Social media has increasingly become a boon for eCommerce over the past few years. Leading social platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, are continuously rolling out new features to help the online community engage in eCommerce.
One such game-changing feature introduced by Instagram is shoppable posts. These give users a smooth buying experience. With shoppable posts, online sellers can tag physical products so buyers can browse and purchase directly from their feed.
For eCommerce entrepreneurs, Instagram shoppable posts presents a huge opportunity for creating an optimal selling environment. This article puts together some actionable tips on how sellers can boost their sales using Instagram’s shoppable posts.
1. Optimize your product catalog for Instagram
A well-designed and optimized product catalog is the lynchpin of your product advertising and marketing efforts on Instagram. So, if you want to make the most out of your shoppable posts, you must start by getting your catalog in top shape. This would involve cleansing the product data to ensure it meets the following criteria:
Standardized – Easily understandable by all users on the web. For instance, if you’re selling laptops, consider using HP as opposed to Hewlett Packard
Complete – Always supply all necessary additional data such as color, brand, shipping details, and more.
Accurate – Ensure all data is consistent and that the product prices are up-to-date
Coherent and readable – The product data should not include unnecessary capitalization, incorrect spellings, or any other errors.
Optimizing your product catalog should be considered a fundamental element of fee-based advertising because it ensures complete information is pulled into your shoppable posts. This, in turn, fosters a positive buyer experience.
2. Use compelling visuals
Instagram is an image-centric platform, no matter how much social media evolves, the value of high-quality visuals remains constant. Millions of posts are shared every day on Instagram. Which means that uploading striking photos and videos is key to standing out and leaving a long-lasting impact on viewers. Brands should, therefore, prioritize using high-quality photos on Instagram. Otherwise, generating sales through shoppable posts and stories will be an uphill battle.
When creating your shopping posts, always ensure that they reflect your overall brand style. The idea here is to give your posts a cohesive look so that no shopping post disrupts the gorgeous flow or stands out against the others. To achieve this, you should apply the same tone, filters, and editing style to your shopping posts.
3. Get creative with product tags
Instagram allows you to tag a maximum of five products in a single image and up to twenty products in a carousel or multi-image post. To start with, double-check all shopping tags to ensure they link to the right product. It’s frustrating for a potential customer to click on a product link only to realize that it is broken or does not lead to the expected product.
When placing multiple tags on a single image, remember to space them out to prevent overlap and obstruction. The idea here is to drag and drop them where they do not block too much of the image, and the post remains visually appealing. This way, viewers can easily identify the exact product associated with the tag as in the snapshot below.
If you’re having trouble fitting product tags in your post, consider making a carousel post and tagging some products in another image. Alternatively, you can use the product tagging feature available for stories, which also presents an incredible opportunity for engaging your audience.
4. Add engaging captions with a clear call-to-action
Image captions are extremely powerful for driving conversions, especially when used correctly. They allow marketers to add value and some inspiration to the image. Thereby providing a complete picture of why the target audience should purchase a product. Below is an example caption that provides inspiration to the shoppable post and encourages the buyer to take action.
An engaging caption grabs buyers’ attention, but it is a call-to-action that compels them to convert. For this reason, Instagram marketers should always include a solid call-to-action in their posts. By adding it, customers will be aware of the next steps to take, thereby making it easier to convert potential customers into buyers.
The good thing about adding call-to-actions is that they don’t have to be complex. Even a simple, actionable phrase like “Love this sporting shoe? Click on the link above to get your own” can boost traffic and get the sales rolling in.
5. Use relevant hashtags
Like any other social platform, using descriptive hashtags is a great way of increasing engagement on Instagram, including for shoppable content.
According to Sprout Social, posts that use hashtags enjoy 12.6% more engagement than those without. This is because hashtags, when used correctly, make your content more discoverable by the right audience.
Worth a mention is that hashtags require careful selection. While Instagram allows you to include up to thirty hashtags, it is important not to overuse them.
A good idea would be adding between three to ten hashtags per post. Ensure that they are genuine and within the context of your posts. If you use them effectively, then there’s a decent chance that your shoppable posts will see an uptick in user engagement, and ultimately, conversions.
6. Feature your customers
A great way to boost your Instagram marketing efforts is by bringing in some user-generated content that features your products as shoppable posts.
User-generated content is more powerful and impactful since it shows potential customers how different people are enjoying your brand offerings in real-life situations. It is like showing off your brand while letting customers be the marketing voice for your products.
Sephora, a renowned beauty brand, features customers in its posts to increase conversions.
This technique is more powerful because prospects perceive posts created by fellow buyers as more authentic and trustworthy. If you use this kind of content as your shoppable posts, always remember to give credit to the customer for reposting the content.
7. Collaborate with influencers
The success of your Instagram marketing strategy relies heavily on how well you can get your content to the masses while encouraging them to take action.
As such, you should do everything that makes your posts visible to a larger audience. One such easy way of expanding your reach is partnering with influencers to promote your products. When you feature a celebrity or influential person in your Instagram shoppable posts, there’s a decent chance that their followers will feel encouraged to make a purchase as well.
Other effective ways of encouraging purchases include providing discounts, running contests, and other well-thought promotional offers. Anything that provides value to the followers and inspires them to engage with your posts will pay off in the long run.
Conclusion
Instagram shoppable posts provide a great opportunity for brands and individual entrepreneurs to monetize this social platform.
Coupling this with shoppable stickers for Instagram stories, you have a highly impressive marketing channel. Not to mention a profitable social tool for your business. So, if you’re looking to generate sales for your e-commerce store, implement the above tips and watch your followers transform into customers.
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