It’s a fact. Instagram has become one of the go-to social media channels for any business. After all, the numbers speak for themselves. Instagram now boasts an impressive 1 billion active users, second only to Facebook. On average, 4.2 billion posts are liked and 95 million posts and 400 million stories are made daily on the platform.  In the Caribbean, the numbers aren’t so different with as much as 20% of the population in some islands being active Instagram users. 

 The popular photo and video-sharing platform is extremely beneficial for brands as a self-promotion safe-space to showcase their products and connect with consumers. According to Hootsuite, this year alone, Instagram was responsible for 7 billion in mobile ad revenue across the globe. Research also shows that 60 percent of users discover products on Instagram and 72 percent of these users have actually bought a product they saw on the platform. 75 percent of users take some type of action while on Instagram and 90 percent of the top 100 brands are on the platform. Simply put, if you’re not already investing in Instagram, you should.  

 However, it takes more than simply creating an Instagram page and posting a few images and videos to yield success from the popular platform.

 

Here are four tips to help your business convert Instagram followers and likes into actual sales.  

 

Optimize Your Profile 

 Instagram has the innate power to convert passive shoppers into confident customers. A big part of the platform’s success is the ability to make almost anything look attractive. An optimized profile will help your page stand out and be found among the sea of competitors. A few key elements of an optimized Instagram business page are: 

• Informative and Catchy Bio – Let followers know exactly who you are as a brand and what your page is about with a clear, concise and catchy bio. Be sure to include any important keywords relevant to your business, as well as a link to your website.  

• Share Quality Images – Instagram is a very visual medium and one of the most important elements of a quality page is the quality of your content. Ensure images and videos are high quality and visually appealing.  

• Be Consistent With Branding – Ensure that your page aesthetic is consistent with your branding.  

• Consistently Share Content – Having a page that is updated once a week or less is simply not going to get you the followers and by that token, the potential customers, you desire. A fully optimized Instagram business page should be updated regularly with fresh content at least once a day. And don’t forget the recent additions of Stories and IGTV, which is also important in terms of maintaining a consistent posting schedule.  

• Use your Hashtags – The right hashtags, much like the right keywords, help your target audience find you and increase your brand awareness. The perfect hashtags are a combination of relevant, memorable and unique. Please note, that like keywords, you don’t want to overdo it with too many hashtags in your posts.  

 

Use Instagram Ads  

 Like most social media platforms, Instagram offers the option of sponsored posts, which allow businesses to better target and zero in on the audience they would like to reach. It is important to be very strategic and have a clear goal in mind when creating your sponsored ad.  

 For example, is the goal to increase followers, increase engagement, increase traffic to your website, sign up for a free trial of a new product or service offering, etc.? Whatever it may be, let that be the guiding force behind the way your ad is structured.  

 There should also be a very clear and direct call to action included. Although Instagram does not allow clickable links in posts, while creating your promoted ad, you will be given the option to input where you want individuals to be directed to. This can either be your website or a specific landing page.  

 

Have Special Promotions 

 A great way to increase your Instagram page followers and engagement is with strategic promotions. An important thing to note is that there must be a balance in the number of promotions run on your page, as you don’t want to risk it being seen as too sales driven.  

Research shows that 46 percent of individuals admit to un-following a page if it has too many sales-driven promotions. But a few strategically placed promotions can yield big results. For example: 

• Ask followers to like a post for a 50 percent discount on their next purchase  
• Include a discount code in a Story that can be redeemed in store  
• Ask individuals to share a Story saying why they love your brand and the first 50 get a discount 

 

The options are endless and the result is increased brand awareness, engagement, and sales.  

 

Partner With Key Influencers  

In recent years, influencer marketing has grown into one of the most successful marketing strategies, with some businesses yielding thousands, sometimes millions in revenue, with the right influencer strategy.  

 While you may not yield millions, partnering with a popular, well-connected local influencer can still prove very worthwhile. The right influencer partnership can help increase your brand awareness, engagement and of course sales.  

 

Go Live  

 As noted above, Instagram now offers more options for sharing content, including Stories and IGTV and that means more opportunities for brands to reach their target audiences and increase sales.  

 Use Stories and/or IGTV to showcase a new product and offer special discounts to followers who join the live chat. The format can also be used for strategic partnerships, like an Instagram takeover.  

 

It’s the holiday season after all, which is the season for giving back.  So partner with a major charity like the Red Cross and allow them to take over your page or you theirs for a day. And use the opportunity to reach out to your followers and get them to donate to a worthy cause, but also increase your brand awareness.  

 Instagram is one of the most important social media platforms and worth investing in. The right strategy can help turn your followers into paying customers.  

 

 

Not sure how to get started or just need a little guidance, Yello can help.