With over 500 million users every day, and nearly 1400 million users every month, Instagram is an unquestionable temptation for brands who target audiences between 18 and 54 years old.
But because Instagram is such a powerful entertaining instance – especially driven by the visual – approaching consumers works in very specific ways and requires understanding its ecosystem: reach comes first, sales comer after.
In this post, we’ll go over some very useful tips to increase your reach on Instagram and step in firmly in your ecommerce strategy.
Instagram is a powerful tool for ecommerce
Some introductory facts
- Instagram was used for an average 11.2 hours / month worldwide, reaching 20.2 hours/month in Turkey.
- 46% of people using smartphones in the USA use Instagram everyday.
- 27.7% of people between 16-64 years old watch product review videos.
- 26.7% watch influencer videos.
- The potential reach of Instagram advertising was 1.478 million users in January 2022
User-generated content
UGC has been setting the pace of ecommerce over the past years, and Social Media have become the link for consumers to discover products and communicate with brands. In fact, as we mentioned in our recent post about user-generated content, younger generations trust brands less than their older peers. Instead, word of mouth, even from actual strangers, seems today more effective than traditional marketing. [ Hubspot et al.]. In other words, people are more likely to follow recommendations from their peers than clicking on a random ad.
If that weren’t enough, communities are a little more empowered every day, and brands know how sensitive they are, not only about the content they see, but their values, reputation, and especially, the overall experience they offer.
Instagram has one of the most active user communities. Instagrammers not only create and upload their own content: they also follow others, gather into communities, and boost interactions around subjects, objects, and brands.
And you look at the rough numbers, It’s cheap, it’s easy to produce, and has a pretty decent ROI. Now, keep in account that not everything is worth uploading if you want to make an impact.
- Be consistent and stick to your brand’s core values and visual elements
- Consider hiring influencers who help you get followers and increase your reach on Instagram. They count an estimate 2.5% conversion rate.
- Give your followers a casual, behind-the-scenes glimpse on your everyday work, to create a closer bond with them.
Nevertheless, your Instagram activity shouldn’t be limited to your own brand. Moreover, interacting and sharing content from other brands will grant you relevance and authority among your followers.
Be consistent and don’t forget the main goal is to provide your followers with content that is interesting to them.
Use hashtags appropriately
Hashtags work as tags that can be used indistinctively by users across different channels and Social Media platforms. That’s why they are broadly used to categorize uploaded content, and quite effective to launch campaigns and promotions.
When it comes to promoting brands or products, the have a very specific goal: driving users to include them in their posts, something TikTok has exploited quite successfully with hashtag challenge campaigns.
While there are tools to explore trending hashtags, Instagram immediately displays the ones starting with the letters you type. However, they can be misleading because you will only see their total use. Run the proper research across different platforms to avoid being a drop in the ocean, to remain both discoverable and generate conversation around your brand.
- Include your brand and / or product name in your hashtags
- Keep them clear and easy to remember
- Don’t abuse them: too many hashtags confuse readers and downplay the importance of those that do matter. Instead, choose the most appealing ones to agitate consumers’ pain points in a relatable way.
Go beyond single posts. Use Stories as well
Available since 2016, Stories are the Instagram feature that allows to temporarily share multiple images and videos in a slideshow format. The content shared as Stories disappears in 24 hours and doesn’t remain on the profile’s feed – unless saved.
Stories can be set as public or private, but unlike regular posts (which can also be shared as slideshows), Stories don’t allow likes or public comments: only private messages. Their ephemerality gives them a certain feeling of exclusivity and FOMO, so they make great teasers and can engage followers rapidly if you
Don’t stay with just one story. Rather, try making series that can promote your brand with different or small variations. Just make sure they deliver the same message and aim at the same objective.
- Use Stories in combination with regular posts – avoid, however, using the same images.
- Launch flash promotions, like discount codes, share-with-a-friend perks, …
- Take advantage of promotional hashtags
Keep the focus on entertainment
Yes, ecommerce is about sales, not only views. But Instagram is about entertainment rather than ecommerce, and that distinction is the cornerstone of its use.
When people turn to Instagram for product search, they mostly look for an easy and entertaining way to discern if it is indeed what they are looking for. From pictures and videos to reviews and opinions. Hopefully, seeing them in action.
Thus, brands need two things to increase their reach on Instagram: rich product content, and a clear corporate identity. From high-quality images and compelling promotional, explainer and short videos, to defining a clear content strategy to remain consistent, relatable, and entertaining: core values, storytelling, and color schemes. Then, and only then, followers will come.
Now, there are different stages in a customer’s journey, and while it’s hard to know exactly how many users use how many channels before actually buying a product, the truth is Omnicanality is here to stay, because users expect brands to be the same regardless of the channel.
- Keep your content fun to keep your audience entertained
- See the content similar businesses and competitors use
- Focus on reach and engagement rather than online sales
Never stop innovating
Nothing lasts forever, and Social Media strategies demand constant renovation for brands to attract long-term audiences. And more importantly, it’s hard to get it right at your first, second, or third attempt.
Don’t give up, eventually you will get it right. But that comes with using what works, and being creative at the same time.
- Follow relevant and authorized voices around your industry for inspiration
- Create different content lines, and different stories. Test and compare their performance to spot new content opportunities.
Don’t be afraid to try new formats. As soon as you see an opportunity, go for it. Whether it is by using open questions, polls, or give-away promotions, the key to engage the Instagram audience is originality. Surprising content is more likely to create expectation and keep viewers hooked until the end.
Used paid ads wisely
Paid ads are a great way to boost your visibility, as long as the content you promote makes sense, is original and is aimed at the right audience. They are discreet, they’re not marked as promoted content, and links remain in-app, which makes interaction much easier and less disruptive. Their average 1.08% ad conversion rate may seem low, although this varies too according to the industry, segment, and objective. And this is the main reason not to rely solely on ads, but to focus on organic reach.
- Make your profile an awesome visual experience. Use your best images, a teasing copy, and a clear CTA.
- Don’t abuse them, though. You often pay per impression, and if sales don’t come along, you’ll end up investing with no return.
What about Instagram Shopping?
Instagram also has the Instagram Shopping suite, which allows to sell products directly by simply clicking on them. And while it’s very popular in specific industries there are a couple of variables to keep in mind.
While Instagram Shopping is available in more than 100 countries, the average conversion rate is about 3%, with an average revenue of USD 65 per sale.
This is quite good when compared to other Social Media platforms, like Twitter (0.77%) or Pinterest (0.54). The reason is simple: an image is worth a thousand words.
That being said, don’t forget Instagram’s success is based on entertainment. Thus, unless you are working on a specific Social Media strategy that is aimed at selling on Instagram, the primary objective in Social Media is gaining followers and shares, to then funnel into the sale.
Wrap up and a few final tips
Because Instagram is visual, high-quality graphic elements are essential to rise up to its users’ expectations. Skimping on quality content, however little, can be the biggest deterrent for a brand and the greatest blessing for its competitors.
But the most important thing to boost your reach on Instagram is to keep a consistent content line that is related to your brand and your product’s ecosystem. That, however, doesn’t mean sticking a single type of post. Creativity is key to gain and retain followers, doesn’t pose any limits as long as your posted content remains related to your activity.
- Prioritize entertaining content or entreating ways to make your point.
- Keep it visual, and let the image do its magic.
- Craft a short, self-defining bio in your audience’s language/slang.
- Add a clear CTA and a link to your website so your viewers can go directly. Consider tools like short.io or linktr.ee to shorten up your domain if it’s too long.
Content2Sell is a team of product experts and ecommerce specialists focusing on content made to market and sell products online. If you think your product could do better out there, you could start by getting a FREE content audit to find out how to boost your sales.
