Instagram has quickly become one of social media’s powerhouse brands and is a hotbed for brand marketing. Currently, 80% of Instagram users claim they follow at least one brand on the platform, with 60% saying they discovered a new product. And a 2019 study from Facebook IQ found 46% of those surveyed said they purchased a product or service after seeing it on Instagram.
So, what makes Instagram such a great platform for marketers? Here are some key reasons why you need to be on there.
Is Instagram Marketing Key to Ecommerce Success?
Instagram marketing has clear benefits and can bring a lot to most ecommerce businesses, and there are many ways to advertise through the platform. Instagram encourages marketing through engagement, from hashtags to stories and using influencers. A wide range of business tools including profile interactions, follower growth and campaign goals help brands track their success.
Instagram’s Algorithm
Originally, the platform used a chronological timeline. However, Instagram estimated that when using this type of timeline, people missed an average of 70% of their feeds. Many users were finding it hard to keep track of certain accounts they were following.
Because of this, Instagram made a change to its algorithm, which now reflects a user’s interests and behavioral patterns, with the most relevant posts pushed to the top of their timeline. The most relevant posts are decided by their recency, the level of interaction and how a user has interacted with similar posts.
Instagram Analytics
Instagram analytics, known as Insights allows you to track and manage your advertising. With a business account on the platform, you automatically gain access to all of Instagram’s analytics tools.
Insights can be a great way to gain a better understanding of your customers and the general base of users visiting your page. Insights tracks a number of metrics, including:
- Followers
- Mentions
- Interactions (overall)
- Impressions
- Reach
You can measure the success of your story, post or advert individually, or together with another part of your campaign.
Using Instagram for Ecommerce Growth
There are many options to help you reach new and existing customers and drive growth:
Introduce your brand through your story
Stories are one of the defining features of Instagram. You can add photos, videos, captions and music to create the perfect promotion. However, your story needs to be instantly captivating, as it only takes a touch of the screen for a user to skip it. A successfully used story will help your business grow by showcasing everything from brand values to products and services.
Utilize your bio
Your bio is often the first thing people see when visiting your page, so it needs to be used wisely. Hashtags that relate to your business and keywords will help to attract relevant people to your page. You should also include a concise description of your company.
Use price tags to make your products shoppable
Tagging is one of Instagram’s most unique features, as it showcases the product like a marketplace would, with the price included in the post. This means users interacting with the post are more likely to click the tag and visit your store. You can even take this one step further and make your story even more seamlessly shoppable with embedded clickable price tags embedded right in the post.
Hashtags to bring your audience in
Hashtags are essentially the keywords of Instagram, so using the right ones for your product will help customers find your product/store. They can be used in your story, bio, ads or a standard post, helping create a catchy way to make your brand memorable and more visible on other areas of Instagram, such as Explore.
Use dynamic ads
Dynamic ads can be used to draw attention to your brand on Instagram. They can target a specific demographic, based on the time and budget you set. This makes it an ideal option for attracting new customers to your shop.
Optimize your product catalog
Optimizing your product catalog ensures you are always advertising ideal products at the right time to the most viable audience. If you have a smaller product catalog, you can do this manually by recognizing trends from the data Instagram feeds back to you.
However, it is more challenging to do if you have more SKUs. In this situation, consider using a feed optimization service which can automate the process of uploading your product feed, while keeping it up to date and on trend.
Final Thoughts
Utilizing Instagram is something that every ecommerce business should consider. Its ever-expanding range of marketing tools gives brands an excellent chance to connect and engage with current and prospective customers.
Jacques van der Wilt is the founder and CEO of DataFeedWatch