Instagram is one of the best platforms to engage with prospective customers on social media. In fact, users spend more time on Instagram than on any other social accounts, according to Yopto. Given the audience size, it's no question that having a strong presence on the platform can help boost your brand. The good news is that people are looking for brands they love—80% of Instagram users follow at least one brand, and 60% say they’ve discovered a product through the platform, according to Instagram.
With the launch of Instagram shoppable posts, you can now sell products directly from shoppers' feeds. Users can browse, buy, and check out without leaving the app. Instagram is where people come for inspiration, and selling on the platform allows you to share photos that showcase how your products are used in real life, creating the optimal selling environment.
Getting started with shoppable posts
To create shoppable posts, you need an Instagram business account that’s connected to a Facebook catalog. Your catalog is a list of your products, and it's required to sell on Instagram. To set up a catalog, go to the Catalog Manager and select “Create Catalog.” Select “E-commerce," and click “Next.” Choose “Upload Product Info,” give your catalog a name, and click “Create.”
Instagram shoppable posts settings in the Catalog Manager.
Once Instagram reviews and approves your catalog and account for shopping posts, you will need to enable product tags on your profile to tag and sell your products. Visit your profile and tap the button in the upper right-hand corner. Tap "Shopping" and "Continue." Choose the catalog you want to use and tap "Done."
Creating a shoppable post
To begin, create a new standard Instagram post or open an existing one. You can tag up to five products per image or video and up to 20 products in a multi-image post, but less is more. Overwhelming a photo with too many tags can cause confusion, making it less likely a shopper will select a product. Tap "Tag Products" from the share screen, select the product from the catalog, and place the tag near the product in the image. Then share your post.
Gap using product tags to identify available products.
Instagram users can identify a post as being shoppable by viewing the shopping bag icon in the top-right corner. When a user hovers over a product, a tag and price will appear. To purchase, the user clicks through to the product page. Don't stop there—once you complete nine shoppable posts, your Instagram account will also get a “Shop” feed added to your profile, where customers have direct access to your products.
Turning shoppable posts into sales
Once your account is set up, focus your attention on making sales, but be selective about which Instagram posts you tag. Customers want to build relationships with brands through social media, not feel like they’re being bombarded with advertisements. Remember, shoppable posts should be one part of your overall content strategy on Instagram.
Ensure your shoppable posts fit the brand and aesthetic of other posts you share. When a prospective customer visits your profile page, you don’t want certain posts to look inconsistent with the others. Instagram is a visual platform and posts should be authentic. While filters can enhance images, you want to be sure your products are accurately displayed, creating correct expectations for buyers and ultimately avoiding returns.
User-generated content
Next, consider layering on user-generated content to your social media marketing strategy. Consumers consider user-generated posts 76% more trustworthy than branded advertising, according to Adweek. Repost photos your customers have shared and tagged your brand in, adding tags to make them shoppable. Of course, ask permission to repost the photo and give the customer credit in the post.
Gaucho Sur reposts customer wearing the Gaucho Pants.
You can also boost your Instagram shoppable post sales strategy by collaborating on an influencer post. Getting an influencer to talk about your products and share them with the right audience is a powerful stamp of approval that can drive sales.
Instagram hashtags
Finally, don’t forget hashtags. Posts that include at least one hashtag get 12.6% more engagement than those without, according to Sprout Social. You can use up to 30 hashtags on your Instagram post, but the optimal number is 11. Include a branded hashtag on all of your posts, such as the name of your business, so that shoppers can search for and find your business. Consider relevant hashtags shoppers might use to search for your products, and research competitors to stay up-to-date on trends.
Shoppable post performance
Monitor which types of posts generate the most sales. Keep track of impressions, which is how many people saw your posts, and engagement, which is how often your posts are liked, commented on, or shared. This information will help you identify the posts your customers want so you can reinvest your time in what's working.
Shoppable Instagram posts offer a visual, dynamic method for driving engagement and sales. According to YOTPO, at least 30% of consumers have made a purchase as a direct result of an Instagram post. Shoppable posts can become an important part of your social media marketing strategy.
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By: Stephanie Vozza
Title: How to Use Instagram Shoppable Posts to Sell On Social Media
Sourced From: weebly.ghost.io/how-to-sell-products-on-instagram/
Published Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2019 18:55:05 GMT
