How to use Instagram to drive your sales?

1. what is Instagram?

Instagram is a world-famous social media platform affiliated with Facebook. You can share photos with your friends swiftly and gorgeously.

Similar to Facebook or Twitter, everyone who creates an Instagram account has a profile and a news feed. When you post a photo or video on Instagram, it will be displayed in your profile. Other users who are concerned about you will see your posts in their feeds. Similarly, you will see posts from other users that you pay attention to.

Instagram is focusing on visual sharing. Like other social networks, you interact with other users by paying attention to them, asking others to pay attention to you, commenting, liking, tagging, and private messages.

2. Why you should make use of it?

Market with potential

Perhaps you have already spread your brands on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Even though many people underestimate the influence of Instagram, you should not ignore it.

According to Hubspot, there are more than 1 billion active monthly Instagram users. About 90% of users follow at least one business, and more than 83% of users have discovered a new product or service on the platform. According to consulting company data, the interaction rate on Instagram is at least eight times that of other platforms.

Sell products directly

With Instagram Shopping, people can buy your products directly from your photos and videos. It is much cheaper than making advertising on Google.  

3. How to use Instagram to sell products

Here are some powerful tips for you to have a quick start.

3.1. Identify your rivals

Competitor analysis is of great importance. Before starting your business on Instagram, I strongly recommend you to carry out a thorough study of your competitors. Collect information including their styles, target customers, aiming markets, and so on.

3.2. Take good use of the Hashtag

The hashtag is the most outstanding feature of Instagram, and it is also the critical process to increase the number of your followers.

Because you can search for all tagged content, including pictures and videos by searching for special Hashtag, you must set tags related to brands or activities, which is conducive to building brand effect.

3.3. Select a proper publish time 

According to surveys, Monday Blue is a precious opportunity to publish a post. Every Monday, people like to browse the internet to relieve depression and stress. 

Most people are online every day in the morning and after work. The most online time in a week is from 5: 00 to 6: 00 pm on Wednesday, and from 2: 00 to 3: 00 pm is also the peak time when Ins users are active. Each Instagram account has a different audience. Find out the period suitable for your publishing, and then publish it frequently in those periods.

3.4. Highlight your creativity

Your pictures on Instagram have to be creative.  Learn from other brands on Instagram can be beneficial to your promotion.

However, it should be noted that before publishing, you need an overall plan for your content about what effect or style you want to present and think twice.

3.5. Share short videos

It is also significant to choose the contents of your videos because they can deliver more information than a static image. Recently, short video platforms emerged, you should grasp the precious opportunity via creating attractive videos by yourself or asking for professional video makers' help. 

3.6. Cross-promotion

You can find users on Instagram who can share customers with you. For example, you can share a bar owner’s post if you are the supplier of certain beers. Communication between two related products or services will perhaps bring you a free advertisement. 

3.7. Place store link on home page

You can show your store's link on your Instagram personal page, and change it at any time. All we need to do is let people click on this website and buy the goods in it.

3.8. Public praises

Customers are the best advocate of the brand, and they can tell your brand story as an outsider. The process of consumers' evaluation and sharing of your company's services is quite authentic, and you can also know the user experience of products. 

3.9. Provide incentives regularly

You can release some rewards to your followers from time to time, such as discounts and promotions. The point is that you should think about what your audience wants. For example, if your product is cosmetics, the prizes should also take care of the storage boxes and bags of cosmetics. Your product is a camera, so consider photo albums and so on. Simply, it is related to your product and released in a unique form. 

4. Conclusion

With one billion monthly active users, there's no denying the power and influence of Instagram. What was once a simple photo-sharing app has transformed into an immersive social experience that allows users to explore a company's visual identity.

Instagram users can provide interesting information to your audience or display your brand in a new and unique way. 

It may seem daunting to create and maintain a platform that can capture the visual features of your brand, but Instagram makes it even easy. Follow our guidelines, and start your Instagram marketing to drive sales.