Instagram For E-commerce Marketing
Instagram is a mobile, desktop, and Internet-based photo-sharing application and service with more than 500 million users, that allows users to share pictures and videos either publicly or privately. Instagram lets registered users upload photos or videos to the service. Users can apply various digital filters to their images, and add locations through geotags. They can add hashtags to their posts, linking the photos up to other content on Instagram featuring the same subject or overall topic. Users can connect their Instagram account to other social media profiles, enabling them to share photos to those profiles as well.
Instagram enables more and more businesses, big and small, to communicate visually with their fans, followers and customers.
A few reasons why Instagram is beneficial for e-commerce are: Instagram is a mobile, desktop, and Internet-based photo-sharing application and service with more than 500 million users, that allows users to share pictures and videos either publicly or privately. Instagram lets registered users upload photos or videos to the service. Users can apply various digital filters to their images, and add locations through geotags. They can add hashtags to their posts, linking the photos up to other content on Instagram featuring the same subject or overall topic. Users can connect their Instagram account to other social media profiles, enabling them to share photos to those profiles as well.
Instagram enables more and more businesses, big and small, to communicate visually with their fans, followers and customers.
A few reasons why Instagram is beneficial for e-commerce are:
Engagement
A study by Forrester found that Instagram content generates 58 times more engagement per follower than Facebook and 120 times more than Twitter.
Free Advertising
You can showcase images of your products and services without paying a “dime”. AS Followers interact without your content, their followers also indirectly see you content. This enables you to show off what you have.
Younger Target Market
If you’re targeting people born from 1980 to the early 1990s (the so called millennial) then Instagram is the place to be as over 37% of people in this age group use Instagram (Source:JennsTrends)
Increased Traffic
The higher levels of engagement on Instagram compared to Facebook and Twitter, could result in increased traffic to your website.
Building Trust
Branded content is more popular for generating engagement. A benefit of Instagram is that it can help you build trust. People buy from people whom they like and trust. Instagram will help you to create that emotional connection with your audience.
Connect With Customers
Instagram allows brands to connect with customers by showcasing customer photos. By including hashtags customers can post photos.
Product Videos
Instagram allows brands to create 15 second product videos
Instagram offers an excellent opportunity for your brand to diversify your content as a means to broaden your online reach. A variety of business can succeed on Instagram.
Industries that succeed on Instagram usually have the following traits:
– Industries with large audiences on Instagram
– Business to Consumer Industries (Fashion, Fitness, Beauty, Outdoor)
– Business to Business Industries (Technology, Services)
Optimising your profile can really promote your brand on Instagram. The following steps can assist entrepreneurs to optimise their profiles:
– Add your logo as the profile picture
– Include a short keyword savvy description. These keywords should relate to your business and products.
– Include a brand hashtag in your bio
– link back to your website
The fundamental keys to Instagram success is to be spontaneous and active. Photos and videos have to engage with potential customers. Some ideas of content to post are:
– Your new products
– Videos of Your new products in action
– Teasers new products and services before the official launch
– Behind the scene photos and videos
– Photos of your employees as well as your customers
– Events related to products or the business
– Photos and videos from company trips
– Specials on products or services
– Regular competitions and giveaways
Finally Some tips for Instagram success:
– Engage with your followers.
– Hashtag accordingly. Limit hashtags to 10 per post. To determine relevant hashtags for your products make use of online tools like Iconosquare
– Search for hastags and engage with other users using the searched for hashtags
– Regram posts from others brands or users, related to your products, that have engagement numbers. Give credit to the author of these posts.
– Host giveaways and competitions on Instagram using a unique hashtag. Ask followers to post videos and photos using the unique hashtag.
– Instagram Ads allows you to put your message in front of a larger audience. This will help increase brand visibility and post engagement. Instagram Ads are a also a great way to drive traffic to your website.
Helpful Instagram Tool
Finding innovative Instagram ideas can be quite difficult. Picodash, is a powerful search engine to explore Instagram photos, videos, users and locations. Use Picodash to research your competitors i.e. how they are using hashtags, photos and to discover areas of opportunity