Instagram is a godsend when it comes to e-commerce. Today, you don't even need a website, much less a physical store, to promote your business and sell your products. Instead, you can center your entire brand on Instagram, and run it from the app. Not only is this incredibly convenient for you, but it also instills confidence in your customers who know exactly where to find you.
However, part of running an e-commerce business on Instagram is its promotion. A very important part, actually. If you don't spend enough time promoting your product or service, you're going to get lost in a sea of other small businesses, and there's no way back from that. To make sure you stand out and continue to grow, there are a few key marketing strategies that you should consider.
1. Use hashtags
Using hashtags on all your posts is simple, but effective. More than anything, it ensures that your product shows up in the search results when someone is looking for similar products on Instagram. In this way, it boosts views and likes on your posts organically and gives them a better chance of being featured on the Explore page.
Don't be stingy with the number of hashtags you include for each post. The more the better! After all, you want to maximize your chances of reaching and engaging with your target audience, especially since they're the ones who will be spending the most money on your products.
So let's say you're running an online clothing brand and you've just launched a summer collection. Aside from your general clothing-related hashtags, you would have to add hashtags specific to your summer campaign, for instance, #SummerWithMyBrand, #MyBrandBeachParty, or #MyBrandSummer. You get the idea!
If you're unsure about how to create a fun, catchy hashtag (we all have writer's block sometimes!), use a site like All Hashtag, which generates exciting hashtags for you and helps you keep track of them through analytics.
2. Put up eye-catching posts
This is central to a good online marketing campaign. Your posts and stories should tell your potential consumers everything they need to know about your business - history, pricing, products, discounts, etc. They should convince the consumer to spend money at your online store, and they should encourage them to share your posts with their followers.
You don't have to spend copious amounts of money on getting your posts and stories made. Sites like PosterMyWall have plenty of social media post templates that you can browse through and customize according to your needs. It will only take you a few minutes and you'll end up with high-quality, professional-looking designs. You'll even find separate templates for stories and grid posts to add to your brand's aesthetic appeal.
3. Follow the rule-of-thirds method
When you shoot your products and make your posts, keep the rule-of-thirds method in mind. This essentially means that you should align your product at the intersections of the photo grid, instead of at the center, which is usually what people do.
Consider this example:
A product skewed slightly to the side of the frame looks a lot more aesthetically pleasing. Not only will this make your Instagram grid look nicer, but it will also increase the chances of people clicking on your post to view or like it.
4. Collaborate with bloggers
When your small business is still in the early stages of gaining traction and followers, big-name bloggers with thousands of followers are your best friends. Contact them through your page so that they can go over your content before they respond to you.
You shouldn't badger them with tons of messages at odd hours, but be persistent if they don't respond the first time. Schedule your follow-up message for a couple of days after, accordingly.
Once you have a blogger on board, send them a PR package that they can share and talk about in their stories. Also ask for collaboration, although you're more likely to get the former if you're an up-and-comer.
Remember to only contact bloggers who you know will have a target audience that you want for your product. Otherwise, you'll just be wasting your money.
A great example of this type of marketing is what Marriott did a few years ago. The hotel chain wanted to celebrate one million check-ins through its app at one of its hotels, and so it got YouTuber and blogger, Jeana Smith on board to come up with a fun way to do it.
Jeana and her team organized an impromptu dance party for the unsuspecting customer who reached the millionth check-in milestone. The whole thing was videotaped and uploaded to Jeana's YouTube channel, and it racked up millions of views, not to mention tons of publicity for Marriott.
5. Instagram stories are key
The stories feature on Instagram is a great way to promote sales, share content and boost your products. They also act as refresher sources for old posts that you want to get traction on again. Doing a giveaway and want to show people highlights from the last time you did it? Re-share old posts to your story!
You should also take advantage of stories to engage with your customers on a personal level. Host Q&As and live sessions in which people can get to know the name behind the brand. Stories will also help you keep a track of who your active followers are and how many people are engaging with your content.
What's more - through instagram stories, you will also be able to share and engage with others' stories and posts in which satisfied customers have reviewed your products.
Reviews, new offers, and information about products can also be grouped together in story highlights - a feature that allows you to add certain stories to your profile so that they stay there even after 24 hours.
6. Make your feed shoppable
If your intention is to make your Instagram page a one-stop solution for all your consumers' needs, you should make your feed shoppable. Consumers should be able to purchase your product as soon as they view it on your grid, instead of having to click on a link in the bio.
Third-party sites like Like2Buy do this for you by integrating shoppable products into your Instagram. Simply use their site, or other similar sites, to get people to come to your page and shop for what they like instantly.
7. Host Giveaways
Giveaways are an incredible way to get your target audience excited about your product. People love free stuff and they will want your product if it's free, even if they weren't interested before. This is a great way to get some new customers, especially potential customers who were previously on the fence about buying your product.
Giveaways also mean free publicity for you. Attach small conditions to your giveaway, for example, asking people to share a particular post on their story or to tag three friends. This will get the word out about your business and you'll see your following go up immediately.
Apart from this, giveaways allow you to get personal with your fans. Add handwritten notes and small goodies to your giveaway packages to get people to share them on their social media. In fact, you should do this with all your products. People love a personal touch, and it'll make them more likely to buy from you again.
Recently, Forever21 did a very successful Instagram giveaway. The company asked its followers to like its giveaway post, tag 2 friends, and share their favorite old-school movie to enter. Who doesn't love nostalgia? Millions of people entered and the lucky winners got a very special gift hamper. This is an easily replicable campaign that can be done just as successfully on a smaller scale.
This is everything you need to know about marketing your e-commerce business on Instagram. Sounds simple, right? These cost-effective strategies will help you gain a sizable following and take your small business to big heights.
