How to Use Instagram to Promote Your Brand and Drive Sales
Internet Marketing Services
Would you like to get your products and brand seen by more people, grow a strong following of customers who really relate to your brand, and get paid? If so, then Instagram is your magic spell.
Now that Instagram has over 300 million monthly users (that’s more than Twitter!), many brands are finding ways to interact with the Instagram community and earn personally invested customers who keep coming back for more.
But it’s not just the numbers you should care about. It’s the people using Instagram.
Instagrammers are shoppers. Iconosquare’s 2015 Instagram study shows that 70% of IG users report having already looked up a brand on the platform. Plus, 62% of users follow a brand just because they like it!
If you post the right Instagram images, consumers soak up your marketing message without any hard sales pitches from you; hence, your magic spell for appealing to customers without “selling to them.”
Shoppers turn to social media for references. So the moral of the story is this: Instagram helps convert passive shoppers into confident customers.
If you’re new to the Instagram world, no worries. Everything you need to know to market your brand on Instagram is covered here. And if you aren’t a noob, we’ve got you covered, too, with the more advanced tips you don’t usually see.
Let’s get started.
Set Up Your Optimized Business Instagram Account
If you’re going to Instagram for your business, your account must be separate from your personal one.
Keep in mind that marketing is all about the audience and not about you, so selfies and snapshots of your Costa Rica trip with the significant other should stay personal. They’re not relevant to your customers and won’t get you sales!
In fact, “you” should rarely appear on your brand’s IG page, or even not at all. We’ll get to more about what to post in the next section.
First, here’s the rundown on how to optimize your professional Instagram presence for greater customer appeal.
Include a Link to Boost Traffic to Your Site
On Instagram, you have only one opportunity to directly lead a click over to your website.
Your bio is the one place where your link is clickable, right under your name and description at the top of your Instagram page. Always include the link to your online shop or a targeted landing page in this spot.
Stay Recognizable with a Consistent Name and Photo
All your Instagramming will be for nothing if the pieces don’t easily fit together to show what your brand actually is. The key is to stay recognizable! Choose an Instagram name that’s the same as, or related to, your business’s name across other social media channels.
Keep your profile image consistent as well. All your interactions and engagement on Instagram will be accompanied by the little thumbnail of your profile pic. Make sure it’s something recognizable and professional!
Include an Informative and Interesting Bio That Hooks Followers
Before people hit Follow on your Instagram, they have to click through to your profile. So make sure the last thing people see before deciding to follow you is a catchy and informative bio. Convince them of the value and content you’ll add to their feeds.
Include your business name and a concise description of what you actually do.
Keep it light and interesting, and avoid a salesy tone. Instagram is a unique culture different from your online shop or even your other social media sites. Craft a bio that appeals to the IG community you want to reach and reflects the tone of the images you plan to share.
When in doubt, follow this trusty bio-writing formula: who you are + what you do + a pop of personality.
Keywords and hashtags won’t really matter since they aren’t searchable when they’re on your bio.
Sometimes you might want to include a hashtag in the bio. For instance, if you run a hashtag campaign (we’ll get to that a little later), then including the #hashtag you’re known for could be useful.
You can always change your bio to promote your latest campaign, sale, or launch. And, again, don’t forget a link!
Source: Kissmetrics
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