You already know Instagram is huge for eCommerce.
But you might be asking yourself, “How can I grow my business on Instagram?”
Hey guys!
I’m Jessica with Oberlo, and today I’ve got 10 tips that will get you views, likes,
shares, and sales with Instagram.
Alright, let’s get ‘gramming.
[Hack #1 - Switch to An Instagram Business Profile]
If you use Instagram for business, consider switching to a business account.
With an Instagram business account, you can monitor real-time metrics on the performance
of your posts.
You can also add additional content to your profile, like a customer support number, to
make it easier for customers to contact you.
With a Instagram Business account, you also have access to more data.
You can find out which posts performed the best and see what times your followers are
online.
With this information, you can start optimizing each and every post.
The only downside to creating an Instagram business profile is that everything you post
will be public and accessible.
But then again, if you’re using Instagram for business, you probably don’t want to
be private.
[Hack #2 - Use Instagram Carousels]
Instagram carousel posts let you upload 10 images in one post.
Carousels are perfect for when you want to post several items from the same collection.
For example, if you just launched a collection of embroidered apparel, you might choose to
make one post about that collection, and feature several product photos in that post.
Carousels are also great for launching a promotion.
For example, if you have a Buy Two Get One Free promotion, the first image in your carousel
can let users know about the sale, and the other images in the carousel can showcase
the products.
Finally, if you host an event, you can use Instagram carousels to let people browse event
pictures.
People who are interested in the event pictures can flip through the carousel, and everyone
else can skip it without seeing multiple posts about the same event.
[Hack #3 - Find Instagram influencers]
Influencer marketing can boost your Instagram following count and boost your sales.
But you might wonder - are influencers expensive?
Well, they can be.
But there are a few tricks to finding accounts that are both affordable and profitable.
First, if you’re starting a brand new store, reach out to influencers with small audiences
— let’s say under 10,000 followers — and ask if they’d be willing to do a post for
a free product and affiliate commission.
Sure, you’ll get a lot of rejections, but some influentials will be open to your idea.
Second, if the goal is to get sales, reach out to influencers within your niche who actively
post sponsored posts.
You can browse sponsored posts using keywords like #ad or #sponsored.
Just be careful about paying influencers who have big followings but aren’t niche-specific.
There is a risk that that investment won’t pay off.
[Hack #4 - Instagram Takeovers]
Instagram takeovers are when someone else takes over your Instagram account for the
day, typically to post Instagram stories on your behalf.
This strategy is awesome for gaining followers and generating buzz for your store.
Instagram influencers are great for takeovers, but If you’re on a tight budget, you can
ask employees or fans of your page to takeover your account instead.
After any takeover, make sure to analyze the data, because not all takeovers are made equal.
For example, one influencer might bring in thousands of new followers for your brand
while another influencer doesn’t bring any.
You’ll want to note what works and what doesn’t before you decide to invest in this
strategy again.
[Hack #5 - Take advantage of Instagram Live]
Instagram Live is a great feature to use for Q&As, launches, and big announcements.
Done well, Instagram Live can humanize your brand voice.
Let’s take an example.
Say you run a meditation store.
You can do daily live meditation sessions on Instagram at the same time each day to
build your audience.
Or maybe you run a children’s toy or clothing store.
You might do a Q&A with parents to answer questions about what toys are popular right
now, or general topics like how parents can spend more quality time with their children.
One of the cool things about Instagram Live is that you can go live with a guest who’s
in a different location.
This works great if you want to have an expert join in on your live session without physically
being there.
Your audience will still see both of you in the session.
You can bring in guests each week to offer your customers a unique look into your niche
from top experts.
This keep guests watching your account, visiting your store, and hopefully buying your products.
[Hack #6 - Remove business tags for negative customer photos]
As your business grows, you’re bound to have negative customer photos pop up on Instagram.
And that could be for any number of reasons.
You can’t stop people from posting negative comments.
But you can take the right steps to solve the issue.
First, you’ll want to untag yourself from negative photos before addressing the customer.
Fans of your page can access tagged photos, which can lower your sales.
Next, make sure to apologize on the Instagram post itself.
Try to resolve the issue with the customer by offering a refund or replacement.
Once the customer is satisfied, then you can ask them to delete the photo.
Some customers may not delete the photo, but many will consider your request.
One thing to note: If you notice you receive a high volume of negative reviews on a specific
product--say, more than the standard 1-2%--then it’s time to consider removing the product
from your store.
[Hack #7 - Shoppable Instagram galleries]
A shoppable Instagram gallery is a page you can add to your website that includes all
of your Instagram posts.
The main difference is that there are clickable links that customers can use to buy products.
Shopify has lots of good apps in their app store that let you easily install shoppable
Instagram galleries.
Snappt, Covet Pics, and Social Shop Wave are some of the most popular.
I put some links in the description.
Keep in mind that the goal with an Instagram gallery isn’t to feature every product on
your store.
Instead, focus on finding and selling your best sellers.
[Hack #8 - Share video content]
Creating your own original video content is a great way to stand out in your customer’s
Instagram feeds.
And you know what?
It’s fine to record on your phone for Instagram.
If you can’t invest in special lighting, just stand close to a window with transparent
blinds, and bam!, you have nice, pleasant soft lighting for your videos.
In your videos, you can give tips about your niche or create short how-to videos.
Say you’re in the yoga niche — you could create videos of you mastering poses.
If you sell yoga pants, wear them during your video!
Or you can create video content where you talk about body awareness, posture and other
topics that are near and dear to your yogis heart centers.
[Hack #9 Show off your customer photos]
Customer photos are the social proof that every business needs.
If a customer posts a picture of your product, their followers see your brand.
That means a whole new audience for you and your products...
Keep your own photography for the featured images on your website and Instagram account,
but when customers post pics of your products, let the world know!
Just make sure that before you use their photo in something like a Facebook Ad, or email
campaign, you ask permission from whoever took the picture.
Customer photos help give your brand credibility, and they’re really effective at showing
your customers what your delivered products look like.
[Hack #10 - Add your product photos on unique backgrounds]
Sometimes, especially when you dropship, suppliers provide product photos on plain white backgrounds.
Posting these pictures on Instagram probably won’t move the needle.
Sure, you might get a couple of likes and a comment or two, but if you want to stand
out you need to make your pictures appealing.
If you want to do more than just change the color, you can even add backgrounds to your
images to create a unique look.
Look for wood backgrounds, patterns, brick walls, and more on stock image websites to
give your product photos a unique look.
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Alright, so there we have 10 tips for how to grow your business with Instagram.
We’ve got lots more over at the Oberlo blog, so stop by for more on Instagram marketing
and everything dropshipping.
We’re putting up videos every week, so if you like what you saw, go ahead and subscribe
for more.
Thanks so much for watching, I’ll see you next week.
In the meantime: Learn often, market better, sell more.