Instagram & e-commerce, a story that can make a difference?
You've certainly heard of it. You probably use it every day, scroll through photos or look at stories. If you don't use it yourself, chances are that one of your friends has taken a picture with you and posted it (hopefully with your consent, but that's not Appvizer's job). Anyway, let's talk about Instagram, one of the most acclaimed social networking sites in the last 10 years that manages to bring together at least two generations: Millennials and Gen Z.
Now since you've probably understood the reach of this tool you're wondering how to exploit it for your ecommerce, if you haven't you take it as advice 😉
Well in this article we're going to show you the reasons to sell on Instagram, but more importantly how to achieve success! #instajob.
Let's do the maths: What are Instagram's numbers?
Instagram has around 1.074 billion users in 2021.
Seventy per cent of these users are young people under the age of 35, but the age group that uses Instagram the most is the 25-34 age group.
The number of business accounts on Instagram these is about 200 million and 87% of these companies use stories to make people discover their new products.
💡Small insight for you: 83% of users discover new products on Instagram, why not yours?
Why is Instagram useful for e-commerce?
First of all, because as we have seen, this tool encompasses 1 billion users, and they are all there on your smartphone.
Another point in favour of this social is the price: Instagram is totally free so why say no to so many people at 0 cost?
Also, if your e-commerce needs to be known, know that by using Instagram you will not only get new customers, but you can reach your audience in a different way and get feedback on your products.
Instagram is a social network that is constantly evolving, as there are new features and trends each time to publish content in a different way.
Also, if you want to target an under-25 audience , Instagram is the most appropriate channel.
If you use Instagram you will have noticed that most users use it not only to post photos to show an event or trip, but also to follow celebrities and influencers: so why not take advantage of this and choose the right person to promote your products? You can certainly make yourself known and gain the trust of customers.
Another important element is that Instagram allows you to obtain a lot of information about your customers, allowing you to later modify your strategy and adapt it to the needs of the market.
You can also combine your activity on Facebook and Instagram and use Instagram Ads to increase your visibility.
To cut a long story short, we can tell you that Instagram is the ideal solution for those who want to increase their notoriety, give customers more information about their products, or convert visitors into customers - if that's your goal, start the adventure!
How to use Instagram for e-commerce?
In order to make the most of Instagram and its functionality for e-commerce, you should first choose photos that could attract users.Instagram is the social network that places great importance on the quality of images.
Images are a very important element for marketing.
If you want to increase your popularity and promote your brand, the first thing you should do is to create a corporate account.
Furthermore, on Instagram you don't need photographers to publish photos, you can simply use filters and effects to embellish the photos, but don't forget that the photos must be faithful to the product to maintain a relationship of trust with customers, it is important to embellish the photos but not to give an incorrect view of the product.
Instagram being a mobile app users use it from smartphones and tablets and using this platform is the ideal way to reach this type of customer.
Remember also that it is advisable to publish several posts per week to create a kind of 'customer engagement'.
Another strategy is to use storytelling that could allow your company to pass on a message, or to promote its products.
Instagram is a suitable platform for all types of businesses, small or large.
What forms of advertising can be used on Instagram?
Instagram uses the same advertising tools as Facebook. In fact, you can manage your account from Facebook in the Ad Management part.
To advertise on Instagram there are several formats you can:
- Create stories on Instagram i.e. videos of a duration of 15 seconds that disappear after 24 hours.
- Put a link to your e-commerce website in your bio.
- Insert videos on your wall.
- Insert carousel and thus allow your followers to see several products in one post.
- Insert with collection offering the possibility of combining photos and videos in the same publication.
The forms of advertising you choose will depend on your goals and the audience you choose to target.
You can also use Instagram ads to show customers who already know your company new products in your store.
To advertise well on Instagram you need to check your statistics, and choose the posts that will represent your company very carefully. Also, try to be original in what you post by differentiating yourself from others and you will succeed in attracting new customers.
How to use Instagram to advertise your e-commerce
First you will have to create your Instagram Business Profile, which is linked to your Facebook business profile and enter all the information about your business such as email, physical address and company description.
You can also use Instagram Advertising and monitor everything you post with Insight, which gives you all the information about your target audience and how they interact.
You should also make use of images that could attract customers, so play around with filters that could help you improve the quality of your photos and attract a larger audience.
In addition, it would be good to use hashtags of up to 30 that help you find already targeted users.
You can also mention other brands in your posts that will allow you to acquire new customers.
Using influencers can be a strategy to make yourself more known, but be careful not to choose an influencer solely for his or her number of followers, but also to see if his or her content is suitable for your product.
Instagram is one of the most widely used social networks these days, and as a good manager you should not miss this opportunity and use it to make your brand known and increase brand awareness. However, make the right strategic choices, knowing how to exploit it is not everyone's cup of tea, and remember to emphasise your images and take advantage of the forms of advertising available.
Article translated from Italian