How to Increase Sales on Instagram - Social media is fast becoming a virtual avenue for consumers to discover new products and services. Instagram is one such platform that has increased exposure for brands. But Instagram does more than generate awareness for businesses. In fact, according to a Facebook IQ study, 54% of people surveyed say they made a purchase either in the moment or after seeing a product or service on Instagram. 87% of people surveyed took action after seeing brand content on Instagram such as following the brand, visiting their website, or making an online purchase. By increasing your company's exposure on Instagram, you can drive more traffic to your website, and in turn, boost sales and conversions.

There are various ways you can use Instagram to increase sales for your brand. Here are a few:

TARGET YOUR IDEAL AUDIENCE

One of the easiest ways to increase your brand exposure on Instagram is to invest in Instagram ads, especially if you're a growing business with a unique offering and or differential. The great thing about these ads is that you can target them to your ideal customer. For example, you can set your ads to users with specific demographics (i.e. location, age, etc.) and/or interests.

Focussing your advertising spend on a segment that is truly interested in your product and or service.

By utilising targeted ads, you can reach users who are more likely to make a purchase from your brand. For example, you run an ice cream shop in sunny California. You want to target people who have viewed or engaged with (i.e. likes, comments) Instagram posts about ice cream and other frozen desserts in the past. Interest-based targeting can help you do that by placing ads in the Instagram feeds of users who are likely to engage with your content and eventually make a purchase.

Making the advertising relevant to the consumer removes the friction typically caused by advertising.

LEVERAGE INFLUENCERS

You can connect with influencers using Instagram to gain the trust of your target audience. This can serve a brand well because people trust and have a connection with influencers as they're more like everyday consumers. One of them. Thus, their opinions and advice about a particular product or service can seem more genuine than the average celebrity trying to endorse their product. Nearly, 63% of consumers say that they are more likely to purchase from a brand if it has good product ratings and reviews. An influencer can make a review of your product or service and inspire other Instagram users to buy from you, and in turn, review your business.

For example, you're a beauty brand working with a beauty influencer, a popular person on Instagram who does a lot of makeup reviews. This influencer has over 100k Instagram followers. Their followers are heavy makeup users and are always on the hunt for new makeup products - your ideal audience.

Working with this influencer lends you the ability to increase your brand exposure. Let's say they do a review of one of your products and their followers see it. If interested, they'll click the link to your website, go to your product page, and they may even add it to their cart and click the checkout button, resulting in a sale.

EMBRACE USER-GENERATED CONTENT

User-generated content is a form of word-of-mouth advertising, except it's done online. No one is a better salesperson than a satisfied customer and a passionate user. By providing ways for users to share their content (i.e. branded hashtags), they can help showcase your product with their posts. Their followers will see this content and may even be interested in finding out more about your product or service. You can also feature user-generated content on your brand's page, which is a great way to show customers how much you appreciate them. And valued customers usually come back to purchase from you again.

Are you ready to grow your brand with social media marketing? At Digital Stand, we pride ourselves on helping CMOs and business owners achieve that growth. Contact us today to learn more!