Are you selling products on Instagram? Wondering how to create Instagram posts that interest shoppers?
To have success selling on Instagram, you first need to build a following of people who have a genuine interest in your brand and products. If you don’t have the right audience, you’ll have a difficult time converting them to customers.
Once you’ve developed a following that’s likely to convert, here are some ways to promote your products on Instagram:
Showcase your products on Instagram
Because Instagram is a visual platform, it’s the perfect place to share images of your products and your brand. The key is to post photos that reflect your brand’s image and capture your products in a way that appeals to your followers. You want them to visualize themselves actually using those products. Here are a couple of ways you can do that:
- Flat lay setting: If you want to capture your product in a flat lay setting, choose a plain, neutral background for your shot. The best flat lay effects come when you shoot from above. When positioning your product in the shot, decide if you want to leave some space for a text or graphic overlay and then start shooting. With a little editing, you’ll have beautifully styled product photos.
- Unique product details: Does your product have small, intricate details? Nearly every product can benefit from close-up shots that focus on a unique attribute. Whether you’re zooming in for clarity or to create a beautiful picture, detail shots are an effective way to put the spotlight on your product.
- People in your shot: If you sell clothing, jewelry, or other wearable products, chances are you’ve already been thinking about using people to model your wares. Consumers tend to respond well to any images that include people. Even if you sell products you wouldn’t normally associate with a model shot, work someone into your photo. This makes it easier for followers to connect with your offering.
- Lifestyle images: These images should be more laid back and less styled than model shots. Try to capture your products naturally so customers can better visualize how they would use them in their own lives.
- A cohesive Instagram grid: If customers or potential followers come across one of your images and like it, they’ll likely visit your grid next to see what else you sell. If your grid looks disconnected with a wide variety of image types and no apparent theme or plan, it could turn off potential customers. While you don’t want your feed to look like a catalog, it will likely serve as one.
Encourage product browsing on Instagram
Once you’ve taken engaging photos of your products to share on Instagram, turn your focus to simplifying the buying process. The easier you make it for people to purchase, the better. By removing barriers to action, you can convert more of your followers into customers.
Shoppable product tags can help businesses increase traffic and revenue. When users tap on a tagged image to see the price, they’re just a couple of taps away from putting it in their online shopping cart.
How Instagram product tags work
Tapping a shoppable image reveals tags with the product’s name and price. If users tap the tag, they see a page with more images and a description of the product. If they tap the link to your website, they’re taken to a product page where they can easily add the item to their bag and check out.
The smoothest part of the experience is that the purchase process never takes customers outside of the Instagram app; there’s no switching to a browser. It’s a seamless shopping experience.
Instagram Stories with the swipe up feature
The popularity of Instagram stories makes them a perfect place for brands to connect with their followers. The swipe up feature, which is unlocked after your account reaches 10K followers, lets you drive your followers directly to your website.
It’s also a good idea to include “Swipe up” or some other call to action (CTA) in your visuals to encourage followers to act. This is especially important for people who aren’t watching your stories with the sound on. The See More link at the bottom of the screen can be easy to miss!
If you plan to use the swipe up feature to sell, make sure you have a strategy for using it. You don’t want your stories to be full of “Hey, buy this” and “Swipe up to buy that.” The swipe up feature can easily lose its effectiveness if overused or used only to try to sell.
Use branded graphics to announce important events
Instagram captions are where your brand’s personality can really shine through. But sometimes your followers will overlook them, especially when they’re scrolling quickly. To draw attention to important posts about big sales or events, create customized graphics to announce them while staying on-brand.
One common way to do this is with a good old-fashioned discount graphic. The swipe up feature will seamlessly track the website traffic it generates. Your Instagram graphics can also announce grand openings, new arrivals, featured items, and so on.