Are you looking for ways to get your products in front of more people? If you're like most business owners, you've probably been eyeing Instagram as a potential sales channel. And you're not alone; according to eMarketer, nearly one-third of all U.S. businesses currently use Instagram for marketing purposes.
With over 1 billion active users, it's a great way to reach new customers and grow your business. In 2022, 72% of Instagram users reported purchasing a product they first saw on the app (retailtouchpoints.com).
But what are the best ways to sell your products on Instagram? In this blog post, we'll share some tips that should help get you started.
1. Know your audience You can only reach your audience if you know who it is. Knowing your potential customer's likes and dislikes increases the chance of purchase.
Know Your Niche The first step to finding your audience is knowing your niche. What are you an expert on? What do you have to offer your followers that they can't get anywhere else? Once you know your niche, it'll be much easier to target the right people with your content.
Look at who is already following you The first step in determining your target audience is to take a look at who is already following you. If you're just starting out on Instagram, this might not be very helpful. But if you've been on the platform for a while, your current followers can give you a good idea of the type of people who are interested in the content you're putting out there.
To get started, take a look at the demographics of your current followers. What is their age range? Where are they located? What gender are they? What kinds of things do they seem to be interested in? Once you have a good understanding of who your current followers are, you can start to think about how to reach more people like them.
See who is interacting with your content Another way to determine your target audience is to see who is interacting with your content. Take a look at the people who are liking and commenting on your posts. Are they mostly friends and family? Or are there strangers in there as well? If it's mostly strangers, that's a good sign that you're reaching new people with your content.
Pay attention to what these people are saying as well. Are they asking questions? Making suggestions? Offering compliments? This feedback can help you fine-tune your content strategy so that you're putting out material that people actually want to see.
Check out who is talking about you (even if they're not following you) Just because someone isn't following you doesn't mean they're not interested in what you're doing. In fact, some of the most valuable feedback can come from people who don't even follow you! To find out what these people are saying, do a search on Instagram for mentions of your username. This will show you all of the posts where people have mentioned you, even if they're not following you.
Take a look at these posts and see what kind of feedback people are giving you. Are they talking about how much they love your product? Are they asking questions about how it works? Or are they complaining about something? This feedback can be invaluable in helping you determine what kind of content to put out there and how best to reach your target audience.
You may need to focus more on entertaining and fast-paced reels. Or maybe your customers love static image posts. Whatever your audience is, learn it, and cater to it.
Pay Attention to Engagement Levels Another way to tell if you’re posting to the right audience is by paying attention to engagement levels. If you notice that your posts are getting a lot of likes and comments from a certain group of people, then it’s safe to say that those are the people you should be targeting with your content. On the other hand, if you notice that your posts aren’t getting much engagement from a certain group of people, then it might be time to stop targeting them with your content.
2. Have a business profile A business profile provides many features that personal accounts don't offer - features like creating ads, viewing performance reports, and placing links in stories. All of these options can significantly improve sales.
Switching from a personal account to a business profile is free.
Follow these steps to convert your profile to a business account:
Go to your profile and tap in the upper right corner. Tap Settings. (The Switch to Professional Account option will be listed directly under Settings for some accounts.) Tap Account. Tap Switch to Professional Account . Tap Continue. Select a Category for your business and tap Done . Tap OK to confirm. Tap Business . Tap Next. Add Contact details and tap Next. Or tap Don't use my contact info to skip this step. You can follow the steps to connect your business account to a Facebook Page associated with your business. This step is optional and will make it easier to use all of the features available for businesses across the Meta family of apps. At this time, only one Facebook Page can be connected to your business account. Tap X on the top right corner to return to your profile. 3. Create an amazing bio You have 150 characters to describe your business and get your audience's attention. Your bio is your customers' first impression of you, so make it count.
Keep it short and sweet. You can also use niche-relevant hashtags to increase traffic. If you have an external website, you can link it in the bio as well.
Since only one link can be included in your bio, consider using LinkTree to include other platforms or essential information.
The biggest thing is to ensure you include an easily accessible link where customers can purchase your product.
4. Post high-quality content of your products Instagram users expect quality images and videos no doubt. So take time to portray your products in a captivating fashion. If you are not a professional content creator, talk to someone who is. Hire a photographer, videographer, Instagram content creator, or at least a consultant, to make your products pop.
Suppose you are in the beginning stages of your business. In that case, you can even include behind-the-scenes showing the product from start to finish. People pay attention to posts that are the most visually appealing. Get your aesthetic right; it really pays off.
5. Describe your products well Let your audience (aka your customers) know precisely what to expect when they purchase from you. Inaccurate descriptions only hurt you. A good product description is needed for users to feel more confident about their purchases. It also reduces the odds of returns or exchanges.
Get To The Point We live in a world of short attention spans, so the last thing you want to do is write a novel. Get to the point and tell your customers what they need to know.
Use Power Words Power words are words that evoke emotion and make your customers feel something. For example, words like "amazing," "incredible," and "unbelievable" are all power words.
Use them sparingly to punch up your product descriptions and make them more impactful. Strong verbs convey excitement and help the reader visualize using the product.
For example, “The speaker blasts music” is more interesting than “The speaker plays music.” Be careful not to overdo it, though. A few well-chosen verbs can make your description more compelling without sounding like an infomercial.
Be Specific Your customers want to know exactly what they're getting, so don't be afraid to get specific. If your product has unique features or benefits, make sure to highlight those in your description.
Tell a Story A great way to engage your customers is to tell a story with your product descriptions. paint a picture of how your product can be used in their everyday lives. For example, if you're selling a new type of coffee mug, tell your customers how it will make their mornings better.
Do: Write in active voice When you write in active voice, your sentences are direct and easy to understand. For example, “The camera takes great pictures” is better than “The pictures taken by the camera are great.” Active voice is more engaging and will keep your reader’s attention focused on your product.
Do: Focus on the benefits Your potential customers don’t care about your product’s features; they care about what your product can do for them. For example, “The drill has a variable speed trigger” is less interesting than “You can control the speed of the drill to avoid stripping screws.” Keep your customer in mind when you write your product descriptions, and focus on what they stand to gain from using your product.
Don't: Use industry jargon Unless you’re writing for a technical audience, avoid using jargon or acronyms that your readers might not understand. For example, “This DVD player upconverts to 1080p” is confusing if your reader doesn’t know what upconverting or 1080p means. Stick to plain language that everyone can understand.
Don't: Focus on features instead of benefits As mentioned above, potential customers don’t really care about your product’s features; they want to know what benefits they can expect from using it. So instead of listing off all of the features of your product, focus on how those features will improve the customer’s life. For example, “This coffee machine has a built-in grinder” is less compelling than “You can grind fresh beans for coffee every morning without having to buy a separate grinder.” Focusing on benefits will help you connect with potential customers and sell them on why they need your product in their lives.
Be thorough and honest. It will pay off.
7. Utilize stories Stories help push your content to the forefront of your audience's feed, so utilize them! Promote your product, run giveaways, and share behind-the-scenes footage. Create a space where your customers can interact directly with you. Try going the extra mile and feature happy clients' testimonials in your stories. The options are endless. You should be posting to your stories daily.
8. Don't shy away from Reels Reels are consistently one of the best ways to increase engagement and outreach on Instagram. Broadcasting your products on Reels is an excellent way to boost your visibility to potential clients. There is a never-ending supply of trends to choose from, and as a business owner, you can tweak them to fit your niche. Try experimenting with funny, entertaining trends and informative Reels. Content that does well will give you valuable insights into your clientele. Build off of that!
9. Go Live Going live allows your audience to interact with you in real time. It helps you build an authentic, down-to-earth brand. If going live intimidates you, consider hosting a product Q&A where your customers can get all of their questions answered. This can be particularly useful if you are launching a new product.
Conclusion In 2022, if you want to sell, the bottom line is that you need to be on Instagram. Having a presence means taking advantage of a vast market ready and eager to buy. But don't worry – we can help! Much of selling on Instagram is based on engagement and outreach. So, try incorporating these strategies into your feed and watch your sales improve. And make sure you pick up our founder’s latest book, the Brand Partnership Bible , for more tips on taking your business to the next level. Thanks for reading!
