Do you want to take your eCommerce business in a new and exciting direction?
But let me guess what you’re thinking… “Instagram is a place for photos and videos…”
That’s basically it, right?
Wrong!
You see, if you want to get in on the latest marketing trend and build a new eCommerce audience, Instagram is perfectly what you need.
Now is the time to start investing some time and money in Instagram marketing.
Over 1 billion people use Instagram every month.
It makes it the second social network as far as active users are concerned, just behind Facebook.
And today, there are more than 200 million daily active ‘Instagrammers’ visiting a business profile each day.
Perhaps you’re also thinking if there’s so much competition, then how can you stand out?
Look, you don’t have to worry about your competition.
There’s a way to dominate your target market on Instagram by being intentional in putting your brand out there and positioning yourself to be different.
And I hear you, growing your eCommerce business through a social media platform like Instagram might seem daunting at first, but it doesn’t have to be.
Now, if you’re just starting out exploring Instagram marketing, don’t worry, you’re in the right place!
There are some things you should know and apply which are not as hard as you think.
Let’s start with some of the burning questions you might have, shall we?
First things first, you need to understand how to do Instagram Marketing work so you can take advantage of them to grow your online business using this powerful platform…
Well, in a nutshell, this is intended to influence your target audience on Instagram to take action.
This is a powerful marketing strategy if you own an eCommerce store because it allows online business owners and marketers to connect with your ideal consumers where they get to see the actual photos or videos of your products through posts or IG stories.
You won’t only generate new buyers but also persuade your existing customers to keep buying from you.
This is often used nowadays to achieve revenue goals such as in the form of boosting a bunch of sales or increasing website traffic.
Follow this to Create An Instagram Business Account
Of course, if you want to build and establish your online presence in the world of Instagram, the first thing you need to do is create a business account.
What you will need is an Instagram Creator Account which is best if you want to have flexible profile controls, more growth tools, or simplified messaging.
Now, in case you already have a personal account on Instagram, just switch to professional via the Instagram app.
Here are the steps you can follow:
- Log in to your Instagram account and go to your profile
- From your profile, tap this icon () in the upper right corner.
- Go to Settings by tapping it.
- Then go to Account.
- Tap Switch to Professional Account, (or to business account) at the bottom part then Continue.
- Choose a Category for your business, then select or tap Done.
- Select Business and follow the prompts.
Note: You can also connect your Instagram business profile to your existing Facebook page but it will require set-up Auto publishing.
How you can create Instagram Ads
As per Instagram Advertising, if you are planning to create Instagram Ads, I’ll say that if you’ve done Facebook ads countless times before, then doing this will be a walk in the park because they are the same.
What you can do is that after creating your ad, make sure that you’ve selected Instagram in the Ad Preview section. Check this guide on how you can create Instagram Ads for more details.
Now let’s get to do the nitty-gritty part of Instagram Marketing Fundamentals…
You see, in every successful campaign, mastery of the basics is very important.
That’s why you better read carefully and take this seriously because it will be beneficial when it comes to growing your online presence where your target customers can easily find you.
With that said, the first thing you need to make sure you’re doing to make your campaign successful is to:
Create a compelling and engaging Instagram post with an eye-catching design
It could be in the form of posting your products but you don’t have to be limited from that.
You can also post about your business milestones, announce new products, run an IG giveaway, take your followers behind the scene through your stories and posts, greet them with seasonal posts, motivational posts, or even showcase your team.
In fact, there are so many more you can do in terms of creating posts on IG, but how exactly can you make it more compelling and engaging?
Well, for one you can consider hiring an expert if you want to take that off your plate so you can focus on strategically running your business…
…or you can check if anyone on your team has any photo-editing experience because of course there’s some sort of creativity involved if you want to stand out differently.
If neither option works, you can always turn to the internet for answers.
It’s not that hard finding a photo collage maker online these days.
The easiest way is by using software like Canva to design an amazing Instagram post for Your Ecommerce Business.
Again, it may not be that easy at first, but once you do it the first time, the succeeding ones will be so easy.
Two things you need to remember to make engaging and compelling posts.
- High-value CONTENT your target audience would love
- Creative Design that resonates with your target audience
See what the common denominator is? It’s about your target market.
Feed them what they love, and they would naturally love your brand. As a result, you can easily influence them to keep buying from you.
Use the right hashtags to get your posts in front of your target customers
If you’ve been using social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter for quite some time, I’m certain that you are familiar with the term hashtags.
Hashtags are now widely used in all sorts of social media.
And why not? It’s a great way to connect with people who have the same interests as you do, isn’t it?
No wonder why Instagram posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement.
For an eCommerce business, taking advantage of hashtags is just simply brilliant for your target market to easily find you as long as you do it strategically.
There are types of Instagram Hashtag you can utilize by promoting your brand. There are:
- Hashtags for product or Services offerings
- Location hashtags
- Occasion Or special events hashtags
- Hashtags for Anything Trending
- Quotation or phrase hashtags
- Entertainment hashtags
You need to be careful not to make your hashtags repetitive or irrelevant. Instagram does not want that based on their guidelines. You might be penalized by the algorithm.
That means when you create a post, you don’t use hashtags just for the sake of using it or because your competitors are doing so.
You have to ensure using hashtags that make sense to your target customers.
Have a Strong Call to Action
Including some form of a strong but sweet call to action such as following you on social media or purchasing your product is what you need to pay attention to if you want more cash to come in via Instagram.
See, consumers love following eCommerce stores on Instagram, and for some people before buying anything, they would first love to watch any related content based on what they need related to what your products can do for them.
With that in mind, we suggest creating an Ecommerce advertising campaign that will drive traffic to your website.
It could be leading them to blog posts or to your landing page.
You can…
- Run an ad to boost product sales and increase store traffic (for lead generation)
- Re-engage website visitors
- Promote services on Instagram. If you are selling e-commerce services like consulting, software or support then running ads on Instagram can help your business grow exponentially
- Create and increase brand awareness.
Now, the next one is to:
Test different Images and Ad Copy
As you know by now, Instagram can be great for a whole range of marketing strategies, whether you want to generate more followers or increase engagement levels within your Instagram community.
However, it is also a place that changes all the time you have to stay updated.
That said, you may find yourself testing until you get a deeper understanding of what motivates your target audience to tick and check on your Ad.
Once you know what works best for your audience, you can build your momentum there to expand your advertising.
Incorporate emojis into your posts when appropriate
Instagram is a platform where visual content is key, so using emojis is a way to effectively bring your post to life.
Unless it is visually appealing to the eye, the users will just continue scrolling or just ignore your posts.
I mean, who loves boring?
You see, having emojis allows you to speak your customer’s language as 92% of consumers online are using emojis.
You don’t have to force it. Just make you apply it in such a way that it would make sense for your audience.
It may sound so simple and yet this is a powerful way to connect with them on a more personal level.
Remember, they are using Instagram to connect. Wouldn’t it be nice if your target audience can relate to you?
Though we recommend not to use it excessively. Ideally, not more than four at a time.
For your reference, you can check Emoji Maker to look for anything fun you can use.
Last but not the least, do not ever miss this part to:
Post consistently [at least once per day]
Well, this is a no-brainer. It’s a simple practice and yet not a lot of people are practicing consistency.
Listen, in any form of marketing, you need to show up and put yourself out there consistently.
For Instagram marketing, the simple reason is that you want to build awareness of the people who follow you.
It’s also a powerful way to build a traditional and yet so powerful way to market any brand — word of mouth.
Whether you publish fun and meaningful content every single day…or your intention is to drive them to click the link you post and continue reading your blog. It will be helpful for you to gain credibility, trust in your brand, and a great customer experience.
Familiar with Know, Like, and Trust?
That’s what you want to gain from your target market.
Consumers who love their brands no matter how big or small are the ones who will keep buying from you.
That said, every single post that you have must consistently add value to your target audience.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve covered what are the things you need to know and do to create a successful Instagram marketing campaign and how it will help grow your eCommerce business.
At this point, you probably know the basics about marketing your brand on Instagram, and it should give you a great place to start as you begin creating a compelling strategy for your store in the coming years.
Now, the question is…Do you have a strategy?
If there is none, we’ve got you covered!
Our team is a reputable Instagram marketing agency. We are ready and waiting to work with you on crafting a stellar digital marketing strategy that provides your target market exactly what they want while also growing sales at your company.
You can consider booking a free consultation with our team to help you get started and have actionable items to grow your business fast.
That’s a wrap and as always… we would love to hear from you!
What’s your single biggest takeaway? Also, please share with us exactly which one you plan to implement first.
Leave a comment below and we may include it in our next blog post.
Best,
