Instagram has taken the world by storm. Almost everyone has used it or at least heard of them at some point. The popular social media platform was launched back in 2010, and since then, it has enjoyed massive engagement among businesses and individual users.
There are more than 800 million active monthly users on Instagram who share over 60 million photos every day. Thanks to its massive user base, today, this platform is used by almost all big brands to showcase their products and services.
Businesses that rely on visual communication can specifically benefit from Instagram marketing as it enables users to post engaging videos and images to hook the reader's interest.
The key here is to post relevant content that addresses your customer's pain points and helps them stay connected to your brand all the time.
In this post, we're going to highlight simple Shopify Instagram marketing tips that will help you turn your audience into paying customers.
But before diving into details, first, have a quick look at what Instagram marketing is, what are the benefits of using Instagram marketing for your online business, and how you can create a comprehensive Instagram marketing strategy in 2021 to win more customers this year and beyond.
What Is Instagram Marketing?
Instagram marketing is a process that enables businesses to connect with their target audience and market their products and services online.
Similar to Facebook and Twitter, you need to create a business profile on Instagram to get started.
On Instagram, users can interact with each other through following and personal messaging. Plus, users can also comment on posts as well as like and dislike videos and pictures to engage with businesses and other users.
What we love about Instagram is it allows users to tweak images and videos according to their needs. There are plenty of original filters that one can use to add light, adjust brightness and saturation, and change sharpness and tone.
Benefits Of Using Instagram Marketing For Your Ecommerce Business
While many users use Instagram to engage with their friends and family, it is specifically beneficial for ecommerce businesses that want to set their business apart from the rest of the competition.
If you're still not convinced why Shopify Instagram marketing can upgrade your marketing framework, here are a few reasons you should implement an all-inclusive Instagram marketing strategy for your ecommerce business.
Reach Out To The High-Spending Crowd
Instagram is most popular among youngsters. People from this age bracket are usually high spenders. Most of them work, but they don't have to bear everyday expenses. They, therefore, have plenty of cash to spend on luxury goods.
Instagram lends ecommerce businesses an opportunity to present their products to a younger audience. As a result, they tend to sell their luxurious products and maximize revenue.
Create Brand Awareness
Admit it or not, when you see something repeatedly, you start feeling a connection with it. The same goes for marketing. When you see a brand on your newsfeed repeatedly, you would soon be recognizing it.
The good thing about Instagram is that it allows you to post multiple times a day. You can also repeat the same post many times. When you post through the day, your presence will be noticed by the users.
Increase Engagement
While Facebook outperforms every other social media platform when it comes to accessibility and ease of use, Instagram still tops the list in terms of user engagement.
Forrester research also reveals that Instagram posts generate 58-times more engagement than Facebook. This means having an active business account on Instagram can earn your ecommerce business a massive number of customer engagement that isn't possible with any other social media platform.
It Caters To All Industries
What we love about Instagram is that it caters to all industries. Also, businesses of all types and sizes can benefit from this platform. Photos and images are used by almost every business niche to market their products and services.
So whether you're a large-sized business or a startup, you can leverage the best Instagram marketing strategies to promote your business online.
Make Your Business More Relatable
What differentiates Instagram from other social media platforms is it allows businesses to present their work in an entirely different light using one of its prime features called 'Stories'.
Many businesses use the 'Stories' feature to showcase their struggles and behind the scene activities to build a connection with their audiences.
Promotes Creativity
Instagram is a versatile and flexible platform that gives users enough flexibility to show their creative skills. You can create and post memes, live videos, polls, and many other things that keep your business marketing alive and drives conversions.
Integrate Ads For Better Visibility
Just like Facebook, you can also create ads on your Instagram profile to connect with more users. This feature is incredibly beneficial as it enables business owners to target a specific group of potential customers who're genuinely interested in their products and services.
Mobile Responsiveness
Unlike Facebook that was introduced as a web-based platform, Instagram was created as a stand-alone platform that provides mobile users the same experience as its web-based users.
Instagram comes with a clean and user-friendly interface that anyone can use without the hassle.
Measure Real-Time Performance Through Analytics
Statistical data and analytics help marketers and business owners make informed and timely business decisions. Instagram allows you to keep track of this valuable information so that you can make changes to your Instagram marketing strategies accordingly.
It Is Media-Based
Instagram is the only social media channel that is purely media-based. This simply means that most of the content businesses share on this platform is in the form of images and videos.
Research suggests that viewers remember 80% of what they see and only 20% of what they read. So, businesses looking to improve engagement and enhance followership should consider Instagram for all their marketing efforts.
10 Instagram Marketing Tips To Convert Your Visitors Into Customers
1. Create/Switch-To A Business Account & Optimize Your Bio
If you're starting out with your Instagram marketing plan, the first step is to create a business account. If you already have an Instagram profile, you can also turn it into a business profile.
Go to 'Setting' and click 'Switch to Business Profile'.&n
Here are a few reasons why having an Instagram Business Profile is a good idea.
Your followers can directly get in touch with you from your Instagram page
You can create and publish ads without using Facebook advertising tools
You can keep track of analytics, including impressions, likes, and reach
It's also critical to optimize your Instagram bio to create an everlasting impression on your customers and profile visitors. From your profile description to the content you plan to post on your profile, everything should be optimized to capture your audience's attention.
2. Use Free Instagram Tools
Your Instagram business profile isn't different from your Facebook Business profile. There are many free-to-use tools you can use to measure the real-time progress of your Instagram Business account.
These tools enable you to view statistics like impressions, demographics, and more.
Also, these insights aren't generic. You can also get specific insights on individual posts to make tailored changes to your IG marketing strategies.
3. Create A Content Calendar
Content scheduling and posting would be a lot easier when you have a content calendar in hand.
A content calendar will help you keep track of posts you're about to create in the coming days. You can also schedule and automate your posts based on when your customers are active the most.
Having a content calendar also enables you to repost your previous IG posts with updated captions, content, and more.
4. Create Sponsored Ads
Similar to Facebook ads, sponsored ads on Instagram also enable businesses to control the total amount of money they're willing to spend.
Apart from that, you can also choose to display a single ad or multiple ads using the Instagram Carousel feature.
Earlier, only followers could see your Instagram posts But, now businesses can market their content to anyone that falls under the category of their target audience.
Just ensure you create engaging content for your ads so that they can perform better and drive sales.
5. Choose Your Captions Carefully
Another effective Shopify Instagram marketing strategy is to choose your post captions carefully. Get creative and create captions that capture your viewer's attention in no time.
A Socialinsider study reveals that captions containing 10-words or more perfectly blend with carousel posts and increase engagement.
6. Research Your Competitor’s Strategies
Whether you're using Facebook marketing, Twitter marketing, Instagram marketing, or any other type of marketing, you need to keep an eye out for your competitors.
Carefully examine what your competitors are posting on their business profiles. Are they relying on the content posted by users? How often are they posting on their profiles?
Many online tools can also help you gain insights into what your competitors are doing with their accounts.
7. Narrate A Story
Our favorite feature. Instagram Stories significantly differ from regular Instagram posts. They're in a slide-show format, and they stay live for just 24-hours.
Also, stories on Instagram are not shown on the newsfeed, rather they're displayed in a small area just above the feed.
Don't forget to add images, GIFs, and audio to your stories. Also, add hashtags and mentions to help fill the void between you and your target audience.
Instagram also makes it easy for the sellers to experiment with different content types while using Stories feature. You can also benefit from online editing tools, such as Canva to create attractive videos and personalized images for your stories.
8. Collaborate With Other Influencers
If you're really looking to generate leads and conversions for your business through Instagram, you can collaborate with other influencers working in the same niche as yours.
Influencers are known individuals with massive social media following that impact your audience's decision and encourage them to invest in your products.
If you collaborate with the right influencers, you get a chance to reach out to their followers.
The first step is to choose the right influencers who have a genuine fan following on Instagram.
The key here is to throw aside the short-term gains and build long-term relationships with the right people working in your area of expertise.
9. Collect User-Generated Content
User-generated content can contribute a lot to your conversion process. It allows your audience to involve themselves with your business. This strategy is also cost-effective as you don't have to spend a penny on creating content. It will be curated and approved by the people.&
MAC and Starbucks use user-generated content for marketing their products and offers.
10. Use The Right Hashtags
Hashtags are an essential Instagram element that allows users to track the content they're looking for.
Using the right hashtags will significantly increase your content visibility. If you choose to go with generic keywords like #Halloween or #Fashion, the chances of your posts getting lost in the sea of millions of other posts having the same hashtags will be high.
Conduct keyword research and competitor analysis to see what's trending in your niche and what specific hashtags your competitors are using to capture your audience's attention.
Here are a few things you can do to get the most of your Instagram hashtags:
- Add 2-8 hashtags in each of your posts.
- Choose hashtags that are trending
- Choose hashtags that are relevant to your target audience
- Create branded hashtags
There you have it - 10 Instagram Marketing Tips to Convert Your Audience into Customers.
Trisha Ballesteros