Are you thinking about getting into e-commerce on Instagram?
If yes, then you are in luck. 2022 promises to be an important year for this fast growing industry. In a 2021 survey, 44% of people reported that they shop on Instagram weekly. They report using features such as shopping tags and the Store tab. And that number should continue to rise as Instagram improves its shopping features.
Here’s everything you need to know about how to get the most out of Instagram ecommerce in 2022.
What is e-commerce on Instagram?
Instagram e-commerce refers to using Instagram to promote product sales for your e-commerce business. Your e-commerce business can exist solely on Instagram or on a separate website.
There are a few other terms you should be aware of in this area:
- eCommerce means “electronic commerce”. This means buying and selling goods, products or services over the Internet.
- Social commerce is a subset of e-commerce. This includes buying and selling through social media.
- Instagram commerce only refers to buying and selling through Instagram.
Instagram e-commerce tags or shopping tags are the tags of the products featured in the content.
To access them, you must:
- have a business or author account in the US,
- uploaded products to your catalog and
- shopping on Instagram included.
Your shopping tags will be listed in the Instagram store directory. Businesses, their partners and qualified public Instagram accounts can directly post to:
- feed posts,
- instagram stories,
- igtv video,
- coils,
- Guides and
- Live broadcasts.
Other people on Instagram can tag products too. But only on your photos in the feed, because videos and stories are not yet supported.
Tags are a powerful move for sellers on Instagram. Shopping tags encourage customers to instantly buy products on your website or Instagram app. You can also control how and where people tag your products. Instagram allows you to remove tags from a post, and you can approve or disapprove users who have access to your tags.
Source: Instagram
Pros of Using Instagram for Ecommerce
Instagram is a visual platform. This is great for companies that sell products that are easy to photograph, such as clothing, jewelry, or art. And for services that are well established, such as physical trainers, wellness, and interior design. Using a platform where your customers can see how your products and services might look on them or in their lives is a huge benefit to your sales.
Instagram had over 2 billion monthly users in 2021, so it’s an easy way to reach a large audience. Among these billions of users, Instagram creates niche communities. Common interests unite these small communities. This makes it easier to build strong relationships between participants. These groups allow you to connect with people on an individual level.
And your Instagram e-commerce business can be integrated with your Facebook ads and pages for even more reach.
Here are five more pros of using Instagram for e-commerce.
People are receptive to advertising
90% of people on Instagram follow a business. People are receptive to advertising products or services on the platform. They follow you because they want to know about new products or services. Let them know about any advertising campaigns you run. You can also tease future campaigns with “coming soon”messages.
Instagram is a direct connection with your consumers
77% of active Instagram users surveyed in a recent study said the app allows them to interact with brands. You can troubleshoot with your customers, fix issues on the fly, and get real-time feedback. Connecting directly with your consumers allows you to turn your followers into brand advocates. And to crowdsource opinions about your brand.
Brands on social media have the added benefit of giving people a place where they can easily connect with you and where you can connect with them. People feel much more connected to a brand that actively interacts with their community.
It gives you legitimacy
50% of study participants reported that they are more interested in a brand when they see its ads on Instagram. Being on Instagram shows that your followers trust you. It also shows that there is a place where they can contact you with any potential issues or questions.
This makes it easy to convert
When people see tagged products in their feed content, they can easily make a purchase. Often they buy without even leaving the application. Instagram calls it “buy the moment you open it.”
Loyal followers will advertise you
Any subscriber who likes your products enough to post a photo of them is Light User Generated Content (UGC). UGC is a persuasive form of free advertising. Encourage people to post and tag your products in photos, then make the most of any user-generated content that comes your way.
The article, for example, uses their Instagram bio to ask people to use their branded hashtag to post their user generated content. They then post people’s content to their feed.
Source: Instagram article
How to Build an Effective Instagram Ecommerce Strategy
Set up your Instagram store
First, you need to create a place where people can buy what you sell. To do this, you will need an Instagram business account or a creator account.
In creator accounts, you are limited to tagging products. So, if you want to develop a solid Instagram ecommerce strategy, you can switch to a business account. You will get more analytics and the ability to create a store and product catalog.
This article shows you how to set up an Instagram online store in four easy steps.
Promote your products with organic posts
The visual model of Instagram makes it ideal for promoting products. You must publish both organic posts and paid ads. Organic posts help increase your visibility, follower loyalty, and brand personality.
Promote your products with Instagram e-commerce ads
Organic posts work best when combined with paid advertising. They work for different purposes. Organic helps you attract your followers and build trust. Paid advertising, on the other hand, works to generate campaign conversions. This two-pronged approach is an important part of Instagram’s strong ecommerce strategy.
You will need a complete and comprehensive presentation of your content. This way you can fully understand what is working and what is wasting your time and money. You will quickly become an Instagram ad pro for eCommerce.
Partner with influencers to sell your products
People trust other people more than brands. So one of the best ways to get your products in front of potential customers is with Instagram eCommerce marketing. It’s tricky, but it just means finding an influencer to help promote your products.
When choosing an influencer to work with, choose someone with an engaged following. Consider influencers who fit with your brand; you want these people to use your products and believe in what you do. This makes their recommendations credible and their followers more likely to be of general interest. It’s like a date – see if your values align before you start a relationship.
Set up an affiliate marketing program with your chosen influencers. People with Instagram creator accounts to share their products and earn commission. They just need to add affiliate tags to their Instagram content. When they post, there will be a small heading “Eligible for Commission”under their username.
Create a network of brand ambassadors
If you can build a network of brand ambassadors, you can create brand advocacy. One in four agree that micro-influencers with a loyal and actively engaged audience create new trends.
Choose micro-influencers or people with fewer followers. Serving a niche audience generates loyalty. If they’re interested, send them free products that they can promote in their account. You can also give them a personal code that they can offer to their followers for a discount on your brand.
Micro-influencers have a higher rate of subscriber purchases when promoting products compared to macro-influencers. Generally, with smaller influencers, the upfront costs are lower. But a lower initial investment, combined with a faster buying rate, means your ROI will be higher the more niche you occupy.
Smoothly attract customers to your site
By including links to product pages in Instagram posts, businesses can direct customers to their websites. Once on their website, they can learn more about the product and make a purchase.
Source: Revolve Store on Instagram.
You can also add your website URLs to your Instagram bio and stories. Use a URL shortener to:
- brand your links
- track performance and
- keep long, spam-like URLs short and attractive.
Use a chatbot to help with general customer service inquiries
Instagram chatbots can answer common questions about your product or service. In addition, they can help resolve questions and concerns. Instagram users will appreciate being able to get help without leaving the app.
As a bonus, chatbots can take the load off your customer support team. They can then tackle more complex issues or focus on building relationships. Without spending hours answering frequently asked questions, your team can:
- instagram canvas for niche communities,
- connect with micro-influencers and
- develop relationships with your community.
There are tons of Instagram chatbots to choose from. We have tried, tested and trusted Heyday. It can be used exclusively for Instagram or as an omnichannel customer service bot. Here’s how to integrate Heyday and other Instagram chatbots into your ecommerce strategy.
Promote your Instagram store on other platforms
To maximize sales, promote your Instagram store on other platforms as well. You can do this through cross-platform promotion, blogging, and influencer marketing.
Link your Instagram account to other social platforms. And consider running cross-promotion campaigns. Get them back to your Instagram store for any promotions. Contact famous bloggers in your industry and see if they are interested in working with you. Or ask the influencers you’ve already hired if they’re willing to cross-promote for you.
By promoting your Instagram store on other platforms, you can:
- reach a wider audience
- generate more leads and
- ultimately make more sales.
Create SMART goals
Whether you’re just starting out or already in business, define the goals of your Instagram ecommerce strategy. Useful goals create a specific, measurable, and achievable goal for your company. Use SMART criteria to measure your goals.
SMART goals mean:
- Specific: Your goal should be easy to understand exactly what it means and when it was achieved.
- Measurable: Your goal must be measurable.
- Action Oriented: You must be able to chart the steps that will lead you to your goal.
- Realistic: You should be able to achieve your goal with the resources you have.
- Timeline: Your goal should have start and end dates.
For example, you might say that your goal is to “increase Instagram sales by 5% over the next six months.” Or they could be linked to a campaign to “increase cat ear sales by 40% over Black Friday weekend.”Then, once your goals are set, you can develop strategies and tactics to help you achieve them.
Here’s more on how you can create smart goals for your strategy.
Use analytics to your advantage
Analytics will show you what works and what doesn’t. This data gives you valuable insight into where your strategy might fail. You will want to select some KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) related to your organization’s goals.
KPIs will give you useful insights from your data. They will help tell you what can be improved in your strategy. Once you have this data, you can tweak and optimize it accordingly. Some platforms will offer you optimizations. Hootsuite analytics, for example, shows you where you need to adjust your strategy with the Insights feature.
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