How to use Instagram to Increase Businesses Sales

• 17 January 2021
• by: admin
• in: Digital Marketing,Instagram,Make Money Online,Social Media
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If you’re looking for a social media platform to boost e-commerce sales, consider using Instagram. In the past few years, the popularity of Instagram has changed consumer behavior. Today, more and more people use this platform for product discovery.

As specified in one survey, 83% of Instagrammers discover new products and services on the platform, 87% of people take action after seeing product information such as following a brand or visiting their website, and 54% of people purchase after seeing a product or service on Instagram.

Simply put, people are ready to discover and buy your product in-app. However, over 25 million businesses and 2 million advertisers hope for the attention of potential customers, so you need to go the extra mile and improve customer experience on Instagram.

To encourage your followers to become your customers, it’s important to optimize your account for social selling and therefore make the shopping process easier. Plus, find eight Instagram post ideas your business can use to increase sales on the platform. Let’s dive in.

1. Announce a new product launch

No matter what your business niche is, whether you work in the fashion industry or tourism, it’s important to launch new products or services to retain customers and acquire new ones. Why? People have a great variety of products, so their demands are changing and brands should offer something new to keep their target audience engaged. Moreover, announcing a new product launch is a great way to spark your customers’ interest.

From uploading up to ten images of various products to showing the product details, there are many ways to tell your followers about new product launches and build hype. For example, Zara created a short interactive video for Instagram and uploaded it to the main feed with a brand hashtag #zaranewin to inform followers about the new collection.

Not only did the video help to grab the attention of followers, but it also allowed Zara to cause a buzz around other ‘new arrivals’. As a result, the post went viral and got over 404k views within 2 weeks. Not bad, huh?

2. Upload video tutorials and how-to videos

Do you want to increase sales? Tell your Instagram followers about the benefits of your product or service. Modern customers buy solutions, not products; they seek out solutions that can help them solve their problems, and you need to prove to them that your product is what they’re looking for.

How? Upload video tutorials or how-to videos that explain why your product is worth giving a try. According to the state of video marketing by Depositphotos, 96% of people watch an explainer video to learn more about a product or service and 68% would prefer watching a product video. Videos help to keep your audience engaged and tell more info about your product. Just take a look at an example from Sephora:

The company often creates interactive polls in Instagram Stories to understand what pain points their followers have and then invites beauty experts to solve followers’ problems. Obviously, Sephora features products the company offers which helps to increase sales.

3. Share time-limited offers

Time-limited offers have a great influence on the customer’s buying process. When you share offers, you increase customer satisfaction and encourage followers to purchase in order not to miss an opportunity.

As specified in the MarketingSherpa Survey, 56% of social media users follow a business to get regular coupons or promotions and 44% of people want to get discounts from brands they follow.

Take a look at how Daniel Kordan told his followers about a time-limited offer for his tutorials:

Whether you sell physical products or digital downloads, sharing a time-limited offer is a great way to interest your Instagram followers to give your product or service a try. Why? Not only does it help people save money, but it also creates a sense of urgency that encourages people to make the purchase decision faster.

4. Tell about your online sale or clearance

Most shoppers will agree that discounts make us happier. The deeper the initial discount is, the much more interest can you generate. And when your brand decides to run a sale promotion or put items on clearance, it’s important to share the great news with your followers.

Let’s take Gap, for example. The company put information about its biggest sale in the video and wrote a caption that explained all the benefits. It helped to catch the attention of Instagrammers who were scrolling the main feed:

5. Leverage user-generated content

Sponsored posts and paid ads bombard users from all sides, so it’s no wonder they crave authenticity and social proof. Most Instagrammers claim that user-generated content (UGC) helps them decide whether a product is worth giving a try. Thus, companies should leverage user-generated content to increase sales.

If your customers take photos of your products, that’s great. If you need to motivate them to create UGC, consider finding brand ambassadors, like how Lulus did it:

When publishing UGC on Instagram, Lulus always tags a person and includes a branded hashtag. Plus, the company runs a contest for customers who share their photos on Instagram and promotes it in the bio section:

It’s easier for brands to collect UGC when people use a brand hashtag. However, many people mention your brand without tagging it or using hashtags, so it’s a great idea to use  Awario and monitor mentions of your brand or product online.

6. Publish positive customer reviews

With a great variety of products on the market, it can be daunting for customers to make the purchase decision. People rely on customers’ experiences and positive reviews make 91% of customers more likely to buy from a business.

If you receive positive customer reviews, it’s a good idea to repurpose them for Instagram marketing and publish posts on the main feed. Not only can it increase brand loyalty and trust, but it can also ease the worried minds of potential customers.

Just take a look at an example from Sleepy Bottle:

To create a similar Instagram post with ease, learn more about Crello’s graphic design software and sign up for its free or pro plan to make stunning visuals in just a few clicks. You can choose from a variety of ready-to-made templates and upload your brand logo or font to create custom images that match your visual identity.

7. Promote your referral campaign

There’s no better way to get new customers fast than relying on your loyal customers. When people are satisfied with your products, they are more likely to tell their friends about positive customer experiences. It’s an organic way of spreading information about your company, better known as word-of-mouth marketing. The majority of marketing executives believe it is the most effective form of advertising.

If you want to encourage your customers to spread the word about your product, set up referral campaigns that can reward your loyal customers and encourage new consumers to rely on your product. Moreover, Instagram is a perfect place to promote your referral campaign. Here’s how Bite Meals does it on Instagram:

Want to know the best part? It doesn’t take much time or effort for your loyal customers to share referral codes, special IDs assigned to every user who participates in your refer-a-friend program. Thus, they are more likely to spread the word about your product in exchange for getting something valuable in return.

8. Give away brand freebies

Instagram giveaways are extremely popular among users. If you run Instagram for business, you must know that giveaways boost reach, increase engagement, and attract followers. But when done right, Instagram giveaways also increase sales.

Have you ever heard about the power of zero? When people get something for free, not only do they have lower expectations, but they also feel obliged to return the favor. As a result, giving away brand freebies helps to give your potential customers an opportunity to try your product out and increase sales.

Here’s an example of giving away brand freebies from Nocow. In honor of a new flavor launch, the company organized a giveaway with two boxes of the new flavor, Birthday Cake, protein bars.

Not only did Nocow attract the target audience, but it also caused a buzz around a new flavor launch as participants are obliged to tag their friends.

To attract more participants, you can find Influencers who can team up with your brand and promote your giveaway on their profiles. Plus, you can sponsor a giveaway to help these influencers increase engagement and boost reach for a chance to find new customers within their community.

In a word

Over the last few years, Instagram has become a goldmine for brands that want to sell their products and services on the platform. With the popularity of Instagram shopping, it’s easy for customers to discover new products and buy them in-app. For brands, this means an opportunity to increase sales, and the above-mentioned Instagram post ideas can help you turn your followers into customers.

Have we left something off the list? What Instagram post ideas work well for your business to increase sales?

By Val Razo