In this digital era, all businesses must necessarily have a truly active presence on the popular social media platforms. This is a necessity irrespective of the size or type of business you are having. All businesses right from startups to established big names need to leverage the power of Instagram for fueling their marketing and promotion strategies. Top brands such as Nike and Apple are renowned worldwide yet they invest a lot of time and efforts on social media and they are able to generate more sales than usual.
As per statistics, around 80% of Instagram accounts are following at least, one business. So it is pretty obvious that users are ready to follow and effectively engage with companies and brands present on Instagram which is a reliable and trendy visual-oriented marketing platform. Your responsibility as a small business is actually to figure out effective ways of exploiting this golden opportunity to boost your business’s growth and drive new customers. If you have already created your Instagram for Business profile, here are some effective beginner strategies for stimulating business growth and converting followers into customers.
1.Promote Your Business Profile with Your Already Existing Subscribers / Customers
When you begin your Instagram business journey, your account will obviously, have no followers. It could be slightly disheartening to think of starting from zero. The good news is that you may not necessarily begin from scratch. Instead of making efforts to obtain random fresh new followers, you could focus your attention to your already existing customers.
You may start with all your email subscribers. You have to realize that your email list obviously is not the only resource for getting present customers to Instagram. You could consider promoting your Instagram profile even on the other popular marketing platforms such as websites, YouTube videos, other popular social media profiles, blog posts, in-store signs, and purchase receipts. If you are using Instagram for business, you would soon see a boost in the number of your account followers on Instagram.
2.Make Maximum Use of Shoppable Posts
Instagram has undergone a radical change from being just a casual social media platform to a serious and full-scale sales platform for businesses today. Thanks to the Instagram shoppable posts and the inherent checkout feature the transformation process is totally complete. We understand that selling products on Instagram has become incredibly easier with the introduction of the feature known as the ‘Instagram shoppable posts’.
Initially, the only effective technique of connecting Instagram followers with your products would be via the link provided in your bio or through the links present in your Instagram Stories. Shoppable posts help in providing Instagram users with a seamless experience specifically for shopping products of their choice directly from the Instagram posts. We have come to realize that shoppable posts are certainly Instagram’s big leap towards becoming a far advanced and definitely more business-friendly social media channel.
If you are on Instagram for a business account, your attention would be diverted to the Instagram shoppable posts that are actually marked prominently by using a shopping bag icon that is present on the right corner at the top. Now users would be successful in browsing your enticing ‘Shop’ feed straightaway from your own Instagram for business profile. Shoppable posts provide an amazing opportunity for various businesses to convert their followers into loyal customers. Today an Instagram user is able to use Shoppable posts for completing their purchasing journey right from discovery to actual checkout.
3.Consider Tagging a Purposeful Location
Experts believe that if businesses do not use location tags, they are missing out on opportunities to maximize their potential engagement. You need to realize that location tagging could boost engagement on Instagram. The Instagram posts that have location tags are known to drive more engagement. There are some important reasons for this. First of all, when you location tags the post, it becomes more visible on precisely the popular page in that area or locality. Secondly, users who are seeing that particular location on the platform would be getting a better opportunity to see your post.
The best part about this location tagging feature is that it is not essential for you to be in that specific location while you are using the location tag. Suppose you are a seller of bathing suits based in Boston. You know that you cannot sell any bathing suits during the winter to the locals. So you could upload your product pictures on Instagram and remember to tag warmer locations such as San Diego or Miami to boost your engagement and sales ultimately. Location tagging, therefore, has the potential of boosting brand awareness, social following, and chances that some users would be purchasing your products.
4.Rely On Social Influencers
Instagram is a robust platform that is known for influencer marketing. Incorporating Instagram influencer marketing effectively into your overall Instagram strategy could help in boosting your brand awareness, driving major sales, and growing your follower base. We know that Instagram has the maximum brand collaborations with some social influencers. Most businesses are known to be utilizing social influencers on Instagram.
Your competitors may be already using these stratagems. You could identify influencers having a robust following within a particular niche that is relevant to your precise target audience. Look for influencers who are having a huge following and are relevant to your target market. You must necessarily get connected specifically with influencers belonging to the right industry which would be reaching your specific target audience.
When an influencer is recommending a service or product on his Instagram account, it could be treated as a valuable and trusted recommendation coming from a friend. Influencer marketing could prove to be hugely beneficial to brands and allows them easy and direct access to specific target markets by just paying a fraction of the expenses involved while using a traditional advertisement.
When your partner effectively with relevant social influencers who boast of having an authentic and engaging voice, your business would be strategically placed right in front of individuals who seem to be already attracted by your niche, hence, it is simpler to make a lasting real impression.
Conclusion
Do not ever forget that the social nature of Instagram would be working toward boosting the more intangible marketing aspects like lifetime user value, brand equity, and buyer loyalty. The associations and community of your brand seem to be equally crucial as your products. Moreover, Instagram is that effective tool for promoting brand identity. You would soon realize that customers are coming to you, you are not chasing them.
Author’s Bio:
Pete Campbell is a social media manager and has immense knowledge about email marketing and Instagram promotion. He delights clients, help them using Instagram for business. He loves to travel, write, and play baseball.
