Instagram is a great friend of e-commerce. The application has a powerful base of active users, gives great opportunities to promote online business. Among the users of this social platform are our potential customers. How to use this potential?
More than a billion monthly active users. More than 100 million new photos every day. 58 times more engagement per follower than Facebook. These numbers are impressive. Most of us do not have ambitions to conquer the world market (although there are probably some), but the awareness of such reach encourages to action. The fashion industry, for which Smartfactore also works, is one of the most visible in the app. Paid advertising isn’t the only option. See how you can use Instagram to promote your e-business, completely free.
e-Window Shopping
Watching lavish storefronts filled with the products we dream about, in arrangements that delight the eye – we all love it. Instagram gives us the opportunity to take store tours without leaving home – lying comfortably on the couch, with a cup of coffee in hand, whether awake or in the middle of the night, anytime, anywhere. So build your exhibitions! Get seen. The products you sell must be perfectly displayed, the photos must impress with the visual concept, please the eye.
Hashtags are a must
A hashtag is a signpost – you have to use it to be found by potential customers. We laugh at a few-verse description of one photo, a list of dozens of hashtags, and have you thought about why you ended up on this very photo? Navigating a user is an art. Use hashtags related to the industry you’re in; use those that describe your products, those that define the values your company stands for, and those that are currently trending.
Stay in touch
Let yourself be followed, but also observe – together you create a network that works to your advantage. Above all, react to photos featuring your product – use the Embed option. Remember to mark the accounts whose photos you are sharing and to ask about the possibility of sharing. You will cease to be just a name of an e-shop, a virtual logotype. The client will be noticed, and this will be noticed by others, maybe future clients?
Be yourself
A face without make-up is in fashion. Therefore, next to the product photos from the session in a phenomenal place, show how you pack the products you have just made in the warehouse. Show in pictures what a creative meeting looks like in your company. Show your employees. What do they do? Who are they? Make yourself known and get close to people. Proximity builds trust and encourages return visits.
What do you have for me?
Do a contest, give a discount, offer a promotion just for Instagram users. All this generates traffic to your profile. Discounting activities are an attraction for regulars of your profile, but also an opportunity to attract new ones. When organizing a contest, condition the participation by sharing your profile – this is no longer just a contest, but also your advertising, this time – for free. However, do not treat your profile as a place to earn money – it will bring the opposite effect, customers will immediately sense it and react by leaving in the opposite direction.
Take the hint
Trends have a way of constantly changing. Stay up to date – check out what Instagram itself is saying – take a regular peek at the Instagram For Business page – follow the trends. Currently, the most popular thing to do is to introduce limited edition products, which is supposed to build exclusivity of purchases. Informative and social posts are also very popular – you are not only supposed to sell, but also educate, advocate for the right side. Lo-fi videos are also a hit on Instagram – you can make them with simple apps on your phone. Will you give them a try?
