Learning how to sell on Instagram can unlock new revenue opportunities for your business. Selling on Instagram is no longer just a trend, it has now become a must-have.
Social media has evolved beyond a mere marketing tool; it has become a powerful sales channel. Instagram is undoubtedly the platform par excellence for all those brands that want to leave their mark in the digital world.
Being a purely visual application, it lends itself greatly to the presentation of products through the publication of quality images and is the perfect showcase to sell your products or services. All this has been facilitated by the introduction of the “Shopping” function, which has made the platform one of the most used means for branding and selling to one’s target audience. Thanks to the innovations introduced in recent years, it is possible to tag products in posts and stories and direct customers to the item they would like to buy.
Don’t think, however, that it’s a walk in the park: you need to know how to develop the right strategy and develop sales skills. In this regard, a Course in Digital Sales will certainly be right for you, which will show you which techniques to use to sell effectively on Instagram.
Being a new topic and not very well known in our country, I will review everything you need to know to be able to sell on Instagram and which best practices you can follow to establish the perfect sales strategy. In particular, I will explain:
- the benefits of selling on Instagram;
- how to sell on Shopping in 5 steps;
- how to build a perfect sales strategy on Instagram;
- some precautions to encourage sales on IG.
In short, if you are looking for an article that clarifies any doubts on the subject you are in the right place. You’ll get all the answers you need if you’re about to launch your project or set up the sale of your product line on social media. Alternatively, you can read it just to learn more about one of the hottest selling trends of the moment.
Why Instagram is good for selling?
Selling on Instagram is l business that allows you to generate income. To make you understand how it works, keep in mind the figure of the Influencer. Do you know who I’m talking about? It’s about that person who earns through social media, creating a community and offering high-quality content. He often collaborates with companies, who contact him to advertise themselves and enhance their reputation.
IG makes shopping easy and immediate for consumers allowing you to connect directly with your target market, a fundamental requirement for any company. You can analyze your niche, the trends, and the content that captures the most attention by taking inspiration from any competitors.
Among the many advantages that the platform reserves, there is certainly the possibility of gaining visibility. Data in hand, to date about 80% of users follow company profiles and over 200 million people come across business pages every day while “scrolling” on the home of the social channel.
Users are curious and thirsty for knowledge and are constantly looking for content to inspire them. And this is precisely the reason why they are followers of Influencers, celebrities, and above all brands and large companies. Not surprisingly, Instagrammers use the platform as a place where they can fantasize and this drives them to desire objects and experiences. According to a survey commissioned by Facebook Inc., 83% of respondents said they use Instagram as a source for discovering new products and services and at least 70% of users have purchased a product following content seen on the platform.
The data speaks for itself and it is precisely in these circumstances that your brand is located: to sell on Instagram you will have to be able to understand how the product fits into the user’s imagination and how this can become of vital importance to him. By implementing the right strategy, therefore, you will show your products to customers interested in buying and naturally lead them towards the purchase.
Selling on Instagram isn’t complicated: you’ll need to analyze which tools best suit your business reality to cultivate leads and exponentially increase traffic to your page or possibly your website. In a short time, you will see a dramatic increase in the sales of your products. A concrete example is demonstrated by the children’s brand Spearmint Love which declared that with the use of the Instagram Shopping function, there was a 25% increase in traffic and an 8% increase in turnover.
It may sound like science fiction, but selling on Instagram opens the door to international trade. As you well know, the world of the web has no geographical limits, so in the blink of an eye, you’ll find yourself dealing with patronage that comes from all over the world. Managing this type of business isn’t easy, but with the right investments and using the tools you deem most appropriate, it will be child’s play.
In short, selling on Instagram has become a must-have for anyone who works or would like to work in the world of online sales, as it is an effective way to increase sales, analyze the target market, and work on one’s brand reputation.
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How to sell on Instagram Shopping in 4 steps
Shopping is the name of the function that allows you to sell on Instagram. Introduced in March 2019, Shopping on Instagram aims to make the purchase procedure very easy. Many argue that through this tool they have managed to direct people from the social feed to the website to buy the products shown in the posts.
All companies that have been configured to use Shopping mode will be able to take advantage of this feature. What does it consist of?
The system works through product tags that you will need to insert in your posts or stories. In particular, when the product is tagged, it is possible to display the name and price, just as if it were a tag in the shop. When the user clicks on the content, he will be directed to the e-commerce, where the purchase will be made.
I guess you are wondering where your products will be displayed. The answer is simple: in the “Explore” section of IG. In particular, in this section users can follow the accounts they like best and go shopping. The channel is based on algorithms that work based on interests and can show the post with the products you are selling on Instagram to anyone who is in line with your brand.
Before proceeding with starting your business on Instagram and activating the “Shopping” function, I recommend that you inform yourself about the current regulations on online commerce and establish what objective your business should have, to know with certainty how to move also from a fiscal point of view.
Are you ready to activate the Shopping feature on Instagram? Let’s find out together!
Verify compliance with the required requirements
Before proceeding with the activation of the Shopping feature to be able to sell on Instagram successfully, make sure that you meet all the criteria necessary to be eligible to sell:
- have a suitable product;
- comply with the agreement with the merchant and the consequent sales regulations;
- own a website to sell from.
As for the third point, in case you don’t have a website, you can easily create one using platforms like Magento, Shopify, or Big Commerce.
Know, however, that recently, thanks to the Checkout function, it has been possible to sell on Instagram without a website, completing the shopping directly on the platform. All you need to do is enter your usual payment information and personal data to proceed to check out just as if it were a normal shop. From the first purchase, your data will be memorized, to make shopping faster the next time.
Do you think you have everything ready to move on to the next step? Well, then I’ll walk you through the steps to activate the Shopping function and start selling on IG.
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1. Activate the business account on Instagram
To sell on Instagram you need to create a business account. This possibility is closely connected to the creation of a Facebook page. Essentially, the two social networks will connect. You will therefore find yourself having to switch from the standard account to the business account and at the same time having to create your showcase on Facebook, which you will need to use to proceed with the account switch.
What does the Instagram business account offer you differently? Unlike the standard one, the business account allows you to take advantage of various functions such as Insights, the possibility of creating promotions and entering the telephone numbers and email contact of your company. In particular, business accounts differ from the standard ones in the possibility of having access to some additional functions such as insights on one’s followers and post-performance, the opportunity to create promotions and add information and contacts about one’s business.
How to activate a business account on Instagram? From the official application on your smartphone or tablet, you will need to access your profile, touch the menu icon at the top right of the screen, select the “Settings” item, and then the “Account” option. Afterward, you will have to click on “Switch to a company account”. At this time, you will need to connect your business’s Facebook page and wait for approval from Instagram for the effective success of activating your Instagram business profile.
2. Create your showcase on Facebook
As you will have understood, to start on how to sell on Instagram it is necessary to have a supportive Facebook page. The Facebook page will serve as a showcase from which IG will draw the shopping tags to insert in the posts and is a requirement to activate the business account on Instagram.
You can activate the “Showcase” function from the settings on Facebook or directly create your catalog on the Business Manager (BM). In the latter case, you will need to access the BM account of the Facebook page linked to your company account and you will need to create a new catalog or continue on a previously created one. Alternatively, you can upload your catalog through the Shopify or BigCommerce platforms which are official Instagram partners and have a specific integration to allow you how to sell on Instagram.
When you create your showcase, it will be necessary to fill in a product sheet in which you will insert the photo, description, and price and indicate the page of your website through which the checkout of your sales on the platform will take place. Please note that you will need to enter at least 8 products for the “Showcase” function to be activated on Facebook.
3. Wait for your account to be reviewed
To proceed with the last step and start on how to sell on Instagram successfully, you will simply have to wait for the Shopping feature to be approved through the analysis of your account.
The timing can vary from a few hours to a few days, depending on the type of analysis that the operators are carrying out on your account. Precisely for this reason, it is necessary to be in good standing and strictly comply with the regulations that allow the sale on the social network. If you are not authorized to activate Shopping, check that you have carried out the procedure correctly and try again. Alternatively, contact customer service.
4. Add the Shopping Tag to your posts
Once you upload the image and caption to your Facebook “Shop” and get your account approved, you can finally tag your products on Instagram and start selling.
The article on which you want to insert the tag will be taken directly from Facebook and you will not be able to tag people and products at the same time, but you will have the possibility to tag up to 5 articles for each image. You will be able to insert tags in both posts and stories. The two procedures are different. To set up a “shoppable” post, just follow these few steps:
- Select “Add Photos”,
- Add your caption,
- Tap on “Tag products”,
- Tap the photo,
- Search for the product you have entered in the showcase on Facebook,
- Select the product,
- Tap “Done”.
After you’ve done all this, all you have to do is share the post that contains the product you want to sell on Instagram.
As for the Story, however, you will have to follow a different procedure:
- Choose the image to publish as a story,
- Tap the sticker icon,
- Select the sticker related to the product you want to sell,
- Move the sticker to where you want it to appear on your story,
- If necessary, change the text color of the sticker according to your needs,
- Share the story with your followers.
Use relevant hashtags strategically to increase your visibility and reach when implementing how to sell on Instagram. At the end of both procedures, you can congratulate yourself because you have officially launched the sale of your products on Instagram! At this point, users just have to tap on the photo to see the information relating to the product of their interest, i.e. the price and the name of the item.
If more information is desired, users can directly click on the label and a screen will open in which the “Buy” button will appear. Thanks to this, they can be directed to the corporate site to confirm the action. In a few minutes, the purchase by your followers will be made official.
How to build an Instagram sales strategy
After finding out how to sell on Instagram successfully and what are the requirements to be able to do it, I’ll talk to you about strategy. To make this opportunity bear fruit on the platform, it is necessary to implement some precautions that only a social media and sales expert will be able to manage.
Because selling on IG isn’t just posting your products and hoping someone buys them. You need to build a reputation and a community that cares about the goods you’re selling. You must be able to implement those branding strategies that allow you on the one hand to increase interest in your brand and on the other to naturally bring users to the checkout phase of the purchase.
What strategy to implement when you decide to start selling your products on Instagram?
Use sponsored ones
The diffusion of social media has made Social Media Advertising one of the most used practices in recent years in the advertising field. For how to sell on Instagram, some invest almost exclusively in social media ads to promote their content and obtain particularly satisfactory results.
What benefits does it bring? Social Advertising is a very useful method to get yourself known and increase your sales. You will be able to reach your target audience more easily and quickly by stimulating sales through calls to action and maximizing your investment. You will be able to tap into a group of potential customers who have very specific characteristics in terms of demographics and interests.
Choose which content to promote and with a few euros, you will get your own advertising space. Like any type of advertising, each post or story you wish to sponsor will be marked with the appropriate wording “Sponsored”. If you can make effective content, this method will certainly pay off.
Use Influencer Marketing
Collaborating with influencers can be profitable to sell on Instagram effectively. As the word says, these figures are particularly “influential” in genuinely convincing their followers to buy a product online. Utilize high-quality visuals and captivating captions to attract potential customers when exploring how to sell on Instagram.
By connecting and sharing messages with your audience, you positively impact brand visibility, follower actions, and user behavior and choices. For this reason, this type of solution has an important strategic relevance for many Digital Marketing Managers, so much so that 76% of marketers recognize the close correlation between Influencer Marketing and Customer Loyalty.
Take advantage of the “Explore” section on Instagram
Every day, 200 million visitors look to Instagram’s Explore tab to search for new content and insights in line with their tastes. This section consists of a grid of photos and videos that also shows you the posts that come from accounts that you don’t follow, but that are shown because they match your interests. All obviously thanks to the Instagram algorithm that “takes note” of the posts or stories you interacted with.
In summary, any user, even if they are not your follower, will find you in the “Explore” section if they are in line with your target. For this reason, it is essential to take care of your communication and present yourself in the best possible way: surely this is a fundamental step in establishing your sales strategy on Instagram.
Useful tips for selling on Instagram
After having created the right sales strategy on Instagram, I will now tell you about the best practices to follow to make your communication on the social network as efficient as possible. Simply posting photos or videos does not guarantee visitors or buyers on your Instagram profile. Remember that images are essential for a visual social like this and must tell a story that invites potential buyers to become attached to your brand and entice them to buy.
In a nutshell, you will need to create an attractive profile with excellent-quality content that can differentiate you from your potential competitors. Let’s find out together how it is possible to achieve all this.
Optimize your profile and post every day
How to sell on Instagram profitably, try to always be active, present, and differentiated from the competition. Find items of originality and post them every day. We are talking about a social network that strongly recalls the concept of immediacy and topicality, so it is essential to offer content every day to increase brand awareness and increase sales.
I also recommend that you create posts about your products regularly, to get users into the habit of looking at your products regularly.
Also remember to think carefully about when to post your products: check the Insights and find out when users are most “active”. Finally, don’t forget to consider when the new products in your collection will be launched. In this regard, it will be very useful for you to have an editorial plan through which to establish the planning of your content.
Post engaging content about your products
How to sell on Instagram effectively, you need to make the best use of communication. Therefore, particular attention must be paid to how to present the products on the social network. For example, you will have to show all the available options for your products to allow users to choose the solution that best suits them. To aggregate and keep the stories you’ve set up for sale, it’s a good idea to highlight them on your profile, just like a collection.
In addition, you can think of using the “flat lay” shot more often, a type of photographic cut that takes objects arranged on a flat surface from the other. In this way, you will show your products in detail to make them more appealing to your potential buyers.
Make your brand interactive
Try to stimulate engagement with your social content. Reply to comments or write captivating texts that stimulate the response of your users. Only by creating a community of enthusiasts will you be able to exponentially increase your sales on Instagram. Targeting a niche is key!
Conclusions and free advice
Selling on Instagram is a pot of gold, but you need to know how to make the most of this opportunity. Knowing the platform and knowing how to use it is not enough. How to sell on Instagram effectively, you need to plan your strategy and have a series of quality content to publish. Like any activity that involves the sale of products, you need to have strong selling and analytical skills that will certainly determine the performance of your business.
It is also equally important to pay attention to the regulations because selling on Instagram is a real online commercial activity subject to taxation. Failure to comply with the rules could result in fines and possibly compromise the activation of the Shopping function on Instagram.
Request a consultation with an expert and kickstart your sales on Instagram!
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