Instagram For Retailers

You've finally done it - You started your own company! You've made the products, designed the logo, built the website… But now comes the biggest challenge: Getting sales. For retailers, promoting your business on social media is a great way to garner interest and create a fanbase, but while some platforms seem easier to handle, some can be tricky to navigate - especially when you're trying to convert engagement to sales.

When it comes to selling products, the best way to increase sales is to spread the word about your company, and what better way to get noticed than being on social media? A major platform you should focus on is Instagram… Ever heard of it? Chances are, you're already on Instagram, but are you utilizing it the best of your abilities? Instagram can be a major way to direct traffic to your site and grow sales, but it can be a bit difficult.

Here are some tips to help your business thrive on Instagram!

Make Sure Your Account Is A Business Profile

You may be eager to get your account up and running, so you may accidentally miss this crucial step! Converting your account to a Business Profile is a good way for retailers to track their analytics and boost posts to reach more people than just their followers.

Getting People To Your Site

Instagram captions are in a league of their own. Yes, you can use hashtags and write interesting captions… but the biggest problem retailers face on Instagram is the inability to post a link in the caption. Yes, you can still type the link in the caption, but let's be honest no one wants to manually open Safari and type out the link. Unless you have some extremely loyal followers, you won't get many sales from that. However, there are some tricks you can use to fix this problem.

1. First, try putting the link to your store in your Instagram bio. This way you can add a simple "Follow the link in our bio!" to your caption, and within two seconds, the viewer can be staring at the homepage of your website. Another step you might want to take is to turn your URL into a Bitly, which is a short URL, this way you won't have a long URL cluttering your bio. Simply go to Bitly.com, create an account, and paste the URL of your website to get the Bitly link. Another advantage for retailers using Bitly is that they can track how many clicks the links get.
2. Make shoppable posts. If your Instagram is approved as a business profile, another route you can take is using Shopify. Once you are approved by Facebook, you can add tags to your posts that make it much easier to shop on your account. The viewer will simply click the image to see what is tagged, then click the tag, then buy right from the comfort of their Instagram account!

Make Your Business As Reputable As Possible

With the increase in scams, people are becoming more and more wary of buying from retailers they haven't heard of before. Think about it, wouldn't you rather buy a pair of running shoes from Nike's website rather than a random website you stumbled on? It's much easier to buy from brands you know because you can trust them. You need to make sure your company is worthy of being trusted. This may seem like a difficult task, especially when you're a new company, but you can take small measures on Instagram to become more trusted.

1. Post customer reviews! Do you have reviews on your website from people absolutely loving your product? Make a graphic with the quote on it and post it on Instagram. Posting reviews from regular people is a surefire way to gain trust. A great way to get more reviews is to send a note in the order confirmation email asking for reviews in exchange for discounts.
2. Make sure your viewers know where they can buy your products! What platforms are you selling on? If you're an Amazon seller, add a graphic to some of your posts saying, "Purchase on Amazon" and including the Amazon logo. Just about everyone buys from Amazon, and if they see a brand they recognize, they'll be more confident in clicking your link and buying your products. Buying from a random website can seem a little sketchy sometimes but buying from a reliable source like Amazon can put the buyer's mind at ease.
   

Host Giveaways

Everyone loves free stuff, and if you say you don't, you're lying to yourself. Host a giveaway in order to increase the number of followers you have by making it a rule to follow your profile and comment on your post. Once you've run the giveaway for a few days, you get to choose the winner! Make sure the winner's profile is a public profile, and make sure they post often and include hashtags. This way, once you send them the item they won, there will be a good chance that they post about it on social media. (Don't forget to share their post!) Make a graphic, too, congratulating the winner and telling everyone else to follow your profile for future giveaways. Not only does this help increase engagement on your posts, but it also makes your brand more personable.

Make Your Content Appealing

Sometimes, posting pictures of your product is not enough. Don't miss a sale by letting viewers pass by your post simply because your posts didn't catch their eye! It's important to catch the viewers' attention, so play around with different ideas! Try making a GIF or a Boomerang. Making moving posts (rather than posting a simple image) is a fun way to showcase your product in ways that you can't with a still image. If you're selling sprays, show how well the bottle sprays your products. If you're selling running shoes, show what they look like in action! GIFs, Boomerangs, and general videos are sure to catch the viewers' attention and make them stop to watch the post.

Posting pictures of people is also very important when it comes to your brand. Think about it, if you see a product on a flat lay, you make no emotional connection to it - it's simply a picture of a product. But, if you see people that look like you using it, you're more likely to connect with the product and therefore possibly buy it.

Don't forget that your Instagram Profile is just as important as the content you post! Make sure your profile looks aesthetically pleasing and consistent. When people reach your profile, they could change their minds about clicking the link in your bio if your profile looks clunky and mismanaged. Make sure your bio is interesting, your logo is set as the profile picture, and the colors in your posts are consistent. If the viewer sees how much detail and thought is put into the account, they'll be more inclined to check the website and potentially buy some products!

Instagram Ads

Sometimes your profile needs a little boost in order to grow your following, and Instagram Ads are the best way for retailers to accomplish this! With ads, you can refine the targeting (what demographics see your post), and decide how much you want to spend and how long you want the ad to run. This is a great wat to be seen by people who might have not heard of your company yet. It's important to make content not so that just your followers become interested, but also so that people feel the need to follow your post. Yes, this step does require some extra money, but if it can increase sales, why not give it a try?

At the end of the day, there are a lot of ways retailers can try to increase sales, but social media is a great way to get your business off the ground and increase awareness of your brand. Instagram is only one of many platforms that you should try for your business. While there is a lot to learn about social media, why not let us handle your social media so that you can focus on your products? Head over to tryhyperchat.com to schedule a free consultation with us!