, since the bio is the only part of Instagram where you can have a clickable link it is important to utilize this feature in a strategic way.
#2. You must have…a CTA
Tell your followers to click the link to receive 10% off or click the link to see more colours. It has been shown that if you TELL people to do something they are more likely to do it. So don’t hesitate and tell them to “grab” this or “click” that! In Instabuzzing we go over CTA exercises that help you come up with a few that work for you!
#3. Instagram is direct
You can sell directly to your customers on Instagram since it is such a highly visual platform. Therefore, your potential customers can see your product, so the key is to take good photos of your products! You can take a great product and not take a good image – blurry, too dark, not sharp – and really lower the potential of buyers wanting to buy! In Instabuzzing we dedicate one whole module to Visual Strategy where we cover photography basics and provide other actionable strategies to make your feed cohesive and consistent.
If you are selling a higher price product, it’s always great to utilize Instagram as a step in your selling process. What do I mean by that? Instead of selling directly – provide lots of value along with your Instagram posts and ask them to click the link in your bio to grab a freebie. This way you get them on your mailing list where you can build trust and authority and eventually pitch your higher priced product/service to them!
How to use Instagram to drive sales
#4. Make your Instagram full of exclusives
Another way to utilize Instagram to drive sales is to offer special sales discounts or coupons to your Instagram followers exclusive to Instagram. If people feel that by joining your Instagram they will remain up to date on all these exclusive offers and discounts then they’ll want to follow so not to miss them. The more they keep up and see your Instagram posts the more they are likely to buy!
#5. Make your Instagram public
If people can’t see what your Instagram account is selling, or what your feed looks like right off the bat – then there is no incentive to give you a follow or buy from you. By the time you see their request to follow you and you approve, they can very much land on another profile which is public and has similar content/products/services as yours, therefore, increasing the likelihood they will follow and buy from the other profile than yours!
#6. Be consistent
Make sure your business name is in your handle and your handle is the same across all social media platforms including Instagram. Then you need to go engage with your potential clients. You can’t just post and disappear – interact!! With interaction the likelihood of your potential clients following you goes up and so the likelihood of them buying from you goes up. This is the exact chain of events that occurs when you have a cohesive feed with beautiful images!
Yours to Success
