The Instagram app has one billion active users each month. That is an eighth of the global population. It stands to reason that a few of those folks might fall into your ideal customer profile!
While some of those users might be mindlessly scrolling and looking for pictures of cats, their eyeballs still matter. When you harness the power of Instagram marketing for business, you are meeting your customers where they are. From there, the benefits of Instagram are limitless.
Even if you’re new to the app, you can easily use the tools of the trade to create dynamic content that brings in new business. Instagram marketing is cost-efficient, effective, and more personal than old-fashioned alternatives. Are you going to get on The ‘Gram, or will you find yourself left behind while the businesses around you blossom?
We’ve created this guide to explain the incredible Instagram benefits that are transforming online commerce. Keep reading to learn why using Instagram is the key to making sales!
Meet Your Customers
Instagram is the fourth most popular social media platform worldwide, and that might be because it’s so customizable. Users don’t only interact with content – they also make it. This provides a tidy window into the lives and preferences of the very real humans who will be purchasing and using your products.
You won’t need to spend time and money figuring out who your typical consumer is. They’ll essentially introduce themselves! You can learn everything from their age to their lifestyle preferences right on the app.
Furthermore, Instagram is a social media app, and the “social” part is not a throwaway label! You will be able to interact with your customers and form relationships. People love engagement, so if you take the time to respond to comments and form a brand personality, it will pay off with loyalty.
Show Off Your Product
Instagram’s primary function is to show off images and videos. It’s the perfect place to showcase your product or services where people are already looking to discover them.
You aren’t limited to still images, either. You can include live Q&As on Instagram Live, video tutorials, customer reviews, and more. Make sure that your posts aren’t static sales posts – they should be compelling enough on their own to make potential customers seek out the product.
Reach a New Audience
One goal of using Instagram for marketing is to maintain customer loyalty, but it’s also a great place to find and court new customers. If you learn to harness the humble hashtag, curious consumers will come calling!
If your content is compelling and gains a significant amount of engagement, it will catch the attention of the Instagram algorithms. That means your content will appear in your potential customers’ feeds and discovery pages. If those new potential customers also share your posts, they will go even further.
You can game this a little bit by using Instagram likes apps for desktop. From there, the likes and engagement will come more organically.
Take Advantage of Influencers
If you’re truly savvy, you will learn how to outsource your content creation to expand your audience. You can use word-of-mouth marketing by taking advantage of customers with high engagement on the app.
Foremost, you can use contests and giveaways to encourage customers to show off your product or services on their pages. This is a great way to get authentic images of your products in action. If those customers include positive reviews, even better!
Many of these happy customers can also become brand ambassadors. This can eliminate the need for professional brand representatives! Compensate these loyal influencers with some free products in exchange for positive reviews and they will cut your work in half!
If these influencers truly love your product, they’ll happily use their platform to lift it up. Make sure to treat them well in return!
Launch a Traditional Campaign
You can use Instagram for more conventional advertising, too. It’s a great place to build up anticipation for a launch or a rebranding. Create a countdown or drop daily hints and you’ll have customers chomping at the bit to learn more!
Plus, Instagram does include a native advertising platform. It allows you to target three primary audiences: your core audience, your custom audience, and your lookalike audience. This can help put your product right in the streams of those who are most likely to be looking for it.
You’ll be able to generate both brand awareness and leads. While this is similar to many other apps, those one billion Insta eyeballs still matter!
Lead Customers to Your Website
Instagram is a tool, not a sales platform. You can’t sell any products directly on the app. Your goal is to move people from the app to your website, where they can make purchases.
The easiest way to move customers is to use the “bio” section of your account. It will provide you with a space to include a link. Either link users directly to your website, direct them to a product page, or send them to a linktree where they will see a menu of link options.
Once you get enough engagement, you will gain access to more ways to link to your products. The trick is meeting that threshold.
The Benefits of Instagram for Businesses
If you aren’t on Instagram, you may not even realize how many potential customers are on the app and having a blast without you! One of the biggest benefits of Instagram for business is that it allows you to meet your customers where they are. If you create the content they want, they will be eager and excited to engage with your brand!
Meanwhile, we’re eager to engage with you, too. Stick around the blog and check out our other posts for more marketing tips that can transform the way you use social media platforms.